Some literature states that consuming small volumes of ethanol (alcohol) helps prevent cardiac events such as an MI, an embolism, or a CVA. Meanwhile, other literature shows that people who consume even small quantities of alcohol have smaller brain volumes than people who abstain from alcohol. It seems even small quantities of alcohol cause some degree of brain shrinkage. What do you make of these findings? Do you believe that consuming small quantities of alcohol for the benefit of cardiovascular health outweighs the risk of addiction, liver failure, brain failure, and cardiovascular problems due to heavy alcohol use? Use this thread to talk about what you think of the above issue.
If I recall, there is a health benefit to taking a small volume of alcohol. It acts as a stimulant and opens up small blood vessels. However there was some talk of the anthrocyanins (antioxidants) in red wine being healthy, but it has been found subsequently that the volume of wine taken to get any appreciable health benefit from these would outweigh said benefits. I think with alcohol, a modest consumption would do little harm, but it must be remembered that smoking and some prescription drugs can exaserbate the effects of alcohol. There are alcohol based tonics that have been traditionally used for gout etc. and even gripe water used to contain alcohol, but these are gradually falling from favour.
Wow Will, that last bit was a leap, for sure! People who consume a moderate amount of red wine (like Cabernet), dark chocolate and other foods that contain lots of flavinoids do much better on memory retention and overall cerebral function as they age than folks who abstain. (I am sure you know this is one of my topics.) Moderation is the key here, that and variety in the diet along with ongoing vigorous aerobic exercise and rest will keep the old thinker going strong. Additionally, we change how we problem solve when we age, becoming more efficient in the process to make up for accumulating deficits. Pretty much anything in excess is bad for you though. I follow "Real Age" advice for healthy living, diet inclusive. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! All of our brains shrink somewhat as we age. You can address this by taking up new activities and sticking with them. Learning a musical instrument will give you brain growth that is easily visible in an MRI or x-ray after about 3 months of regular practice. Same thing with a lot of other learning. Daily meditation will increase the mylenization of your axons and lead to an overall increase in the thickness of your cerebral cortex. Adherence to a strict daily regimen leads to serenity which can effectively mask severe Alzheimers - you will appear sane and together to everyone, self inclusive. The overwhelmingly most effective though, is serious physical exercise, due to the improvement in your vascular system. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Jack LaLane was sharp as a tack right until he died due to that and good diet. I will continue to suck down my 2 glasses of Cabernet Sauvignon every day...and run my 10 miles with my Labrador!
A stimulant in what way? Pharmacologically, ethanol is classified as a CNS depressant, not a CNS stimulant. It does have a vasodilating effect, but it's not stimulating your cardiac output in the way an adrenergic agonist would. The drop in blood pressure as a result of vasodilation acts to make you more drowsy.
In small quantities it is a stimulant, unless it has been re-catagorised. It only becomes a depressant when more than, say, a glass of wine is drunk. It dilates capillaries, thickens the blood, stimulates the C.N.S. and alters the way synapses fire. But this really is a small amount, and who sticks to a glass of wine once they've opened the bottle? Not me, thats for sure. I usually drink about 4 pints of cider or beer, or a bottle of wine a day...too much to be healthy. If you have a bit of a rummage on t'interweb you should be able to find the tecchie stuff fairly easily. If not, I'll try and find some info.
Why in small quantities would it stimulate the CNS and then act as a CNS depressant later on? Ethanol acts by potentiating GABA, an inhibitory neurotransmitter that relieves anxiety and calms you. It works very similarly to benzodiazepines like xanax, valium, klonopin, ativan and other anti-anxiety meds, which are likewise abused by people to achieve a relaxed and self-confident state. I'm not disagreeing with you outright. I'm curious where you found out that information.
Oh my, I learned this stuff years ago. Actually it was my (departed) mother who was a psyciatric charge nurse that told me. I seem to recall someting about it from uni as well. I'm sure the info is accurate, but the ol' brain cell isn't as shiny as it was. I'll have a bit of a snoop on the interweb and see what turns up. See if I can find a link for you.
http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/apr99/924747505.Ns.q.html http://www.ehow.com/about_5166823_stimulant-properties-alcohol.html http://www.buzzle.com/articles/how-does-alcohol-affect-the-nervous-system.html Yup, it looks like I was right. Copy/paste the links if they don't work on thier own. It turns out it's known as a bi-phasic drug. They aren't that technical, but they confirm it is still considered as either, depending on how much is ingested.
I am also a nurse, and I haven't heard that before. And I aced pharmacology. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! I thought you might have provided a more academic source. The ones you provided seem to talk informally about the way alcohol provides a euphoria which might appear to stimulate a person's mood. However, even when that is going on, they are usually less alert, less oriented, which is what the "depressant/stimulant" terms are referring to. That is why your link says "This excitement, however, is really the initial effect of alcohol's depressant properties."
Yeah, it's a very fine line and a fuzzy one at that when the effects flip from stimulant to depressant. If I find anything more specific, I'll post it for you. It isn't my field of research, its just something I happened to remember. Have a bit of a trawl, the info will be out there somewhere.
Two concepts at work here: Clear alcohol (highly distilled) = blood thinner Red wine = whatever associated with it such as anti oxidant.
That is in fact a recursive principle: Moderation is important in everything, including moderation. In other words, it should not be practiced blindly and universally. I dunno, I have trouble calling a guy "sharp," whose idea of a dream birthday celebration was to tow a bunch of boats with his teeth. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! I assume you've checked that regimen out with your veterinarian. Dogs are generally sprinters; very few breeds have the constitution to be distance-runners. In addition, a running pace that is suitable for the geometry of the human body may not be suitable for theirs. "Jogging," for example, is very hard on most large dogs.
Jogging(as opposed to sprinting) is pretty hard on most people too. At least, that's what the legend is about why so many people in the army have bad knees(it could be those old-school turrets though).
I was in the army. The problem was less the running and more the boots we were doing it in. Had I drunk more and run less, maybe I'd still have some cartilege in my knees..
Ah! You too have read Blake - "all things in excess"...from the Marriage of Heaven and Hell, as I recall. I try to get between Blake and Franklin myself, with a big chunk of Buddha. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! He stayed on top of his game right until the pneumonia took him out at age 96. Pulled those 7 boats each with 10 passengers for a mile because it was his 70th birthday. Not a bad way to celebrate that...if you are capable of doing it, that is. Inspirational for those of us with aspirations of physical fitness as we age as well. You are correct, we check in with her doc often, she has given us her approval for our regimen. My 90 pound 2 & 1/2 year old American Field Yellow Labrador Retriever sets the pace and distance. She hit 5 miles a day before she hit 20 pounds. Yes, she is crazy, but lots of fun. She is not the only trail hound on the trails here either, there are many such. I am neither fast nor slow, I am good for the distance though. You gotta do 50 miles a week to stop your telemeres from shortening - remember? She swims a lot when the ice doesn't cover the water and we play fetch, tug-o-war and keep-away with found sticks on the trails as well as doing the mileage. If she doesn't get her daily workout she digs big holes in the yard, carries my wife's rock garden rocks around the yard and breaks the trees, turning them into mulch. Too much food and not enough exercise is much more of a problem for most dogs than too much exercise, just as it is for their humans. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
