Personally, I might go a bit more specific (maybe country or region). E.g. French cuisine is quite different than either German or Spanish, yet it still mystifies, somewhat, why the French can eat what they do without having all the health problems others would have...

I'm such an ethnic smorgasbord, I pretty much had to throw away the book and figure myself out. Fortunately that wasn't terribly difficult. (Pretty much classic carbo/choco-holic, with a few idiosyncrasies... )

Doc

A very good book that is easily understood about ethnic genetic food needs is:

Your Body Knows Best by Anne Louise Gittleman

http://www.annlouise.com/23/diet-detox/21/

This book explains how BLOOD type, affects our tolerance and intolerance of certain foods. It is really interesting.

Within Europe there are several ethnic groups mixed in.
Some require some dairy, others can go vegan more easily, and the Mediterranean folks need their olive oil and their foods.

I found this book (which is not new anymore) at our library. It has served me well, as a good introduction to understanding that people are DIFFERENT from each other and therefore some need one type of eating that would not work for another.

This book is available used at Amazon too.

I am croatian and my husband is french. We definitely have very eating styles and preferences in food. But l can tell you why l think the french don't suffer nearly as many health problems. They are small serving of so many different food groups in every meal. They eat slowly, and enjoy there every mouthful, and meals times is a time of celebration. Usually a long 2-3 dinner, is the normal. Whereas most western societies, tend to just grab and gulp and go.

They don't take to time to laugh and socialise and enjoy every part of there food. My parents love there fruit and vegetables and olive oil, fish and meats, beans and are not ever deprived and are healthier than me.

I think its not only what you eat, but also how many laughs and if you connect to people that makes us healthy.

So thats why, l don't want to give up wine, as for me, there is my joy in life. As long as l don't over do it. Taking a nice glass of wine from me would be damaging to my health as that was makes me happy and keeps me alive and social. If anyone told me father he could never, ever eat meat again, l would hate to think of what he would say. Probably something along the lines of, "whats the point of living"? I can really relate.

My greatest and happiest moments in my life are good food and fine wine, with family and friends, and if l take any of those away, i could well die earlier from unhappiness and boredom .


I also don't want to be thinking to myself each time l have a glass of wine or two, oh, l wonder what this is going to do to my NP? I just don't want to live like that.
Its not really enjoying life to the fullest. Some people love chocolate and others meat, (like my father), and others cake, l just can,t see how moderation would do any damage. If anything l think its good for you. That what living is all about.

I hope this makes sense.

sue

I can understand your reluctance to give up your wine.

It is obviously important to you. However, wine contains things that may cause
1) vasodilation (especially reds)-- for this reason it can be a headache trigger

2) sulfites in the bottling process are allergenic to some people

3) the extra aldehydes may make for an increased metabolic load on the dehyrogenase enzymes.

If I were you I'd try something. Switch to a premium filtered vodka, instead and see if any of your symptoms change.
The alcohol in the premium vodkas is filtered (up to 4 or more times) to remove the congeners which metabolically are difficult to handle and cause hangovers. Skyy is one that I know of, for example.
http://www.skyy.com/
The filtration is explained on the site under the Skyy Vodka tab, and then click quality.

There are other brands with this filtered trait, so I don't know what you have where you are.

But if you can drink this type of alcohol and have less symptoms that would point to your intolerance of the other things found in the various wines and champagnes.

Wines have polyphenols in them that dilate blood vessels. This is the major reason they can cause headaches. The alcohol also dilates, so with wine one gets a double whammy, so to speak.

It does, and I don't think I've said anything that disagrees (because I don't disagree, with one possible exception). My point about ethnicity and diet is that, if you are genetically mostly Croation, then the healthiest diet for you is probably (but not absolutely or necessarily) one that is typically (i.e. historically/traditionally) Croation. The same would apply to your French husband. Both of you still have to account for things that effect your individual medical/health conditions, e.g. foods you are allergic to, diabetic considerations (IF they applied), and in this case, foods that may make you sick by exacerbating symptoms of PN. From what I have read, we don't even know if wine is a factor or not, but there is always room for adaptation.

I don't know how much "a glass or two" of wine is in your culture or mind. I know some cultures/families where a "glass" of wine can be as little as 1-2 oz. (30-60 ml) or as much as 6-8 oz. (175-240 ml) with an average around 4 oz. (120 ml), or if you are talking about your husband and yourself sharing 1 bottle (or more) every evening, which could also range between a Split (187 ml) a Standard bottle (750 ml), or larger (Magnum?)

Wines, as you know, can also vary greatly in alcoholic content, from non-alcoholic (<1%) to over 20% alcohol by volume. Even table wines can vary by almost 100% difference (from 8-14 %).

I also know families/social groups who enjoy meals as you describe - we belong to several - with variation between individuals in consumption depending on their individual metabolisms/tolerances, and the people who typically consume only 60 ml (or even less/none) enjoy their meal, the occasion, and their lives every bit as much as those who typically consume 4-5 times that amount.

I have always been quick to extoll the health benefits/virtues of laughter, socialization, and finding joy in life. Alcohol (or other social lubricants) in moderation are a personal choice; I am not judgmental - I can take them or leave them.

The only place I may disagree is with the continued or compulsive consumption/use of something despite doing harm to oneself, because that is NOT healthy.

If your doctor says that alcohol IS a factor in your PN, and that it could be medically harmful for you to continue with your current wine consumption, then I think there is room for some kind of adaptation/accommodation/modification.

If, OTOH, your doctor says that alcohol is NOT a factor in your PN, and that s/he has no problem (medically) with your wine consumption, then why are we still talking about this?

Doc

Hey Doc, off topic for the thread but I really want to know: what did you do about your IBS? A dear friend of mine is struggling with that and, um, I like the way you think things, so your findings will be very much appreciated.
Thanks,
dyc

Wishing you great news> twitches are common for me now and they drive me crazy also.

mrsD- thanks for the tip about vodka. But l have now had moderate wine consumption over the past 4 days, and l haven't seen any increase in my symptoms of PN. Does that mean its not the wine, or do the symptoms of PN have a delayed effect?

Dr Smith- I asked the neurologist have l caused this as a result of too much wine, and he said no. He also said there is nothing wrong with sharing a bottle of wine with husband most nights, but to have a couple of night off. I drink less than this anyway. He also said, to drink lots of water, as alcohol makes the brain shrink form dehydration, hence why we can have hangovers.

So he didn't see any problem with having wine at all. I think most neurologist love a good drop themselves. But then again, how much do we trust the neuro?
They don't seems to know much about alternative therapies when it comes to NP, so how much can we take there word for it??

Sue

I know what you're saying, but IMO, this can be a VERY [All 5 types of emphasis] slippery slope. There's a disclaimer at the bottom of every page on this site:

There's a similar disclaimer at the bottom of every post I make. They are not just rhetoric; they're there for a very good reason. Without taking anything away from knowledgable, well-meaning advice/people on online support groups, whether wrong or right, WE ARE NOT DOCTORS HERE. We don't have their knowledge, expertise, or access to many resources they do; doctors know your medical history - ALL of it, the results and accepted interpretations/meanings of test results - ALL of them, and a lot more that well-meaning and knowledgable people on the internet do not have.

There are some very good reasons why neuros and other doctors don't know much about alternative therapies: They're a dime a dozen, and taken in whole, MOST so-called "alternative therapies" are bunkum, pseudo-science, and/or snake-oil. Many of them have been discussed on this site. Much of what you may read here are not alternative therapies, but early research, backed up by legitimate studies that just haven't made it into the mainstream - yet. There's a vast difference between that and "alternative therapies" which can include... just about any claim any screwball decides to make.

I have learned much on this site and on many other websites as well, but I have not taken ANY advice given here or elsewhere without running it past my own doctors FIRST, and neither should anyone else. If someone doesn't like what their doctor says, they should find another doctor before blindly following advice given on the internet.

Doc

It helps to understand what doctors know and what they don't know.

Doctors are not educated heavily in chemistry and biochemistry. For this reason, they don't understand drugs for the most part, and rely on drug sales people to explain the drugs to them, much to our detriment.

Ask a doctor what polyphenols are, or congeners, or sulfites, and you will probably not get an answer, unless he collects wines or owns a winery.

Some allergists know what sulfites are, and may know what polyphenols are because these see people with allergic reactions. But a neurologist? I would not expect them to know much chemistry. And if older, I'd expect very little chemistry.