Drinking any type of alcohol lowered the risk of serious heart disease in men, with the amount of risk reduction associated with the amount of alcohol:

Light drinking reduced risk by 35%
Moderate drinking reduced risk by 51%
High and very high levels of drinking reduced risk by 54% and 50%.
Former drinkers had a 10% risk reduction.

Interesting

I bet I have a drink tonight.

Me too!

We are going to live forever my friends!

Hmm. I might have a drink tonight as well.

The question is, will my insurance company cover the cost of a bottle of pre-ban Pernod Fils?

Men have all the luck

Just for the sake of justification, I'm going to add 11 percentage points to those numbers for women. Why 11%? I don't know...I'm just trying to justify my 2 drinks in the evening (yeah, I blissfully fall into slumber after just two).

Just spent two hours at the gym and am having a glass of VC now.
Actually I always drink after working out.
To health

Yep, and women have everything else.

I'm having a drink now, my first of the evening.

I'll drink to that

From where did this information come?

Sometime, it's more important to simply believe.

Yup. I was right.

The Spanish research involving more than 15,500 men and 26,000 women found that those who have about four to ten units a day can apparently even halve their risk – regardless of whether they opt for beer, wine or spirits. The study was conducted in Spain, a country with relatively high rates of alcohol consumption and low rates of coronary heart disease. Cathy Ross, of the British Heart Foundation, said:
According to the report, which appears in the British Medical Association’s journal Heart, women who consumed alcohol on a daily basis did not experience the same reduced risk of heart disease as men.
The study, led by researchers at the Basque Public Health Department found that participants who were former drinkers had a 10 percent lowered risk of heart disease, while those who consumed small amounts daily saw a 35 percent risk.
In moderate drinkers, the risk of heart disease was 54 percent lower and very high drinkers saw a risk reduction of more than half.
Spain is the world’s third largest producer of beer and wine and has the sixth highest per capita consumption of alcohol. What’s more, Spain has one of the lowest death rates from heart disease in the world.
Researchers said the type of alcohol made no difference on the study’s findings


A recent, widely publicized study in the New England Journal of Medicine has led a lot of drinkers to congratulate themselves, and a lot of nondrinkers to wonder if they should start. "Drinking is good for your heart," the newspaper headlines announced, "and the more you drink, the better."
This was a well-designed study funded by the National Institutes of Health. It tracked the drinking habits of 38,000 men—all healthy at the beginning of the study—over 12 years. Men who drank at least three or four days a week had fewer heart attacks than those who drank less. It didn’t matter what they drank—beer, wine, or spirits—or whether they drank it with meals. The positive news didn’t end there. From the point of view of preventing heart attacks, drinking every day was better than drinking occasionally, and three drinks were better than one.

Yep, knock out about 15000 men and I could get interested in researching those numbers. Maybe reduce man count by 15490.

My quick math deduction indicates you need 10 subjects.




In the name of science... I suppose I'll volunteer!

So, you'll be bringing 2600 women?

When have I ever failed there?

Will your doctor provide documentation supporting medical necessity?

Don't forget the mental health benefits. Having a bottle of pre-ban would improve my outlook on life, I assure you.

I would assume so, if required. Of course I'd slip him a sample...

Safer than drinking before, I always say.

I can honestly say I've never encountered an insurance Certificate of Coverage or Summary Plan Description that excludes such a "prescription."

Unfortunately I also read recently that alcohol does have the potential to excite pre-existing cancer cell division here.
But all statistics do conclude that light and moderating drinking does benefit health more over than it would cause harm!

As long as it meets the definition of medically necessary. And the medical director is open to "alternative" medicine.

This is more specifically about the health benefits of drinking absinthe. It'll be somewhat long winded (feel free to edit it Brian) so please bear with me.

I suffer from a condition known as diverticulitis. This where you have small pockets that grow off of you intestines, kind of like mini-appendixes. It's a hereditary condition that runs in my family. If these little pockets get clogged up they get infected, similar to appendicitis. It's extremely painful and from the time you get the first symptoms till your dead is about a week.

The first time I came down with it I had to have emergency surgery. After that I had attacks every 4 -6 months and the only recognized medical treatment is a heavy duty regimen of the antibiotics Flagyll and Cypro (they use Cypro to treat people who have anthrax). The antibiotics make you sick as a dog for about 2 weeks and you can't have any dairy products or alcohol (2 of my favorite things).

About 5 years ago I had a bad attack and decided I had to go to the doctor the next day. I had some bottles of good absinthe at the time, and while wormwood has been used as an intestinal medicine for ages, I didn't really put any stock in those stories. Well, I had a couple of glasses that night as I figured the alcohol would act as a painkiller to get me through the night till I could see a doctor.

The next morning the pain was considerably lessened, so I decided to wait another day to see the doctor as I hate those antibiotics so much. The second evening I had another few glasses. Lo and behold, the next day the diverticulitis was gone.

After that anytime I had an attack, two nights of drinking absinthe would cure me. Now that I drink absinthe on a regular basis I haven't had an attack in years. As I said, this runs in my family and now all of them, including the non-drinkers, have a bottle on hand in case of an attack and they all swear by it. It really works! Sorry if this was too long.

It was just right and exactly what I needed to read. Thanks Jack.

Good stuff! And welcome Jack!

Excellent...

Great story! I think I'll have a glass or two every other day or so. You know, as a preventative.

I don't deal with diverticulitis, but I can testify to the effectiveness of absinthe in treating minor digestive and stomach-related issues. It is now the first thing I reach for.

I'll drink to that

That is very interesting!

When I have a cold I find that absinthe helps with the coughing. I think its the anise that does it. I guess it's an expectorant? not sure if thats the right word but basically it does the same thing as Buckley's... buzz and all.

So with absinthe we can lower our risk of heart disease, prevent diverticulitis and relieve annoying coughs. But there is one things it's not good for and that's your liver. If the researchers who did the study that started this thread analyzed the livers of those who had low risk of heart disease do to regular to heauy alcohol consumption then the results may not haue been so positive.

We can't forget about our livers. We need them.

You make some very good, very valid points. I for one, however, don't want to live forever. I'd rather have a shorter, happier life, than a long borring one.

Wow, I'm glad it alleviated your symptoms so well, Jack! I hope it continues to do so.

Just could not resist...

Is there a safe level of drinking?

For most people, moderate drinking will not lead to alcohol-induced liver disease.

Women are more likely to be affected by alcohol-induced liver disease because women can be affected by smaller amounts of alcohol than men.

Even small amounts of alcohol can be dangerous when taken with medications containing acetaminophen, found in many over-the-counter pain relievers. The combination of alcohol and acetaminophen can be very harmful to the liver for anyone who drinks. Never take acetaminophen with alcohol, or immediately after a period of heavy drinking.

I may have experienced this. It could be that I'm more sensitive to substances, or I was feeling poorly already, but I had a small dose of acetaminophen and then a beer or two in college and had one of the worst mood swings I've ever experienced--it was a full-body swing, with a sort of dull ache I've never felt since. Truly awful.

Amazing...I have a friend who has been plagued by diverticulitis for years. He is careful about his diet, but has always been plagued by attacks. When an attack, I guess that is what it is called, starts he takes a very potent antibiotic called AMOX TR-k CLV. It really has some adverse effects, but prevents the escalation of the attack. He had a dinner party the other night and he mentioned he would have to start taking antibiotics again and could not drink. I suggested absinthe, as I had brought some along, taking your past experience.. His wife was nervous about taking instead of the antibiotic. But he said if it didn't work he could always take the medicine. Well, he was amazed. The next day his symptoms did not increase and after the second day they were gone. Herbal health..Fascinating...

That's one of the coolest things I've ever read. What a great thing for absinthe to do!

Awesome . I'm really glad that my story helped your friend. Having a few drinks and getting a nice buzz is certainly a more pleasant cure than those damn antibiotics.

Extraordinarily fascinating stuff absinthejack.

Not one, but TWO testimonials on this? These are such encouraging stories to hear guys, especially in this jolly time of year! Jack, I had no idea you had such a condition, but it does my heart good to know that something you love is an alternative to synthetic drugs.

I'll drink to that!

I'm just curious, but haue you tried other types of alcohol other than absinthe during an attack?

Yes, years ago I would have a drink or two of vodka or whiskey as a painkiller. They would temporarily help with the pain, but did nothing for the actual attack. The next day the diverticulitis would be worse and I would have to go to the doctor for antibiotics. Only absinthe cured the attacks. Remember, wormwood has been used since the beginning of recorded history as a medicine for the stomach and intestines.

Absinthe is an excellent analgesic and mood elevator. It is packed full of herbal goodness. No wonder people like it.

Absinthe makes me smile. *smile*


Some absinthe drinkers make me laugh out loud. *devil*

Quite a few things seem to, and I'm glad it's infectious.

She did not say that at all.

My (s)tomach feels good after an absinthe.