Red Wine, Is It That Good For You?

You have all heard the mantra, drink red wine if you want to live longer. Is it really that simple, does drinking red wine truly have health benefits? What about the down side, how much harm is there to our body?

Let's find out if red wine is that beneficial for you. Here is what the experts are saying;

1.     Red wine contains the antioxidant resveratrol which protects against some cell damage.

2.    Resveratrol also has heart-health benefits including improved physical performance and muscle strength. Note: the benefits are minimal so don’t go for cabernet instead of cardio.

3.    People who drink red wine have a 34% lower mortality rate than beer or vodka drinkers. Resveratrol is again the helpful substance.

4.    Resveratrol also helps to remove chemicals responsible for causing blood clots, which is the primary cause of coronary disease. A daily dose of red wine may reduce blood clot related stroke rates by 50%.

5.    Another active antioxidant in red wine called quercetin works against cancer cells, most often colon cancer.

6.    Tannins, which give red wine its colour, contain procyanidins which are known for protecting against heart disease. 

7.     Some studies have found that up to 7 glasses of red wine can reduce the onset of depression. (Warning: in some people alcohol can induce depression so read to the end of this post).

8.    Recent studies have shown a glass of red wine each day can reduce the onset of dementia.

9.    Lesser benefits include reducing the risk of lung cancer, preventing blindness, and preventing type-2 diabetes.

How much should you drink to get these benefits - Men should not regularly drink more than 3-4 units of alcohol a day. Women should not regularly drink more than 2-3 units a day. A 250ml (large) glass of 12% red wine has about 3 units of alcohol. A 175ml (medium) glass has about two units.

What are the down sides of drinking red wine (if you are still reading this post) and there are MANY. I will keep the list short so that you read the list to the very end; depression, mental health problems, cardiomyopathy, arrhythmias, stroke, hypertension, fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis, cirrhosis, several cancers, pancreatitis, and research is continuing to establish that drinking red wine may cause many other chronic diseases.

I am afraid to say that the negatives of consuming red wine outweigh the positives, it's just that we only want to hear the positive factors. 

Consuming any form of alcohol may have some benefits for some people. However, too much alcohol leads to a multitude of health and wellbeing problems, red wine included.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news!

Is Laughter Really The Best Medicine?

Most of us have heard that old adage, 'Laughter is the best medicine'. But is it really the best thing that you can do to lift your mood? Research confirms what most of us knew, that laughter may not be the best medicine but it does have many benefits such as;

·        Lowering stress hormones.

·        Augmenting whatever medication you are on.

·        Boosting your immune system.

·        Intercepting emotional messages from the hypothalamus to the frontal cortex enabling the logic brain to engage properly.

·        Releasing the 'feel-good' drug endorphin.

·        Lowering blood pressure.

·        A great workout for your abdominal muscles.

Here are some lesser known facts about laughter;

·        A consequence of laughing with others is that it brings people together for social support.

·        Laughter plays a part in attracting the opposite sex. Men like women who laugh.

·        Both sexes like to laugh, but females laugh more than men, by at least 126 percent more than men in fact. Men like to make others laugh.

·        Laughter is an important critical index of a healthy relationship

·        Laughter in a relationship declines as people age.

·        Just like yawning, laughter is contagious; the laughter of others encourages us to laugh.

·        Black humour is often used by those in emergency services to manage the negative impact of terrible events. 

Here are some ways to encourage laughter;

·       Watch funny movies and TV shows

·       Go to see a comedian live

·       Tell jokes

·       Spend time with funny people

·       Laugh at yourself when you make a mistake

Listen To Your Body

We now know that our body and brain are inextricably linked. What happens in the body is felt in the brain and what happens in the brain can manifest in our body. 

As science and research continues to investigate our brain, we are learning so much more about these close links. Mostly, 'they' are just confirming what we already knew or suspected to be true.

Here are some things that we all suspected about the links and have now confirmed;

Butterflies in the stomach - This is the result of the flight or fight reaction, when we get nervous stress hormones are released into the stomach which stimulates these nerves and sends signals to the brain to be aware of the danger ahead.  

Dry mouth - When we are nervous, our stomach shuts down so that the food inside the gut can be burned for energy to run away. Our mouth dries so that we do not consume food to ensure that the stomach can concentrate on burning what it already has inside it.

Inability to talk - When we are emotional we sometimes have difficulty in talking, we choke. This is caused by the nerves in the oesophagus being over-stimulated therefore constricting.

Diarrhoea - The stress reaction also results in the vagus nerve to over stimulate in our gut resulting in runny pooh! This is also a way of disposing of unused adrenalin.

Feelings in your heart - Some feeling sensations that we have in our heart sends signals to our brain, rather than the reverse. Hence, always say what is in your heart when you are confused as to what to say.

Gut feeling - This has been confirmed as accurate. The nerves in your gut have become a small 'brain' through evolution. Go with gut instinct as it will keep you safe.

Stress – When we are under pressure and feeling stressed, often it will be felt in the body. Sometimes we will have a sore neck, back or shoulder. Anywhere in fact close to the spine from where the brain sends and receives messages to and from the body.

The brain is a wonderfully complex organ, however it doesn’t always get things right. 

Eat Dark Chocolate

We have all known that chocolate has been good for us right? Well, not all chocolate is good for us, but you know what I mean. Recent studies have shown that dark chocolate, which contains less sugar than white or milk chocolate, has many benefits including boosting your brain power while protecting you from heart disease and some cancers.

Eating about 30 grams of dark chocolate per day improves blood flow which allows your brain to think faster and reduces blood pressure.

Here’s some other reasons to eat a SMALL piece of dark chocolate each day;

·        The magnesium in dark chocolate decreases the coagulation in our blood which enables more oxygen to get to the brain.

·        It contains monoamine oxidase inhibitors (good stuff) which allows the dopamine and serotonin levels (good chemicals) to remain for longer periods in your brain.  

·        Dark chocolate is rich in antioxidants (good stuff) which consume free radicals (bad stuff) in your blood.

·        Brain foods such as spinach, broccoli and raspberries are out done by dark chocolate ten-fold.

·        Dark chocolate increases your brain speed faster than caffeine does.

·        The PEA contained in dark chocolate activates the neurotransmitters in your brain that control alertness and concentration.

·        Dark chocolate produces similar endorphins to those produced immediately prior to and following sex.

As if you needed any other reason, eat dark chocolate for your brain.

I wonder how many of you read the entire post before deciding to eat dark chocolate, I would have started straight after reading the headline.

You’re welcome!

Just Back Off Type-A, Or Else!

Maturity (old age) brings with it wisdom. Often we find ourselves needing wisdom much earlier in our life to protect us. Sometimes wisdom comes to us and we don't see the value in it until it is too late.

Researching as I have over the last 15 years as to why I went mad, I found that there are many factors involved in 'burnout'. I discovered for me a major factor was my Type-'A' personality. 

I was a typical Type-A guy who had the three common traits; competitiveness, time urgency and hostility. Throw into the mix perfectionism and that equals a high tendency towards burnout and depression.

Here's what I try to do more of these days to successfully avoid going down a path that leads to nothing but darkness;

Competitiveness - I am still very competitive in my business, doing everything that I can to provide the best service possible to my clients and to promote my work. I still work long hours, keeping busy, continually looking for that additional edge that I can offer.

But this time I compete with myself instead of those around me. Previously I competed with those around me and I would do whatever it took to succeed. I simply wanted to beat them. If I did not 'win' in the competition, I felt terrible and self-deprecated for days or weeks afterwards.

Now if I do not succeed as I thought I should have (and it is just that, my own thoughts) I dismiss it and move on to the next challenge. There are plenty of challenges to take up my time without adding regret into the mix.

Time Urgency - I wanted to be the best, to be number one, and to get there immediately. As a builder I had to be the best tradesman, then as a construction foreman I had to be the one who was admired, then as a cop I wanted fast promotion, then as a Detective I had to get to Detective Inspector rank, and as a crisis negotiator I had to be the National Advisor. No matter what I did I had to get to the top as fast as I could.

Once I got what I wanted I never took the time enjoy the moment, I moved quickly on to the next desire. "What's the next move up from here and how fast can I get there?" I would ask myself. And when I didn't get there within a short timeframe I held jealousy foremost in my mind for those who got there first.

These days I know that there is no such need for urgency. It will happen when the time is right, when I have learned enough, when I am ready.

Perfectionism - I have always wanted to do everything just right, and to an extent I still do. I still give everything to be at my very best and if someone feels it is not quite good enough or isn't what they wanted, I change to what they want. 

I now know that perfectionism is a self-assessment. What is the very best in my view may not be good enough from another's viewpoint. I will give 100% and know that I have done all that I can. If it is not up to my standard and I can't do anything about it to get it there then I move on.

Hostility - Research tells us that Type-A's often display high levels of anger, envy and a lack of compassion. The first two were certainly the case for me, compassion is something that my mother gave to me and for which I am very grateful to her. 

Previously I often displayed anger. When I feel anger swelling inside I now take a long, slow, deep, quiet breath and once I have filled my lungs completely I count to five while holding my breath.

Anger starts with a psychological reaction which leads to a physiological reaction. The quickest way to overcome this is to use a physiological (deep breath and hold) and psychological (counting inside my head) response.

Saying ‘No’ – I added this one into the mix because I found that I was unable to say ‘no’. Because of this I was always busy, both at work and at home. I will never be able to say ‘no’, I know that. I want (need) to be busy, I want to help, and I want to succeed.

Now I say ‘no’ by reducing the things that aren’t so important. Home and work will always be important to me and will always come first, in that order.

But now I spend less time trying to fit so much into every day. The lawns can wait, that car needn’t be pristine, I don’t need to run 10 kilometres each day, I can phone someone instead of sending an email, I can take 30 minutes out between business meetings.

I wish I was this wise when I was much younger, but then I guess I would never have learned so much about myself.