Every morning I think this as I take my first sip of coffee.  Ever since my days working in Starbucks I have had a love for coffee and I look forward to it every morning.

But this post is not about coffee.  Today, this phrase will be said about another liquid, a liquid that has been around for centuries.  This liquid is used in every culture in one form or another.  It is so old that it is even mentioned in the Bible, I believe starting with Noah.  He drank this after he found land when the flood receded.  This sweet nectar is of course wine.

A couple of months ago on Twitter someone wrote that wine seemed to help their Crohn’s.  For whatever reason, whenever they drank wine, they felt better.  Another person and I started joking about it but it got me thinking.  What if there is some connection between wine and IBD.  What if drinking a glass a day somehow could reduce symptoms and help.

By now most people know of the health benefits of wine.  We know they have tons of antioxidants. 

“Antioxidants in red wine called polyphenols may help protect the lining of blood vessels in your heart. A polyphenol called resveratrol is one substance in red wine that’s gotten attention.  Resveratrol might be a key ingredient in red wine that helps prevent damage to blood vessels, reduces “bad” cholesterol and prevents blood clots.” – http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/red-wine/HB00089

Lower Your Cholesterol

Alcohol also can have a very powerful effect and increase HDL “good” cholesterol by 20% if used moderately and in the context of a healthy diet along with regular physical activity, says Rimm. Higher HDL levels are linked to lower risks of heart disease.

“The research evidence points to ethanol, or the alcohol component, of beer, wine, or spirits as the substrate that can help lower cholesterol levels, increase ‘good’ HDL cholesterol,” he says.

Boost Your Brain

A recent study shows a boost in brain power for women who enjoy a little alcohol. The study, published in the Jan. 20 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine, evaluated more than 12,000 women aged 70-81. Moderate drinkers scored better than teetotalers on tests of mental function. Researchers found a boost in brainpower with one drink a day. Moderate drinkers had a 23% reduced risk of mental decline compared with nondrinkers.

source – http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/wine-how-much-is-good-for-you

Now of course as you can see, none of these studies have anything to do with IBD…so I decided to do my own experiment.  I have never been a big wine drinker and when I do drink wine, it is usually white wine.  Over the years though I have wanted to get into red wine so now was a good time to start.  I have a bunch of reds just sitting in my apt.  Many were gifts that I received and of course never drank.  So I took one that was supposed to be really good and cracked it open. (Yes it was really good..best red wine I have ever had)  I limited my self to only one glass per sitting so it took about a week for me to finish it.  Funny thing happened…I started feeling better.  I had been having a flare and it was now going away.  My trips to the bathroom were slowing.  Could it be the wine was actually helping.  I decided to go a couple of days before my next bottle.  

In the non wine days, nothing bad happened but I didn’t feel like I was reaching some great breakthrough either.  So, crack open another bottle.  This time I started spacing out the days I was drinking it.  There were days I just wasn’t in the mood for it, other days I had work to do and didn’t want to drink that night.  So it started to become a rarity that I was drinking and I have to say, I have started to feel bad again.  The past couple of days I have had some depression.  My bowel movements have increased again.  I have been having some pain in the mornings.

So this up coming week, I will try to drink more wine again and see what happens.  It is hard to believe that something that is so simple can be a big help.  I will keep you updated on how the experiment is going.  If I start to feel better again, I might start actually keeping a journal to document this as it might be a real worth while experiment. 

Today is Friday.  It is snowing outside.  It is cold.  This week at work has not been good.  I can think of nothing better than ending the night and week with a little libation.  Let’s raise a glass of vino to our health and hope that maybe one day we can all literally drink our troubles away….or at least our diseases.