Winter Maladies: Natural Approaches
June Russell's Health Facts
Alcohol - Weather
Each year, 699 Americans die from extreme cold.
{‘Health’ magazine, vital stats, Dec. 2002}
Alcohol interferes with your body’s temperature control mechanism. In cold weather you may not be able to stay as warm as you normally would, and if it is hot and humid, the dehydrating effects of the alcohol may impair the body’s ability to sweat properly and cool down.
{Runner’s World, Dec. 1992}
Cold Weather
Alcohol is a depressant, can slow the heart and also hasten the ill effects of cold body temperatures.
{Senior Weather Busters Fact Sheet}
To keep sinuses clear in winter it is suggested that you avoid alcohol, which can cause congestion and dehydration, making mucus thicker.
{Parade magazine, Feb. 1992}
Stay away from alcohol if you will be exposed to the cold. Alcohol dilates peripheral blood vessels near the surface of the body, and so steals crucial warmth from internal organs. Although alcohol seems to warm the gullet, the end result can be to pull the heat out and accelerate the problem of hypothermia. Also alcohol interferes with the good judgment that might otherwise persuade one to come in from the cold.
{Rick Weiss, Washington Post Health, Feb. 1995}
Do not drink alcohol or caffeine: they contribute to dehydration.
{“Stay Cool, healthy during periods of intense heat,” HealthCentral.com -7/23/00}
Avoid alcohol and caffeine when possible since they both drain you of more fluid than you take in by drinking them.
{Health Sciences Institute newsletter, August 2000}
An individual will fatigue faster in cold weather, and your body works harder just to keep you warm. Drinking water in cold weather before and after exercise is even more critical in cold temperatures. In cold weather, your body loses moisture not just from sweating, but from breathing, when you use moisture to heat the cold air. Cold winds also foster dehydration and when you are tired, your body has less energy to handle the stress of producing extra heat (no mention of alcohol’s negative effects).
{“Feel the Freezer Burn!" - Washington Post Health, Jan 16, 2001, by Heidi Splete}
*Author’s comment: If a person drinks the eight glasses of pure water recommended each day, there will be little room for alcoholic beverages. Those who drink alcohol need to drink additional water because alcohol dehydrates the body.
Hot Weather
Avoid alcohol in the summer as it has a diuretic effect, and it can also impair your judgment so that you are not aware that you are overheating.
{Patricia Sweeny-Rywak, MD, Emergency Room Physician, Chicago Hospital}
Adults over 55 have a less efficient body thermostat and thirst monitor. Older patients often have to go to the emergency room with complaints of fainting and disorientation because they are losing more fluids that they are taking in. Alcohol acts as a diuretic, increasing water elimination. Eliminate alcohol and replenish the body with water.
{Emergency Department of Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in South San Francisco, Reader’s Digest, 1992}
Tips for beating the heat: drink plenty of water or other non-alcoholic
beverages. Avoid alcohol because it can interfere with sweating and cause the body to lose fluids.
{Washington Post Health, June 1994}
Alcoholic beverages are dehydrating and your body will use up water trying to flush out the alcohol.
{Answer woman/Claire McIntosh, Associate Editor of McCall’s, May 1994}
Alcohol is not just a depressant, it also acts as a diuretic, drawing more fluids from your body, and alcoholic beverages will just make you feel worse by slowing down bodily functions even more. Only three-quarters of a caffeinated drink is going towards your fluid replacement.
{"Dehydration," a Weekly Guide to Surviving the Season, The Washington Post Health, July 30, 2002}
Avoid alcohol to avoid heat stress, as it interferes with your body's fight against heat stress. It can put a strain on your heart.
{"Avoiding heat stress," Jefferson Board For Aging, Charlottesville, Virginia, August 2002}
Though consuming alcohol is usually accompanied by a flush and a feeling of warmth, body temperature is actually decreased.
{"Effects of Alcohol on the Brain," Alcohol Research Center, LSUHSC - Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, August 2002}