RSA Course Online

Author: Peter Cutforth

  • Study Suggests A Glass of Wine a Day Could Prevent Alzheimers

    Recent research has revealed that a good night’s rest, exercise and 25ml of wine a day can lower your Alzheimer’s risk.

    According to Dr Ian Harrison from University College London, Alzheimers is caused by failure of the brain’s self-cleaning system (glymphatic system) which allows a toxic build-up of proteins to develop on the brain, killing neurons.

    Studies of mice showed that the glymphatic system is up to 60 per cent more active during sleep and results were similar when it came to exercise.

    Researchers also found that low-levels of alcohol had a similar effect and increased glymphatic function by up to 40 per cent.

    However researchers found that high levels of alcohol had the opposite effect and hindered the brain’s ability to clean itself.

    Ultimately researchers determined that sleep, exercise and only 25ml of wine a day are beneficial in preventing Alzheimers.

    Source: https://www.bodyandsoul.com.au/health/health-news/a-glass-of-wine-every-day-can-prevent-alzheimers-study-suggests/news-story/12b51810ba458edf763296461903b73a

  • Amazing Cocktails at Melbourne Bar

    Melbourne is known for it’s nurturing of artists and creativity so these ‘crazy’ cocktails being served up by Melbourne publicans is no surprise. If you’re in Melbourne, why not skip dessert and opt for one of these delicious creations instead?

  • Drinking and Its Effect on Your Sleep Cycle

    Although you may feel drowsy after a drink, alcohol isn’t actually good for your sleeping patterns and in fact it can disrupt your deepest sleep, the kind needed for rejuvenation.

    How Alcohol Disrupts Your Sleep

    Sleep is made up of 5 phases, each needed for our brains to rejuvenate for the following day’s activity.

    On a normal night, 25% of sleep involves rapid eye movement (REM) phase. When we drink alcohol, we enter deep sleep without the usual REM phase first.

    According to Dr Tina Lam, research fellow at Curtin University’s National Drug Research Institute, you will feel like you’re sleeping more deeply and you will dream less.

    “When you have alcohol in your bloodstream, it increases the slow-wave deep sleep and reduces the REM sleep,” Dr Lam explains.

    Source: https://coach.nine.com.au/2018/06/15/10/55/alcohol-sleep

    Dr Lam explains that as the night progresses the opposite happens.

    As the alcohol leaves your bloodstream, your central nervous system switches to being dominated by glutamate. This is the brain’s excitement neurotransmitter and takes you into REM sleep, which is lighter.

    “The drinker may experience less slow-wave/deep sleep, and get more REM sleep, which may result in more intense dreams or nightmares.

    “This, along with the increased likelihood of snoring and tossing and turning, will result in sleep fragmentation and disruption. You’re more likely to get sweaty and have to get up to go to the bathroom too.”

    Source: https://coach.nine.com.au/2018/06/15/10/55/alcohol-sleep

    In other words, Dr Lam believes having a nightcap to help you sleep is counter-intuitive.You will have a lower quality of sleep and the length of your sleep will also be less.

    Dr Lam also found that the more frequently alcohol was consumed, the less it will work in a sedative way.

    “We get used to the sedative effects of alcohol very quickly,” Dr Lam explains.

    “Within three to seven days of having a couple of glasses of wine after dinner to help us get sleepy [will see] the sedative effects diminish, but those counterproductive disrupting sleep effects continue.”

    Source: https://coach.nine.com.au/2018/06/15/10/55/alcohol-sleep

    Thus a poor sleep cycle is developed where you keep looking for alcohol to relax you and help you sleep, maybe even increasing the volume of alcohol you drink each time.

    “People who drink the night before will have more disrupted sleep and feel less rested in the morning and will likely caffeinate up, which will still have residual effects at night,” Dr Lam explains.

    “Then you might try to calm down again with a bit of alcohol, which will disrupt your sleep further. It’s quite easy to get into a vicious cycle.”

    Source: https://coach.nine.com.au/2018/06/15/10/55/alcohol-sleep

  • Why Alcohol and Sport or Exercise Don’t Mix

    Having a drink after a game has become common place for most Australians that play sport, even professional athletes. But is this drinking after physical activity good for you?

    A recent article on TheConversation.com says drinking after exercising is a bad idea, especially very strenuous activity.

    The writer highlights that high intensity activity such as sport, creates temporary muscle damage and pain. Our energy (glycogen) can also be depleted during exercise.

    The body also loses a lot of fluids, due to sweating so drinking alcohol after sport and exercise makes the recovery process harder for the body.

    Alcohol actually slows down the repair process for the damaged muscles and if you’ve already lost a lot of fluids, drinking alcohol causes you to lose even more – alcohol can cause dehydration.

    The writer also highlights that athletes with soft tissue injury can worsen the condition because drinking alcohol will open up the blood vessels and encourage swelling to the injury.

    If you must drink alcohol after playing sport, drink moderately and have plenty of water.

    Find out more https://theconversation.com/why-alcohol-after-sport-and-exercise-is-a-bad-idea-98313

  • New Study Shows Moderate Alcohol Really Does Benefit The Heart

    Despite conflicting opinions, it appears alcohol really is good for you, as long as it is consumed in moderation.

    According to a new research from the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil the enzyme responsible for making moderate alcohol consumption good for the heard has been identified – ALDH2.

    The study, in partnership with scientists from Stanford University in the USA, shows that when consumed moderately, alcohol can activate this beneficial enzyme. Two cans of beer or 2 glasses of wine is all it takes to activate this enzyme which held rid the body of aldehyde which is a toxic byproduct of alcohol digestion and a stressed heart.

    Source: https://vinepair.com/booze-news/new-study-alcohol-heart-healthy/

  • 10 Things You Never Knew about Absolut Vodka

    Whether you’re a fan of vodka or not, you’ve probably heard of Absolut – an alcohol brand with a hugely successful marketing campaign.

    Here are some things you probably haven’t heard about the brand before,

    • Andy Warhol is responsible for the first of those artsy ads that propelled the brand.
    • It’s no surprise the brand loves art and has a collection of over 900 commissioned works.
    • Everything is locally sourced including the water used to make the vodka.
    • Absolut gives distillate byproduct/ protein to pigs and cows at local farms.
    • The brand sources its water from more 450 feet deep so it’s much purer.
    • It is a 100% wheat vodka which makes it almost completely neutral.
    • Absolut is completely gluten free.
    • The brand recently released a powerful video in support of equal love.
    Find out more about this iconic brand at https://vinepair.com/articles/absolut-vodka-sweden/

  • Try These Cocktails on Your Next Girl’s Night Out

    The origins of the cocktail are sketchy and there are so many theories floating around that it’s hard to tell which one is true, probably none. Is it from Mexico and named after an Aztec princess; New Orleans and named after a French egg cup; in Four Corners, New York? Who knows?

    But one thing we do know, the cocktail has been bringing out the creativity in mixologists and bartenders the world over, so much so that it is an art form.

    Cocktails have also been making ladies night a night to remember, for as long as we can remember.

    And there’s no need to be bored with all the new creations on offer, practically every day.

    Here are 6 unique and delicious cocktails to try on your next girl’s night out.

  • Why Some Drinks Make Hangovers Worse

    We’ve all experienced it, that one alcoholic beverage that seems to make us feel more “hungover” than others. But why is that?

    Ultimately a hangover is caused by dehydration, so drinking plenty of water before, after and in between each alcoholic beverage is the key to avoidance. However this isn’t always possible.So what drinks should you avoid?

    According to a Dutch study, darker alcohol makes you more hungover than lighter alcohol. That’s why vodka doesn’t seem to affect you as badly as rum. That’s because when alcohol ferments, chemicals called congeners are created and create deep flavours like you get in red wine and other dark alcohol but they are also what’s responsible for the rough hangover.

    So basically if you want to avoid the hangover, stick to lighter, clear booze.

    See more at https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2018/04/why-some-drinks-seem-to-make-hangovers-worse/

  • Man Donates Toe to Bar for “Sourtoe Cocktail”

    In slightly bizarre and quite grotesque news, a man who lost 3 toes to frostbite has donated his toes to a Canadian hotel bar for its ‘Sourtoe Cocktail’.

    The Yukon hotel’s bar has been offering shots of whiskey with a human toe in it since the 1970s after a rumrunner in the 1920s began the tradition.

    The rules for drinking the gross cocktail “You can drink it fast. You can drink it slow. But your lips must touch that gnarly toe.”

    Bizarrely in 2013 a drinker swallowed the toe, on purpose while a thief ran off with another, he later returned it to the hotel.

    Apparently the cocktail is ‘safe’ to drink because of the alcohol and the salt.

    Source: https://www.esquire.com/food-drink/a19709759/donated-toe-sourtoe-coctail/

  • 82 Killed in Indonesia from Bootleg Alcohol

    Australian holiday-makers flock to Indonesia on holiday every year but if you’re planning on going you should be extremely careful about where you purchase alcoholic beverages, 82 people died in April from drinking bootlegged alcohol.

    The catastrophe in April happened near the nation’s capital, killing 82 people and resulting in the hospitalisation of dozens more.

    Authorities found that the fatal mix contained pure alcohol combined with herbal beverages and high-caffeine energy drinks.

    A police official said one of the ingredients was mosquito repellent.

    The cheap alcohol apparently sold for around 20,000 rupiah ($1.45) per unit.

    Indonesia has heavy taxes on alcohol which prompts many to produce their own alcoholic beverages at home, unsafely and unmonitored. These home made brews have been linked to an alarming number of fatalities including in 2016 when 36 people died.

    For more visit http://time.com/5237269/indonesia-82-deaths-bootleg-liquor/