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To Drink or not To Drink: Alcohol is the Question!

6/24/2014

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To Drink or Not to Drink: Alcohol is the Question.

When it comes to drinking alcohol, I must admit that I have very little experience. I gave it up at the age of 19 when I realized that there really was not enough time to party hardy and study enough to get into medical school. So, I cannot speak as one with firsthand knowledge of the benefits and penalties associated with regular daily alcohol consumption.

But, I am a doctor and this week I came across a research study that discusses the real downside to drinking. It is cancer. “…when it comes to cancer, no amount of alcohol is safe”[i] according to a recent report by the World Health Organization.[ii] No, this is not an urban legend conjured up by a wild eyed member of the WCTU[iii]. It is simply what medical science has to say about a habit of life that is growing in popularity among evangelicals.

I am old enough to have lots of stories about how we used to do things at church when I was a child. I will not inflict them on you.  I have watched in wonder at times as churches that I know used to preach against the evils of beverage alcohol, now allow that it is acceptable in moderation as long as one does not drink to drunkenness.  And, please do understand that I do not believe for a minute that the Bible prohibits drinking wine.

That however is not what I am here to tell you. No, the message today from medical science is that when comes to cancer there is no safe amount of alcohol for daily consumption. Drink any amount of alcohol in any form on a daily basis and you raise your risk of cancer of the mouth, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, colon-rectum, liver and the female breast.[iv]  This is a causal relationship in that the alcohol and its metabolites cause cancer.

As one writer said, the best advice he could give was that if you drink daily it should be no more than 1.5oz of alcohol (one and a half beers, 7.5oz of wine, or one and a half mixed drinks containing 1oz of ethanol.) per day. Women should only have 1 ounce. If you do not drink alcohol, don’t start. Light or moderate drinking does not eliminate the risk. The risk for cancer is dose dependent so if you do drink, drink less or even better still, stop.

Alcoholic beverages contain 15 compounds that cause cancer including acetaldehyde, acrylamide, aflatoxins, arsenic, benzene, cadmium, ethyl carbamate, formaldehyde, lead and finally ethanol.[v] (That is alcohol for those who never suffered through organic chemistryJ)  The areas of the body at risk are those that come into contact with the alcohol first and in highest concentration and include the oral cavity and esophagus.

As a physician, I guess I would tell my friends who have been sitting on the sidelines of alcohol consumption to stay there. When first century Christians drank wine there were some compelling reasons that included the lack of safe drinking water. We have solved that problem with iron pipe, so the benefit of avoiding water borne disease does not exist in most parts of this country.

That leaves us with the risk, or rather the risks. Cancer is just one and if I had a bigger blog I could fill it with others.[vi] But, let’s leave it with cancer. In the 1960’s our nation came to grips with the idea that smoking caused cancer and has spent billions to convince us not to smoke. I think cancer is a good enough reason not to drink something that causes it. Maybe this is one of those, all things are lawful, but not all things are profitable moments that Paul wrote about. [vii]

 


[i] Rehm J, Shield K. Alcohol consumption. In: Stewart BW, Wild CB, eds. World Cancer Report 2014. Lyon, France: International Agency for Research on Cancer; 2014.

[ii] All of the factual information in this blog came from the following Medscape article. Medscape Oncology

No Amount of Alcohol Is Safe Laura A. Stokowski, RN, MS April 30, 2014

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/824237?src=wnl_edit_tp10&uac=16048SY

[iii] Women’s Christian Temperance Union. A noble organization that fought alcohol abuse and the devastating effects it had on women and children in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s.

[iv] Bagnardi V, Rota M, Botteri E, et al. Light alcohol drinking and cancer: a meta-analysis. Ann Oncol. 2013;24:301-308. Abstract

[v] Lachenmeier DW, Przbylski MC, Rehm J. Comparative risk assessment of carcinogens in alcoholic beverages using the margin of exposure approach. Int J Cancer. 2012;131:E995-E1003. Abstract

[vi] Renaud S, de Lorgeril M. Wine, alcohol, platelets, and the French paradox for coronary heart disease. Lancet. 1992;339:1523-1526. Abstract

[vii] 1Corinthians 6:12

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Contagious Emotions & Social Media: Our Words Matter!

6/14/2014

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My earliest introduction to the importance of the words I chose came from my mother who told me things that her mother had told her. They were quaint little sayings whose importance would take years for me to understand. “If you can’t say something good, don’t say anything at all.” “Bad company corrupts good manners.” Both came to mind this week when I saw research that said the social network can have a profound effect on my emotions.[i]

In an article published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, researchers told how the positive and negative content of the posts we read on Facebook will push our emotional responses in a positive or negative direction. In this large study some subjects had the content mix of the posts they read altered so that they were either more positive or more negative posts.[ii]

As we might expect when the content was mostly positive, the individuals in the study responded more positively, and when it was negative, they responded negatively. There are all kinds of lessons for in this study. The first I see is that as Christians were are responsible for the words we choose and things we write in social media. We ought to choose those words for the benefit of others. As Paul said, “no one should seek his own good first, but the good of others.”(1Cor.10:24)

So when we post on Facebook and other social media sites, we should pick those words carefully and aim them to encourage others. In the past year I have watched several of my friends post things that were not only negative, but at times somewhat destructive in nature. I do not respond to them in comments, but send them private direct messages. I do that because as the study showed, the comments that follow a significantly negative post can become a free for all.

I know that some will say that if we only post positive things that social media will start to resemble a scene from the Disney movie Pollyanna. And, I agree that there are times when life is difficult and I feel inclined to unload my angst into those 140 character tweets and Facebook statuses. But, then I remember the words of my dear Grandmother Holcomb who considered the over sharing and gossip of her time and said, “We all take baths, but not in public.”

Maybe the best lessons from all of this come to us from scripture. As Jesus said in Matthew 18:15, when we have disputes with our brothers and sisters, we should go to them in private. Of all things I can say, Facebook is not private!

Then, as we struggle with the difficulties of life and feel the need to comment, we should choose our words carefully so that those who read will be “stimulated to love and good deeds” (Hebrews10:24) and not nasty replies and tweets in the comment sections. As Paul said in Ephesians 4:29 “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but that which is good to the need of the moment, that it will give grace to those who hear.” As my brother used to say, “If the person who is going to hear (or read) these words would not consider it a gift, maybe you should not say it.”

The Psalmist said it well. “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.” (Psalm 19:14)

I urge you friends to pick your words carefully for the benefit of others.



[i] Cornell University. "Emotional contagion sweeps Facebook, finds new study." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 13 June 2014. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/06/140613142533.htm>.

[ii] A. D. I. Kramer, J. E. Guillory, J. T. Hancock. Experimental evidence of massive-scale emotional contagion through social networks. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2014; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1320040111

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Can I Change? New Research Says Yes!

6/3/2014

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Can I Change?

 

Can I change? This is a familiar question that comes up in counseling. We live in a time when the answer depends a lot on what a person's goal is in asking the question.

Some would tell us that they were born they way they are and that they cannot change. I have talked with any number of angry people who have forcefully informed me that they are the way they are and that I will just have to accept it! We tend to blame our genes for our overindulgence, inattention, proneness to worry, and an ever increasing number of behaviors.

So then, can we change or are we stuck with whatever we are born with and doomed to become what our DNA dictates?  Well, new research would tell us no!
In an article published last week, researchers the University of Southampton asked that question of people who are thought to be one of the most of the most difficult to change.
[i]

Narcissists are individuals who think only about themselves. They are "a bit full of themselves, self-centered, and don't seem too concerned about the effects they have on other people," according to Erica Hopper one of the researchers.
[ii] The question the project asked was could even narcissists, the most dedicated to themselves people on earth, learn to care about others?

The study found that even people who are highly narcissistic can learn to care about others in the right setting. When highly self centered individuals were asked to watch a video that dealt with the suffering of another they initially responded as we might expect without much empathy. But, when they were asked to put themselves in the place of the individual, the researchers found that they responded differently. Not only did the self centered participants express emotional concern for the sufferer, their heart rates increased in the same way it would in unselfish people.

When normally self centered and selfish people were asked to put themselves in the "shoes" of another sufferer, it changed them. And, that is exactly what we might expect in counseling.  People can change.  As Paul said, If any man be in Christ he is a new creature, old things pass away, new things are coming. (2Corinthians 5:17)

When any man or woman confesses Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, they are freed from the slavery of sinful selfishness.  The first and great command is to "Love The Lord your God with all your heart..., and your neighbor." (Matthew 22:37-39) Christians can and do choose to abandon selfish self-centeredness by God's grace. As Paul would tell us, "Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others. (1Corinthians 10:24)  
And he also told us, that we could do this as Christ strengthens us! (Philippians 4:13)

It is always great when science invests grant money to prove something that we could have told them from the scriptures.
J

 



[i] Erica G. Hepper, Claire M. Hart, and Constantine Sedikides. Moving Narcissus: Can Narcissists Be Empathic? Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, May 30, 2014 DOI: 10.1177/0146167214535812

[ii] Society for Personality and Social Psychology. "Can narcissists be moved to show empathy?." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 30 May 2014. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140530124323.htm>.

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    Charles D Hodges Jr. MD
    I have been counseling people with mood problems and other family issues  for 25 years.  

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