The recent devastating fires 
in Maui hit close to home. My husband’s sister lives in Maui. Fortunately, where she is in Kihei, the damage was limited.
We have a trip to Hawaii planned for late September. So we’ll replace the images in our minds from the news media with live ones from personal experience.
I have fond memories of Maui. I lived in Las Vegas for many years and it was much easier to vacation there.
When I was in my early 30s, I realized that caffeine had become a problem for me. I was trying to quiet frequent headaches with what I refer to now as a symptom suppressor.
I have never been a coffee or soda drinker, but I loved a good strong cup of earl grey tea in the morning and several glasses of iced tea at lunch.
When I connected the dots with my symptoms, I realized that I had to significantly reduce my caffeine intake. I decided that it would be easiest to do that away from my normal routine.
What does this have to do with Maui? I took on the challenge during a luxury vacation there. 
Flawed thinking. There are easier ways!
I will never forget the days of relentless headaches. I felt like a wrecking ball was tearing down a structure in my head … several of them.
I spent a few miserable days on a lounge chair by the pool with a view of the ocean 
just steps away …
drinking water and misting my face … trying to ease the discomfort!
After a few days, the caffeine issue was in the rearview mirror … for the most part!
I do still love my tea. Now it’s mostly green, which has far less caffeine.
The biggest challenge is avoiding iced tea at lunch. Getting high quality water as an alternative when I eat out can be a problem. At least the tea water is boiled.
A better alternative is mineral water. As they say in Europe ‘con gas’. Yes, with the carbonation!
The bubbles soothe your nervous system, which improves digestion. The sodium helps with elimination.
All good – right?
Just be careful not to overdo it. Look for brands of mineral water that are low in sodium.
Mineral water is magical. Give it a try and let me know what it does for you!
Until next week …
Be Well!
Dr. Gala
