A History of Medicine:
2000 B.C. - "Here, eat this root." 1000 A.D. - "That root is heathen. Here, say this prayer." 1850 A.D. - "That prayer is superstition. Here, drink this potion." 1940 A.D. - "That potion is snake oil. Here, swallow this pill." 1985 A.D. - "That pill is ineffective. Here, take this antibiotic." 2000 A.D. - "That antibiotic is artificial. Here, eat this root."
Egypt: Used a variety of medicinal herbs in their wines as far back as 3150 B.C. 5,000 year-old pottery shards in Egypt contained traces of herbs and resins mixed with the grape wine.
Hippocrates—Father of Medicine: Disease is the product of environmental factors, diet, and living habits. t is not a judgment from the gods. Hippocratic medicine was humble and passive. "First do no harm."
Galen: The Medicine of Humors: Earth Wind Water and Fire black bile, yellow bile, phlegm and blood. Keeping them in balance is the key: Diet is the solution to Imbalance. Tonics were the solution!
The Arabic World Translated Galen. Developed the most advanced medicine in the world.
They were surgeons, clinicians, and teachers
The Crusades brought learning from the East. In 1140, Roger, King of Sicily: practice of medicine only by those graduated "in order that the king's subjects should not incur dangers through the inexperience of their physician."
Medicine was learned at the great universities, based on Galen, Islam, Christianity, and Paganism. The herbal remedies were steeped in wine--because the water would kill you. Monasteries served as hospitals and medical facilities—and developed secret recipes for their cures, from Chartreuse to Frangelico.
Wine As Medicine: 1520
"Moderatly dronken, it doth actuate and doth quycken a man's wyttes, it doth comfort the hert, it doth scoure the lyuer, specyally yf it be whyte wyn, it doth reioyce all the powers of man and doth nowrysshe them; it doth engender bood blode, it doth comforte and doth nourysshe the brayne and all the body, and it resolueth fleume; it ingendereth heate, and it is good agaynst heuynes and pencyfulness; it is full of agylyte; wherefore it is medsonable, specyally whyte wyne, for it doth mundyfye and clense wounds and sores. Furthermore, the better the wyne is, the better humours it doth engender."
Finally, with Louis Pasteur, we get the birth of micro-biology, the micro-scope, and the discovery of bacteria. Modern germ theory is born.
"Why Wine? Wine is not water. Water could kill you."
So what do we know?
What is in red wine?
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 full glass (6.0 fl oz) (177 g)
Per Serving % Daily Value*
Calories 150
Calories from Fat 0
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Polyunsaturated Fat 0g
Monounsaturated Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 7mg 0%
Potassium 224.79mg 6%
Carbohydrates 4.6g 2%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Sugars 1.1g
Protein 0.1g
Vitamin A 0% · Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 1% · Iron 5%
What is moderate consumption?
"If alcohol is consumed, it should be consumed in moderation - up to one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men“ US guidelines
"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.“ UK guidelines
The French Paradox: two to three glasses of wine a day reduces death rates from all causes
by up to 30 percent.
>> Reducing risk of depression
Even after taking into account lifestyle factors which could influence their findings, the significantly lower risk of developing depression still stood
>> Prevent heart disease - Many reputable studies show that moderate alcohol onsumption helps prevent cardiac deaths by as much as 50%, while also helping to prevent strokes. Wine raises HDL (good) cholesterol, keeping the LDL cholesterol (bad) from clogging the artery walls and restricting the blood flow.
>> Preventing colon cancer
moderate red wine consumption can reduce the rate of bowel tumors by approximately 50%
Potentially reduce or prevent cancer by increasing the amount of antioxidants in the body. >> Anti-aging
A study carried out at the University of London found that procyanidins, compounds commonly found in red wine, keep the blood vessels healthy and are one of the factors that contribute towards longer life spans enjoyed by the people in Sardinia and the southwest of France.
>> Preventing breast cancer
Regular consumption of most alcoholic drinks increases the risk of breast cancer. However, red wine intake has the opposite effect, researchers from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles found.
>> Reduce risk for Alzheimer's disease and senile dementia.
In this study, the researchers gathered and analyzed data from academic papers on red wine since 1977. The studies, which spanned 19 nations, showed a statistically significantly lower risk of dementia among regular, moderate red wine drinkers in 14 countries.
>> Relieve stress
Wine, working as a mild tranquilizer, helps induce relaxation. Lower stress levels help prevent other illnesses.
>> Protecting from severe sunburn
Wine and grape derivatives can help reduce the damaging effects of UV (ultraviolet) light, scientists from the University of Barcelona in Spain reported in The Journal of Agricultural Food and Chemistry.
>> Preventing blinding diseases
Red wine can stop the out-of-control blood vessel growth in the eye that causes blindness, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis reported in the American Journal of Pathology.The researchers explained that resveratrol is the compound in wine that protects vision. Grapes, blueberries, peanuts and some other plants are rich in resveratrol.
>> Damage after stroke
Red wine may protect the brain from stroke damage, researchers at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine wrote in the journal Experimental Neurology. Professor Sylvain Doré believes that resveratrol in red wine raises levels of heme oxygenase, an enzyme known to protect nerve cells in the brain from damage. When somebody suffers a stroke, the brain is ready to protect itself because of higher enzyme levels.
>> Improving lung function and preventing lung cancer
Dutch scientists reported on a study that looked at the effects of resveratrol, red wine, and white wine on lung function.
They found that:
Pure resveratrol was good for lung function
White wine was also good for lung function
Red wine made no difference
>> Raising levels of omega-3 fatty acids
Wine is better than other alcoholic drinks in raising levels of omega-3 fatty acids in plasma and red blood cells, according to the IMMIDIET study involving European researchers from various countries. The scientists found that drinking wine acts like a trigger, boosting levels of omega-3 fatty acids in the body.
>> Preventing liver disease
A study carried out at the UC San Diego School of Medicine concluded that modest wine consumption reduced the risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease by half compared to people who never drank wine. Their finding challenged conventional thinking regarding alcohol consumption and liver health.
>> Protecting from prostate Cancer
A study published in the June 2007 issue of Harvard Men's Health Watch reported that male moderate red wine drinkers were 52% as likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer as men who never drank red wine. Even extremely moderate red wine consumption (one glass per week) reduced men's risk of prostate cancer by 6%, the authors informed.
>> Preventing type 2 diabetes
In an animal experiment, scientists at the Chinese Academy of Sciences discovered that a chemical found in red wine and the skin of red grapes - resveratrol - improved sensitivity to insulin. Insulin resistance is the most important critical factor contributing to type 2 diabetes risk.
>> Prevent diseases and viruses –
The alcohol and acid in the wine kill and prevent the growth of micro-organisms Aid in digestion - While tasting excellent with food, wine also stimulates the flow of gastric juices
and kills many harmful bacteria that can lead to food poisoning. Are sulfites a problem? Usually not--if you are not allergic to salad bars, the sulfites in wine won't affect you.
On the other hand:
Most of these studies were funding by companies that produce some version of alcohol. Hard data is often very difficult to analyze, since environmental factors are hard to isolate.
On the other hand !
>> Alcohol was the leading risk factor for disease and premature death in men and women between the ages of 15 and 49 across the world in 2016.
>> Alcohol can have all sorts of consequences — financially, professionally, personally — when you drink too much
>> There are short-term health effects, including car accidents, alcohol poisoning, injuries and violent episodes
>> Alcohol and cancer
The more alcohol a person drinks — particularly the more alcohol a person drinks regularly over time — the higher his or her risk of developing an alcohol-associated cancer.
>> Alcohol can cause seven different types of cancer
Includes different types of cancer like breast cancer and colon cancer—despite previous findings that indicate the opposite!
Caution with wine drinking! All of these can occur:
depression
mental health problems
cardiomyopathy
arrhythmias
stroke
hypertension
fatty liver
alcoholic hepatitis
cirrhosis
several cancers
Pancreatitis
Alcoholism!
Suggested guidelines
Men should never take more than three drinks per occasion, and no more than 15 per week
For women, it’s two per day and 10 per week.
You need to have at least two days of abstinence a week, and you can’t have 10 drinks on a Saturday!
How Does Alcohol Hurt?
>> Rule #1 Moderation: different doses for different folks
>> Alcoholism is a deadly disease
Alcoholism
Avoid wine with significant stomach disease
Liver disease such as hepatitis or cirrhosis
Heart disease such a myocarditis or myocardopathy
Nerve disease such as peripheral neuropathy
If in doubt, always check with your doctor.
Alcohol:
Drinking makes you stupid. Stupid Kills. And Maims.
>> Moderation is the key
>> Drink responsibly.
>> Drink 1/1 water to wine.
>> Learn to spit.
>> Don’t drink and drive.
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