(ThyBlackMan.com) I will be the first to admit that I love relaxing with a good book and a glass of wine every now and then. According to doctors a glass of red wine can also make your heart stronger and boost your memory. It’s said to be good for the respiratory system, high blood pressure and even Alzheimer’s. If you are worried about your cholesterol wine might also be the answer, since alcohol is believed to raise the HDL (good) cholesterol levels. Some doctors believe women that drink alcohol compared to those that do not gain less weight.
But with the up side there is also a down side to drinking too much alcohol. There is chronic pancreatitis, the onset of depression, stroke and most commonly cirrhosis of the liver, all due to the overindulgence of alcohol. http://www.steadyhealth.com While there is available help for alcoholics, many people addicted to alcohol don’t seek treatment.
For years we have been told that drinking alcohol while pregnant is harmful to
the unborn child. Well a Danish study has given the thumbs up for pregnant women to drink alcohol minimally. Yes pregnant women have been given the green light to drink alcohol while they are carrying another life within their womb.
It’s said that a little drinking is okay, but I’m wondering what a little is. Well according to npr.org research funded by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) conducted in Denmark says that light drinking (one to four drinks a week) and even moderate partaking (five to eight drinks) may be okay though there’s no definitive answer just yet. Still the results suggest that even occasional binge drinking (five or more drinks in a single session) didn’t appear to be tied to developmental issues.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/06/18/155297280/a-few-drinks-while-pregnant-may-be-ok
I am sure that some women may be lifting their glasses up high as they’re reading this. It is true that a woman has the choice to do what she wants to do with her own body. But when someone else may be affected by your choices then that’s a different story.
Have the Danish researchers simply thrown the findings of fetal alcohol syndrome out of the window?
Alcohol is capable of causing birth defects and also may affect growth, performance, intelligence and the birth weight of an unborn child.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention when a pregnant woman drinks alcohol, so does her unborn baby. Alcohol in the mother’s blood passes through the placenta to the baby through the umbilical cord. Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, and a range of lifelong disorders, known as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs). Children with FASDs might have the following characteristics and behaviors:
Abnormal facial features, small head size, shorter-than-average height, low body weight, poor coordination, hyperactive behavior, difficulty paying attention, poor memory, difficulty in school (especially with math) and learning disabilities, along with others.
Why would binge drinking while you are pregnant be okay? Why would any doctor release such information, especially since alcoholism is a major problem in our society and on the rise? 40% of men suffer with alcoholism and an alarming 60% of women are dealing with alcoholism. Within the black community the numbers are even higher. They are 70% for black men and 66% for black women.
Even with the okay from some in the medical community, pediatric experts warn this study is not conclusive. They say each mother and each baby are different and pregnant women should talk to their obstetricians about the needs of their unborn child, before they start sipping on spirits.
Those on support of mothers drinking say it’s not harmful to the mother or child. My question is what does drinking alcohol benefit the mother or the unborn child? Will they soon say that inhaling, swallowing or shooting recreational drugs are okay also?
Regardless of what the studies suggest, I believe that it is reckless to tell a person to start doing something that has a great chance of producing negative effects. If it is something you are a loved one is concerned about, seeking professional help through Narconon is recommended for a safe delivery.
Staff Writer; Eleanie Campbell