In addition to my calling as Elders Quorum Missionary Committee Chairman, the Bishop has also asked me to serve as our Ward Mission Leader.  I feel a little bit overwhelmed, but am confident that I will be fine with the help of the Lord. 

This week happens to be a busy one for me as Ward Mission Leader:  PEC, then Missionary Correlation with the Missionaries, then we are having the Missionaries for dinner, then I have Missionary Committee Meeting, then I need to organize and prepare a lesson for Gospel Essentials, then Stake Committee Meeting, then I am speaking in church, in addition to preparing a Missionary Message for the Priests!  Whew!  Then when all that is done, I still have the actual missionary work to do!

 Pray for my sanity.

Amazing how some videos become viral on the internet.  The Church posted a video created partly from Elder Holland's address in General Conference, and it quickly spread on the internet.  This was my favorite talk in Conference, check out the video:

I have finally decided to put some of my thoughts and findings down in relation to the "glass of wine a day" thinking that is becoming more and more prevalent.  Disclaimer for those who don't want to read the whole blog:  I don't dispute that moderate amounts of alcohol can be beneficial, but I am going to show why I still believe it is much wiser to avoid alcohol altogether.

Here are the facts (as we know it currently - it seems scientific facts can change over time :) )

FACT 1:  moderate amounts of alcohol can raise your good cholesterol (HDL-cholesterol) and thin your blood.

FACT 2:  Non-alcoholic phytochemicals in wine, such as flavanoids and resveratrol, act as antioxidants and prevent molecules known as "free radicals" from causing cellular damage in the body.

FACT 3:  These same non-alcoholic chemicals that are found in wine also have "shown to prevent blood clotting and plaque formation in arteries by altering lipid profiles and plasma viscosity. Findings from a recent study suggest that resveratrol can produce potent anti-thrombotic agents that can potentially improve cardiovascular health and lower the risk for coronary heart disease." (Joy Bauer MS, RD, CDN - NBC News)

FACT 4:  Studies have shown cultures that consume wine as a regular part of daily meals have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and heart problems.

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Did the Word of Wisdom get it wrong?  Should alcoholic beverages been in the same category as meats - should it have counseled us to drink in moderation?  The above facts seem to show that it would be wise for us to have a glass of wine or two a day!

Lets continue on our fact search....

FACT 5: "Mormon men had only 34 percent of the normal cancer death rate and only 14 percent of the normal cardiovascular-disease death rate." (James E. Ernstrom, epidemiologist at UCLA... printed in Dallas Morning News).

So a culture that drinks every day has a lower rate of cardiovascular disease and a culture that doesn't drink at all has a lower rate of cardiovascular disease. 

FACT 5.1:  Mormons who adhere to the word of wisdom are also counseled to avoid all addictive substances, drugs, and to exercise and be good to their body.  That certainly can help with the cardiovascular disease rate.... 

on the other hand....

FACT 5.2 Studies have also shown that in those same cultures mentioned in FACT 4 above, (Portugal and France for example, 2 of the top 3 countries for consumption of wine), that the population walks more (more exercise) and snacks less, which are also major contributors to heart health. 

So to use a cultural study doesn't appear to be effective for either side of the argument.  There are far too many variables. 

On with the fact search.....

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FACT 6:   Wine can elevate triglyceride levels, which is associated with health problems such as diabetes.  (Joy Bauer MS, RD, CDN - NBC News)

FACT 7:   Breast Cancer Risk: Studies have shown alcohol can increase estrogen levels and raise tumor progression in women.

FACT 8:  Studies show wine to be a migraine trigger.

FACT 9:  Weight Gain: People who drink alcohol also consume empty calories, calories that lack nutrients and can lead to weight gain.(There are some alcoholic beverages with no carbs or fats however, and substituting large sodas for the wine is just as bad in this regard...)

FACT 10:  Alcohol can be addictive.  Even if your doctor lets you know you could benefit from moderate alcohol consumption, are you going to always be able to stop at just 1 drink?  Or do you start to abuse alcohol from time to time?  Alcoholic abuse can be defined as little as 3 drinks for women or 5 drinks for men.  That's when the following facts come into play:

------abuse facts------

FACT 11:  alcohol consumption is a leading cause of car accidents and traumatic death, not to mention child and spouse abuse.

FACT 12:  alcohol can lead to cirrhosis (liver disease), hypertension,  stroke and cancer.

FACT 13:  Excessive consumption of alcohol by a pregnant woman can lead to Fetal Alcohol Syndrome of a child, where victims suffer serious physical deformities and often mental deficiencies.

FACT 14:  Even mild-to-moderate drinking can adversely affect cognitive functioning, but thousands of studies of alcohol abuse show brain damage as a major side effect.  (http://alcoholism.about.com/od/brain/Brain_Damage_and_Alcohol_Consumption.htm)

FACT 15:  Even proponents of the moderate consumption of alcohol agree:  If you are going to decide to drink daily, "it's vital you seek the advice of your personal physician", so that you know you are not at risk for one of the many detrimental effects of alcohol.  (Joy Bauer MS, RD, CDN - NBC News) because alcohol affects each of us differently. 

CONCLUSION:

With all these facts and not stopping after reading the first few, it is much more understandable why the Lord counseled us to avoid alcohol, rather than to drink it in moderation.

Still, there are some convincing arguments on both sides.  So how do we know which experts to trust?  I think I'll trust God is the leading expert on the subject.  1 Corinthians 3:16: "For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God." Gods law of health, or the Word of Wisdom, has been proven to be wise council since the saints were able to abide by it and it became a commandment.  I believe it will continue to prove wise council, even as the world may have different ideas of health, and the blessings for following the Word of Wisdom make the benefits of alcohol seem insignificant.  Read the blessings here, if you don't know what I am talking about.

I don't believe that drinking in moderation is bad for all people.  In fact, I believe that a glass of wine a day can be and is beneficial for certain people, even many people, but certainly not all people.  I am just saying that I think following the Word of Wisdom is more important for those that believe in it, and for those who don't believe in God or the LDS theology, I still say all the facts make me agree with Dr. Judith Reichman, another published doctor and "expert" on the subject who says any benefits of alcohol are far outweighed by the risks.

That's my position, and I'm sticking to it, regardless of the most recent study results!

1 Peter 5:6 "Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time."

This amazing image is "a very young and powerful pulsar, known as PSR B1509-58, or B1509 for short. The pulsar is a rapidly spinning neutron star which is spewing energy out into the space around it to create complex and intriguing structures, including one that resembles a large cosmic hand." 

(http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/chandra/multimedia/photo09-025.html)

There is obviously some scientific explanation for things like this, but I am more inclined to share the opinion of Alma, the early american continent prophet who said, "All things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator" (Alma 30:44).

From the Gospel of Matthew:  

6: 25 ¶ Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
29 and yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
34 ¶ Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

 I love these verses.  It is so important for us to keep the commandments of God so that we can live with faith that He will bless us according to our needs.  In our stake (just a small area in our town), during the month of February, over 40 families went unemployed (that they knew of).  It is not uncommon to drive in any neighborhood and see homes being forclosed.  With the struggles my company is having and based on the economy in general, I was impressed stronger than ever this weekend to get our food storage ready, our costs lowered, and save as much as we can, while we can.  I know that as we keep the commandments of God, we will be blessed, and I have faith that everything will be okay in the end.  Because of this faith, I know we can continue to live happily, even looking oncoming struggles in the eye.