Paradoxical Musings from a Coffee Lover/Medical Writer (Generic Coffee & a Breast Cancer-Coffee Update)
Spring break is a special ritual
for many families, including mine. Often, it means a chance to travel, a bit of sun, and the
perfect chance to combine leisurely fun with purpose. We look forward to it all year long. Last
year, we basically stayed home because my husband had a major work project. The
previous year, we went to Paris—when my youngest was only four months old. This
year, we went to Washington, D.C. and to Virginia. It was a great trip. We
stayed in decent, but not super- fancy, hotels and had an absolute blast, once
we got past the initial drama of not being able to check into our first hotel
in Dupont Circle due to plumbing problems.
At Hotel Harrington on 11th
and E in D.C., we were literally only a few walkable blocks away from the
Smithsonian Museums, the Supreme Court and the Metro. We woke up early every
day and packed in quite a bit---the zoo, the National Museum of Natural
History, the Supreme Court, the Museum of American History, even D.C. Coast—an
exceptionally good restaurant on 14th and K. I needed coffee just as much on my vacation as
I do in every-day life.
The Adventure of Coffee in Terra Incognita
One of my favorite things about
traveling is the adventure of getting coffee. During the day, I got coffee at various
places---Starbucks, Pret a Manger, various museum cafeterias---but at night and
early in the morning, I was basically on my own. The coffee options seemed
grim, compared with my which-gourmet-coffee-am-I-going-to-drink-today lifestyle
(one of the few areas I actually splurge!).
But I am flexible. This is what I
know about myself: I must have morning coffee before leaving wherever I
happened to sleep the night before. In our D.C. hotel, which had a decidedly Eurochic-meets-faded-70’s-glory
aura, there was no coffeemaker in our room when we arrived. (Ugh!!!) When I
requested a “coffee maker” for our room, which was otherwise fairly well
appointed, the front deck sent up an electronic water boiler and several packs
of instant Maxwell House. Still, it was coffee. It had caffeine, and we had a fridge
to store skim milk. It would be sufficient to get me up and out.
So
after several days of purposeful discussions with our children about civil
rights, the difference between moths and butterflies, the merits of duck versus
salmon as an entrée, neoclassical
architecture and the mating habits of middle-aged pandas, we decamped for a
more leisurely, playful mini-vacation (a vacation within a vacation). We landed
in a nice, comfy, standard faire Comfort Inn on the highway in Woodbridge, Virginia. It
cost much less than our hotel in D.C., but there was a coffee maker in the
room---and the coffee was delicious. Not only that, but downstairs there was
coffee EVERYWHERE, with sweet, little white standard-issue ceramic mugs. You
could literally grab a cup of coffee whenever you went to the pool, the hot tub
or decided to hang out in the “library” or the front-lobby computer suite.
Pleasant all around.
Coffee and Breast Cancer-a Relevant Update
Some of
my favorite moments from this last spring break involve watching my children
marvel at butterflies in the Butterfly Pavilion at the NMNH, watching the shock
of recognition in my daughter’s eyes when we showed her Thurgood Marshall’s
Portrait in the front hall of the Supreme Court, drinking a leftover latte in
bed in our hotel room while watching CNN---and drinking hotel coffee by the
side of a hot tub, watching my 2-year-old frolic in her swim ring, while my
10-year-old practiced diving.
Now,
perhaps this is a leap, but it makes sense to me---and I hope it will to you
too. When I watch my children play and I marvel at the terrific investment of
raising children, I often think about my own mortality. Like many women, I worry about breast
cancer---especially considering that my own mother died in her forties from
this terrifying disease (which we are now learning is more than one disease,
with variations and nuances that make it more complex than we originally thought).
New
data from researchers in Sweden at Lund University shows a positive association between coffee and preventing breast
cancer recurrence in survivors. In a
placebo-controlled study of 600 breast cancer survivors, 300 received
Tamoxifen, an estrogen-blocker used to prevent recurrence. Among those women, higher levels of coffee
consumption (at least 2 cups a day) was linked to a lower risk of their breast
cancer recurring. They literally had half the risk, compared with non-coffee
drinkers.
What’s
the link? Though it’s not entirely clear, the Swedish researchers hypothesize
that coffee somehow “activates” Tamoxifen and makes it work more efficiently.
Or it could be something about the wallop of antioxidants and chlorogenic acids
that come with each cup of coffee. Regardless, it’s good news.
Another
important takeaway: Sometimes, coffee is just coffee, but it can still be good.
Live happily today---and drink coffee!
Comments
Wow.
This post had everything; travel, adventure,intrigue,......and...Gourmet Coffee!!! We start at Spring Break and end with a Wallop!
Nice.
Ah, yes. The merits of Duck vs. Salmon. I believe this issue was discussed in the new book; "My Life as a Water Fowl," by Prof. Trevor (Hughie) Berbsky. The book is a gripping tale of man as Duck.
Deep In Spring
Deep in spring, the rain's passed- West Lake is good.
A hundred grasses vie in beauty,
Confusion of butterflies, clamour of bees,
The clear day hurries the blossom to burst forth in the warmth.
Oars in lilies, a painted barge moving without haste.
I think I see a band of sprites-
Light reflected in the ripples,
The high wind carries music over the broad water.
-Xiu Ouyang