Don't Whine About It... Drink the Wine in Moderation

Light, moderate or heavy? I guess the classification of your wine consumption levels is down to each individual. During my time in the army, I saw lots of people of all sizes drink incredible quantities of alcohol with no apparant side effects. In later life I've come to understand that moderation should have started years ago.

I like red wine and often drink far to much for my health. How do I know this? NOT by reading articles or counting "units"... it's a really simple deduction. After to much wine I feel aweful the next morning!

Anyway, I found the article below to be interesting although it does rehash many other tall tales about various "good-for-your-heart" foods and drinks.

Regular and Moderate Wine Drinking

Wine and Health: The medical profession has recognized the healthful and nutritive properties of wine for thousands of years. Hippo crates recommended specific wines to purge fever, disinfect and dress wounds, as diuretics, or for nutritional supplements, around 450 B.C. Wine is a mild natural tranquilizer, serving to reduce anxiety and tension.

As part of a normal diet, wine provides the body with energy, with substances that aid digestion, and with small amounts of minerals and vitamins. It can also stimulate the appetite. In addition, wine serves to restore nutritional balance, relieve tension, sedate and act as a mild euphoric agent to the convalescent and especially the aged. Although wine may be the oldest remedy and prophylactic still in use, there was an entire generation of medical professionals, especially in America, that obtained their medical education during the historical period known as Prohibition. Medical texts for nearly twenty-five years were purged and censored of any mention of alcohol, including wine, for any application other than external. This medical generation became educators to the following one, perpetuating medical ignorance of the potential health benefits of wine.

REGULARITY & MODERATION: Moderate wine drinking was discovered to be one prominent factor. Studies in England and Denmark found the occurrence of coronary disease to be much higher in heavy or binge drinkers and (surprise!) even higher in abstainers. Moderate consumption of red wine on a regular basis may be a preventative against coronary disease and some forms of cancer. Clinical and statistical evidence and laboratory studies have shown these to boost the immune system, block cancer formation, and possibly protect against heart disease and even prolong life.

More evidence suggests that wine dilates the small blood vessels and helps to prevent angina and clotting. Alcohol component in wine also help in the maintenance of cholesterol in a human body. Wine might even defend cognitive function in the elderly. Several European studies have shown the prophylactic effects of regular light to moderate alcohol consumption may include the prevention or adjournment of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and other forms of dementia. Could wine be the original brain food? Over 400 studies worldwide, and the other awareness aspects have concluded that the peoples who drink wine regularly and moderately live longer. The single group exception, whose members should not consume any alcohol, is pre-menopausal women with a family history of breast cancer. The keys to the beneficial aspects are regularity and moderation. Over indulgence can be considerably more harmful than total abstinence. http://www.drinksos.com

Article Republished From: Liberated Press Releases and Other FREE Information a web site that DOESN'T use Google Adspam (Adsense text links) in or around articles.

Author Resource:- Bernard Bubman R.Ph, a renowned pharmacist, has worked for 30 years in the alternative medicine world. His expertise in formulations for health benefits is unsurpassed.

Pussy Cat, Pussy I LOVE YOU, Yes I DO! But Do You Love Me?

Well, it seems cats are good for your health, although they're definetly hopeless at fetching sticks! Nice comment: "Social Connectedness, including the unconditional love of a pet, can protect against cancer".

Beating Depression. The Power of Pets

To be physically, mentally and emotionally healthy, we all need contact with living things. Research into the bond between humans and animals reveals that something as simple as having a cat or dog as a pet, can protect us from numerous health problems including heart disease, cancer and depression. Dr Edward T. Creagan, a cancer specialist at the Mayo Clinic deals on a daily basis with patients suffering from cancer induced stress and depression. He wrote in "Bottom Line Personal" July 2004: "Social Connectedness, including the unconditional love of a pet, can protect against cancer".

I often write a "pet prescription" for my patients. My three legged Golden Retriever gives us the best medicine of all." Before I retired, I suffered from job related stress. When I returned home after a stressful day, my Cocker Spaniel "Chloe" was waiting for me at the door, tail wagging and ready for a play and a walk. Not only was the mutual affection and exercise good for both of us, it also released "feel good" hormones or endorphins that calm the body and help release tension. Simply stroking a cat or dog, or just being with them, can reduce and undo the stress generated by a busy day.

My situation was of course not unique, as all pet owners will testify. Dr Bernie Siegel, founder of "Exceptional Cancer Patients" recently discussed the effects of pets on heart attack victims in Australia. His research revealed that after one year, 6% of patients who owned a dog had died, compared with a 25% mortality rate in those who did not own a dog. Dr Siegel has seen firsthand the extraordinary effects pets can have on our health and wellbeing. He has noted a positive change in body chemistry when pets are around. Levels of the stress hormone cortisol go down, immune function improves and serotonin levels increase.

These are the same hormones that are elevated in a woman after giving birth, promoting bonding with her new baby. But what causes these chemical changes? Dr Siegel believes it is the unconditional acceptance and connection that animals consistently provide. They can also be incredibly intuitive.

Often if a person is sick in bed, a dog will come and sit beside him/her. If that person was just taking a nap, the dog may not show the same level of concern. "Animals respond to feelings, to what is really going on with their owners." Dr Karen Allen is a research scientist at the School of Public Health, University of New York, Buffalo. Her work focuses on the therapeutic effects of pets in healing, depression and stress reduction. Her studies included the effects of having your best friend, spouse or pet present in stressful situations.

In one study, Dr Allen looked at women performing mental arithmetic problems alone, then with their best female friends present and finally, with their dogs present. With the friends present, the subjects experienced large increases in blood pressure {compared to when they worked alone}.However, when the dogs were present, insignificant increases, or none at all, occurred in blood pressure. Her studies revealed, in both active and passive coping trials, participants experienced dramatic stress responses in the presence of another person, versus only slight increases in blood pressure in the presence of a pet.

The consistent results led Dr Allen to conclude that pets clearly are a preferred source of social support. They are non judgmental, we don't have to impress them and they accept us for what we are. Dr Siegel sums up the importance of pets in our lives. "Animals have an incredible ability to be completely there and completely devoted. How many of us can say that we are totally devoted to someone else's wellbeing? Animals are, and we respond positively to that."

Article Republished From: Liberated Press Releases and Other FREE Information a web site that DOESN'T use Google Adspam (Adsense text links) in or around articles.

Author Resource:- Graeme Lanham is a freelance writer and health/fitness researcher. His new book "Your Life Fitness" includes current research studies on fitness and anti-aging. Discover more about the secrets to heart health and avoiding cancer and receive a FREE subscription to his regular subscribers only newsletter at: http://www.yourlifefitness.com

Another Interesting Cat Article
Power Keys For Eliminating Stress From Your Life By:- Alan Tutt Stress comes from only 2 sources. Either believing that you are not capable of performing as required, or being uncomfortable in your present surroundings.