Myth: Moderate Amounts of Alcohol are Healthy

by | Apr 12, 2023 | Health

MODERATE AMOUNTS of ALCOHOL IS GOOD FOR YOUR HEALTH
That is a MYTH

Over the years, I’ve known many people who told me that drinking alcohol at a moderate level is actually good for you. I knew that wasn’t true, as I read lots of scientific research which showed the kind of damage, even moderate amounts of alcohol does to your body. Nonetheless, many people believe that myth, much of it perpetrated by a flawed study many years ago.

If you’ve been following my previous blog articles, you know that I never touched alcohol in my life. I go dancing and have tons of fun at parties without drinking. Why do people believe they need alcohol to have fun?

Having said that, everyone I know drinks. Unfortunately, it is embedded in our culture as socializing and celebrating are all associated with drinking.  I do not expect anyone to stop drinking, nor do I expect cultural habits to change. My goal in this article is to ensure you know the belief that moderate drinking is good for your health is in fact a myth. Drinking negatively impacts a number of health-related issues such as:

  • Cancer
  • Blood pressure
  • Atrial Fibrillation / Irregular Heartbeats
  • Weakened Heart Muscles
  • Heart Attacks
  • Strokes

I don’t expect people who enjoy a glass of wine with their dinner to stop. But I want them to know that even moderate levels of alcohol can be unhealthy and/or dangerous. Once you are aware of the impact and danger occasional drinking can have, you can make an informed decision.

For over 30 years, I’ve been following Dr. Mirkin, who used to have a radio show in the DC-MD area, which I frequently listened to. Dr. Mirkin carefully follows medical research from around the world and reports it to his followers on his website. Therefore, when you’re reading one of his articles, you are not reading one person’s opinion, you are reading about the latest scientific research.

At the end of the article, Dr. Mirkin then inserts his personal opinion and recommendations. Earlier this week, he uploaded an article reference the latest research on alcohol and its impact on your body. Here’s the article and the link.

Link to Dr. Mirkin’s Article:
https://www.drmirkin.com/nutrition/no-amount-of-alcohol-is-healthful.html

No Amount of Alcohol is Healthful

April 7, 2023

Low-volume alcohol drinking is not associated with protection against death from all causes (JAMA Netw Open, Mar 2023;6(3):e236185). An analysis of 107 studies involving more than 4.8 million participants found no significant reductions in death rates for those who drank fewer than 25 grams of alcohol per day (two standard drinks) compared with lifetime nondrinkers. The death risk was increased in women who drank 25 or more grams per day and among male drinkers who drank 45 or more grams per day. The study found no increased risk for occasional drinkers.

The World Heart Federation reported that taking one drink a day does not help to prevent heart attacks (Clinical Nutrition, Feb 1, 2022;41(2):348-355). A study of 371,463 individuals found that no amount of alcohol helps prevent heart disease, and the more you drink, the greater your chance of suffering a heart attack (JAMA Netw Open, March 2022;5(3):e223849).

Flaws in Studies Showing that Light Drinking Reduces Heart Attacks
For many years, the alcoholic beverage industry has promoted studies showing that moderate drinkers live slightly longer than non-drinkers, but the non-drinking groups in these studies have included people who gave up alcohol on their doctors’ instructions: those with high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, some types of cancer, diseases of the heart, kidney, liver or lungs or other health problems, as well as recovering alcoholics. A study with a 20-year-follow-up of 4,028 18-to-64-year-old adults found that when the people who had stopped drinking for medical reasons were removed from the control group, moderate drinkers did not live longer than non-drinkers (PLoS Medicine, Nov 2, 2021;18(11):e1003819). An analysis of 45 earlier studies showed that those associating moderate drinking of alcohol with reduced heart attacks rates needed better control groups (J Stud Alcohol and Drugs, May 17;78(3):394-403).

Alcohol and Heart Damage
Alcohol intake has been linked to increased heart rate, high blood pressure, weakened heart muscle and irregular heartbeats, all of which can increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes (Alcohol Clin Exp Res, Dec 2015;39(12):2334–2344). Drinking any amount of alcohol is associated with increased risk for irregular heartbeats or atrial fibrillation (European Heart J, March 21, 2021;42(12):1170-1177). A study of 79,000 Swedish adults, aged 45-83, followed for up to 12 years, showed that those who drank any amount of wine or liquor daily were at increased risk for atrial fibrillation, an abnormally fast heartbeat that can cause clots, strokes and heart failure (J American College of Cardiology, July 14, 2014).

People who take just one drink a day are at increased risk for heart disease (J American College of Cardiology, December 5, 2016) and enlarged upper heart and irregular heartbeats that cause clots and strokes (J Am Heart Assoc, Sep 14, 2016;5:e004060; J Am Coll Cardiol, 2016;68(23):2567-2576). Binge drinking, defined as having five or more drinks in a single bout, increased risks even more. Data from six studies including more than 12,500 cases of atrial fibrillation showed that each additional drink per day of any type of alcohol boosted risk of irregular heartbeat by eight percent (J Am Coll Card, July 14, 2014). Many other studies have associated drinking alcohol with atrial fibrillation, high blood pressure, heart failure and strokes. Association is not cause, but I believe that these studies give reason for caution.

My Recommendations
Many people have the mistaken belief that it is safe for women to take up to one drink per day and for men to take up to two drinks per day. Almost 30 percent of North Americans drink more than that. Most studies of alcohol consumption show that no amount of alcohol is “safe” or beneficial. Whatever you decide about your own consumption of alcohol, do not base your decision on bad information from the alcoholic beverage industry. Occasional drinking probably will not harm you, but repeated drinking increases your risk for many different cancers, heart attacks and strokes. See:
Alcohol Increases Risk for Heart Attacks and Cancers
Alcohol Does Not Appear to Prevent Heart Disease
Alcohol At Any Dose Can Increase Cancer Risk

Do Your Own Research on Obamacare

by | Feb 5, 2023 | Health, Politics

Ignore Fox Propaganda, Do Your Own Research on Obamacare

Today, intelligent people are used to non-stop propaganda and lies coming out of right-wing media. The volume and nature of their lies are literally mind boggling.  Unfortunately, millions of low IQ, Fox/Trump supporters incredibly believe virtually everything they’re told. Today, Trump World is buried under so much propaganda, it’s become an alternate reality where facts, the truth, and/or proof, are totally irrelevant. However, if you will recall, this kind of propaganda and non-stop lying started to become commonplace when Obama was President. Back in 2010, when Obamacare became the law, we saw the precursor of right-wing propaganda on a mass scale.

Do you remember the lies perpetrated by right-wing media, who didn’t want Obama to receive any credit for this major bill, which transformed how healthcare is administered in America?

  • It’s a government takeover of healthcare.
  • You won’t be able to keep your doctor.
  • Death Panels!
  • Healthcare costs are rising because of Obamacare.
  • etc.

I’m sure some of you will remember the national surveys administered after the law was passed. If you recall, when asked if you approve of the “Affordable Care Act”, something like 59% of Americans were in favor of it. However, when the same exact survey went out, but instead described the law as “Obamacare”, the percentage of Americans who said they were in favor of the law, dropped to something like 47%. I think this is a good example, which illustrates how powerful propaganda can be.

During the Trump Administration, Republicans tried everything under the sun to destroy Obamacare and failed. One of the reasons they failed, despite promises from Trump every two weeks, for a fabulous new healthcare program, they literally had no alternative plan. As Trump said, I didn’t realize healthcare was so complicated.

As of early 2023, approximately 35 million Americans get their critical healthcare via Obamacare, the program Trump and the Republican Party tried to destroy. Man, this is a lifesaver for a huge number of Americans. What would they do if Obamacare didn’t exist?

I’m going to talk more about the law, but I want to pause for a brief story about a woman I met in early 2013. She was an accountant for a small company which had only 7 employees. This very small company could not afford to provide health insurance, so she was living without coverage. I asked her why she was taking such a huge chance on having her life destroyed by one unexpected, major health crisis. She told me that she wanted to get health insurance, but she couldn’t afford the exorbitant cost for one individual. I told her about Obamacare, she researched it, and several weeks later, she had a very good health insurance plan, which cost about $145 per month.

Before I get into the huge benefits of the law and how it changed healthcare in America, I want to point out that all insurance companies, such as Blue Cross and Aetna, who participate in the plan, are private companies. These companies go on the 50-state healthcare exchanges and compete with other private companies for the business of American consumers. That is the free market at its best. This is not a government takeover of healthcare.

There are other benefits from the law, but I’m going to highlight only what I believe are the big ones.

Thanks to the law,

  • You can no longer be turned down for health insurance because of pre-existing conditions. It’s estimated that 35-40% of Americans have pre-existing conditions.
  • If you’re self-employed, you can now buy quality health insurance.
  • If you lose your job, the unemployed can buy quality health insurance.
  • Women can no longer be charged more than men for their health insurance premiums.
  • Medicaid was expanded.
  • Preventive care is free to the patient.
  • Your policy can no longer be terminated because you are using up the benefits. For example, before Obamacare, if you got cancer and your treatments were very expensive, after a certain point, the insurance company could legally terminate your policy. However, under the Affordable Care Act, you cannot be denied coverage for any reason, other than your failure to pay the premiums or fraud. This is called a guarantee issue.

Wow! That is an incredible list of enhancements to how healthcare is administered in America. Remember, before Obamacare became the law, around 35-40% of Americans could be turned down because they have a pre-existing condition. Women could be charged more than men. Really? Yes!

Before the law was passed, if you got cancer and your medical costs skyrocketed, insurance companies could literally drop you. And I love the fact the preventive care is now free. That means your annual physical doesn’t cost you one penny! This component of the law should motivate millions to sign up for an annual physical, where they can discover health issues while they’re minor ones, before they become dangerous and expensive to treat.

I don’t want to imply that Obamacare is perfect. It still has several flaws which need to be corrected. But overall, it’s the best thing which happened to healthcare in our lifetime. And don’t let anyone hit you with a bogus argument about subsidies. Everyone in America, who has employee sponsored healthcare, is being subsidized by the federal government. 

The Top Ten Causes of Death in America

by | Jan 3, 2023 | Health

The Top Ten Causes of Death in America

I think it’s important to be cognizant of the dangers we face in our daily lives. In some cases, there’s nothing we can do. However, very often, lifestyle changes can play a crucial role in keeping you healthy and avoiding some of the following frequent causes of death.

  1. Heart Attacks

About 24% of deaths in America are a result of heart attacks. In real numbers, that’s approximately 650,000 people per year.

  1. Cancer

About 22% of deaths in America are cancer related. In terms of the numbers, it’s around 600,000 per year

  1. Unintentional Injuries

This accounts for about 6% of deaths or about 170,000 people per year. A significant percentage are a result of motor vehicle accidents, which account for about 37,000 deaths per year. Many of those are caused by DUI drivers.

  1. Chronic Lower Respiratory Disease

This accounts for approximately 6% of deaths or around 160,000 per year. In this category, we’re talking about.

  • chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
  • bronchitis
  • emphysema
  • asthma
  1. Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases

This accounts for about 5% of deaths or approximately 147,000 per year

  1. Alzheimer’s

This accounts for about 4% of deaths or approximately 121,000 per year

  1. Diabetes

This accounts for about 3% of deaths or approximately 83,000 per year

  1. Influenza and Pneumonia

This accounts for about 2% of deaths or approximately 56,000 per year

  1. Kidney Disease

This accounts for about 1.8% of deaths or approximately 51,000 per year

  1. Suicide

On average, there are about 47,000 deaths annually in America as a result of suicides.

  • It is the 2nd leading cause of death for people between the ages of 10 and 34.
  • The 24-Hour National Suicide Prevention Lifeline number is: 800-273-8255

Obviously, we cannot prevent many of the deaths described above, however, there is some general advice, which should improve our health and help us potentially avoid some of the diseases and pitfalls mentioned above.  We’re already familiar with much of the advice, but do we follow these guidelines?

  • Eat healthy foods [something the author of this article doesn’t do, unless you consider a daily dose of burgers, fries, steaks, Italian food, and lots of chocolate chip cookies / ice cream good choices]
  • Get plenty of sleep [I don’t get nearly enough sleep]
  • Exercise Often [I go to the gym every day]
  • Avoid alcohol or drink only in moderation [I never touched alcohol]
  • Do not smoke [I never smoked]
  • Do not use illegal drugs [I never touched illegal drugs]
  • Build healthy and positive relationships. This is critical and let me add one thought of my own. Laughter is the best medicine on the planet.
  • Avoid the use of unnecessary legal prescription drugs.
  • Establish an ongoing relationship with a doctor. Go for annual physicals, which thanks to Obamacare, are now free. You should also schedule regular dental appointments.

How does your lifestyle jive with the recommendations listed above?

Republican Cruelty Demonstrated by their opposition to Obamacare

by | Jun 17, 2021 | Health, Politics

When it comes to Obamacare, the Republicans repeatedly demonstrated cruelty towards the American people.  Even though the concept originated with Republican Mitt Romney, they repeatedly tried their best to block it because, in my opinion, they didn’t want President Obama receiving credit for a national health insurance law. They created an array of bogus scare tactics such as “Death Panels’, and it’s a government takeover of healthcare, etc. Nothing could be further from the truth because, per the law, all insurance is provided by PRIVATE companies.

Apparently, Republicans couldn’t care less if millions of Americans are forced to live without health insurance. When Trump was President, and they controlled both houses, they never came up with an alternative to Obamacare. That didn’t stop Trump from repeatedly promising the best health care bill ever will be ready to go in two weeks. In my opinion, that was the biggest broken promise (out of many) from Trump. Of course, his loyal followers will never hold him accountable for that failure.

Republicans recently tried to destroy the Affordable Care Act law forever, with a Texas case, supported by 17 Republican State Attorney Generals, which advanced to the Supreme Court. Thankfully, on June 17, 2021, the Supreme Court announced a 7-2 decision, rejecting the lawsuit, because they didn’t have legal standing. I’m sure the 21 million Americans on Obamacare are breathing a sigh of relief, knowing they can keep their health insurance.

Let’s acknowledge that Obamacare has flaws which need to be fixed, but that’s very doable. The main reason everyone should support the Affordable Care Act is it provides insurance to around 20-21 million people, who prior to this law, often went without health insurance. But the law did a lot more than fill in a desperately needed gap in coverage. Even though most people (around 85%) still obtain health insurance through their employers, the law has a major impact on everyone. Check out the following positive changes which apply to all Americans.

  • You can no longer be denied health insurance because of Pre-Existing Conditions, and it also eliminated the Pre-Condition Penalties. By the way, it’s estimated that over 40% of Americans have pre-existing conditions.
  • The unemployed can buy quality health insurance.
  • Those who are Self-Employed can buy quality health insurance.
  • Those who have jobs where their employer doesn’t provide health coverage can now buy it.
  • Women cannot be charged extra for their premiums, which was typical before Obamacare.
  • The Affordable Care Act prohibits employers from imposing annual or lifetime limits on benefits and caps out-of-pocket spending. If you get a serious illness, such as cancer, this one is huge.
  • Children can stay on the parent’s policies up to the age of 25.
  • Medicaid was expanded.
  • For Medicare recipients, Obamacare closes the so-called Prescription Drug Doughnut Hole.
  • The next one is so important, I’m going to highlight it with a different color. Insurance companies and doctors all agree on the critical importance of preventive care, which often discovers health problems before they become serious, major issues.
  • Thanks to Obamacare, preventive care is free to the patient.

Do not listen to the never ending bogus, phony Republican claims about Obamacare. And don’t believe  what I wrote. I encourage you to do your own research, something which rarely happens in Trump World. I’m confident you’ll learn that even with its flaws, Obamacare is having a major positive impact on America. If the Republicans don’t like the law, why don’t they come up with a better alternative? As mentioned above, they had a golden opportunity to create their own health care law during the first 2 years of the Trump Administration, but they did nothing. I think they just don’t care. They instead concentrate their efforts on taking away health insurance from approximately 21 million Americans. That is cruel and despicable.