Wine now prescribed in British hospital

Washington Times ^ | July 3, 2003 | UPI

[FairOpinion]

SWINDON, England, July 3 (UPI) -- Medical research has shown red wine is good for the heart, and now a British hospital is actually prescribing wine for its heart patients.

The London Daily Mail reports nurses at Great Western Hospital in Swindon are giving their heart patients two glasses of wine each day in what's believed to be the first such hospital program in Europe.

[FairOpinion]

I guess now the doctor's advice is "take an aspirin, two glasses of wine" and don't call me in the morning.

[Spyder]

Back in the 80s we had an exchange program in the PT Department at UVa with British PTs. I remember them telling us that around Christmas time they would have bar service set up on the various units in British hospitals. It apparently wasn't at all uncommon for staff to imbibe freely.

[steelie]

I'm two years ahead on my presciption.

[hmmmmm]

They've heard about the $50 aspirins here in the U.S. and quickly figured out the best way to provide the need was via red wine. Now that's how socialized medicine is supposed to work.... someone gets wealthy!

[yankeedame]

Wait a minute! I hate to be the skunk at the orphans' picnic but IMHO there's more to this story than meets the eye...a lot more.

It's well known that the heart-healthy benefits come from the skin of the purple/red grape(s), not from the ferminated grape juice. (Otherwise, you could drink white wine as well for the same health benifit)

That's why drinking purple grape juice = wine when it comes to this sort of thing. Furthermore, grape juice is cheaper than wine; no small factor in a socialized health care system on the verge of financial collapse.

Could it be that its been discovered wine - esp. from the glut on the EU - is cheaper than Rx? And getting - and keeping - the patient a bit snozelled saves on painkillers, sleeping Rx, and muscle relaxers?

'Cause it's face it, gang, these socialist health care folks aren't Px this stuff to be nice.

[Cacique]

I guess now the doctor's advice is "take an aspirin, two glasses of wine" and don't call me in the morning.

Depends what doctor you're thinking of. I get these medical e-mails from Dr. WC Douglass and his take is different.

 

----- Original Message -----

From: "WC Douglass" <realweb@agoramail.net>

Sent: Tuesday, April 29, 2003 3:40 PM

Subject: The clot thickens

Daily Dose

April 29, 2003

**************************************************************

Take two aspirin and call them from the morgue...

In much of the popular culture -- including the media and
mainstream doctors' offices -- ordinary, garden-variety
aspirin has been elevated to the status of "miracle drug"
for the prevention of heart attacks. This is nothing new.
And according to these "experts," aspirin fights heart
attacks by making the platelets (clotting agents) in your
blood less likely to bind together in clumps and clog up
your arteries...

But some recent research on the subject proves what I've
been saying all along -- that aspirin may not be such a good
thing when it comes to protecting your ticker.

Here's the newest scoop:

The University of Maryland Medical Center conducted a study
of 56 randomly selected heart patients who were engaged
in "aspirin therapy" for the prevention of heart attacks. Of
these subjects, 14 exhibited EXCESSIVE platelet aggregation
(clumping). But before you conclude that 14 out of 56 isn't
a bad ratio -- after all, it's only 25% -- consider this:

Out of these 14, 9 (64%) had what their doctors
considered "high cholesterol."

Why is this big news? Because what most doctors view
as "high" cholesterol is actually bordering on dangerously
LOW levels of this vital substance. If you've been reading
my Real Health newsletter (or the Daily Dose) for any length
of time, you'll remember that I'm a firm believer in keeping
blood cholesterol levels OVER 200 -- because your risk of
stroke increases when it's lower...

In fact, I'd ignore cholesterol altogether unless it gets up
over 300!

If the Maryland study holds true, it means that the effects
of aspirin on healthy, cholesterol-rich blood actually
INCREASE the risk of platelet "clumping" and heart attack!
And this is not to mention the heightened risk of deadly
uncontrolled bleeding that comes with excessive aspirin
use...

Bottom line: Take aspirin only when something hurts. And if
you're worried about heart attacks (who isn't?), do what I
do -- take cod liver oil twice daily. It worked for my
grandma, and it's working for me...     

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**************************************************************

The fast food fallacy

Look, I'll be as quick as the next doctor to point a finger
at today's drive-through American culture - the carb-heavy
meals, the super-size portions, the high-LDL cooking oils.
And God knows I consider it my duty under the Hippocratic
oath to inform my readers about how obese we're getting as a
nation - how this bloating dramatically increases our risk
of heart attacks, strokes, diabetes, and on and on and on...

When it comes to blaming McDonald's for all of our health
woes, however, that's where the similarity between many of
my colleagues and me abruptly ends.

Lately, I've been hearing and reading a lot about how fast
foods have become "addictive," as though the makers have
been spiking them with secret ingredients that force us back
into the drive-through lane as soon as we exit it...

And I'm here to tell you - that's bunch of hooey! As a
culture, we simply lack the willpower to change, that's all -
and we're looking for something to blame for all of our
problems. It's a witch-hunt, and it's not even a good one.

There is no such thing as the fast food equivalent of
nicotine. Sure, the simple sugars and refined carbohydrates
you ingest at the golden arches produce changes in your
blood sugar levels that might result in cravings - but no
more so than candy bars, soft drinks, or any other junk
foods.

What are we going to do, sue them all for tempting us?

That's what products DO. That's what marketing and
advertising DO. They lure us into wanting things.

My recommendation is this: Instead of pointing the finger,
let's look in the mirror. If we want banish the sources of
our temptation, the best way to make it happen is to not
give in to them.

Once people stop buying 'em, fast foods will go away all by
themselves.


Watching what I put in MY mouth,

William Campbell Douglass II, MD

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[MalcolmS]

>>>It's well known that the heart-healthy benefits come from the skin of the purple/red grape(s), not from the ferminated grape juice. (Otherwise, you could drink white wine as well for the same health benifit) <<<

I don't believe this represents all of the benefit. More recent studies have also shown that moderate consumption of hard liquor can also reduce the risk of heart problems.

Here are some factoids and medical linkages.

-I read that people who have had a history of severe infections requiring strong antibiotic treatments have a lower risk of heart attack

-At my last dentist visit, I was told that I should be using mouthwash to kill any dental plaque, as there was a strong linkage between dental plaque (formed by bacteria) and heart disease.

Now here's my personal take on this:

-Like dental plaque, plaque that forms in your arteries is a by-product of bacterial infection

-Flavinoids and anti-oxidants in red wine and grape juice have a role in breaking down the plaque

-One current theory is that alcohol in the bloodstream relaxes the arteries, enlarging them and helping to compensate for plaque blockage and compensating for "hardening" of the arteries.

Here's the wild speculation part: what if the small amount of alcohol in the bloodstream from moderate drinking was enough to keep the plaque bacteria in check, just like using mouthwash?

Here's the wierd part: I don't drink (not from any moral objection, I just never developed the taste for it).

[Victor]

"....It's well known that the heart-healthy benefits come from the skin of the purple/red grape(s), not from the ferminated grape juice. (Otherwise, you could drink white wine as well for the same health benifit)....."

Red wine is made by fermenting the juice on the skins, for about a week or so. Many of the beneficial compounds are extracted right out of the skins and remain with the wine (a process called maceration).

In white wine making, the juice is pressed off of the skins prior to fermentation, with little or no skin contact time.

I think red wine indeed has most or all of what the entire grape offers, and then some. IMHO.

[FairOpinion]

"Could it be that its been discovered wine - esp. from the glut on the EU - is cheaper than Rx? And getting - and keeping - the patient a bit snozelled saves on painkillers, sleeping Rx, and muscle relaxers?

'Cause it's face it, gang, these socialist health care folks aren't Px this stuff to be nice. "

----

I think you figured out their real motive. Plus I am sure that health insurance doesn't pay for wine, but would have to pay for medicines.