In this blog I will be discussing what alcohol may be doing to your body and how ozone therapy can help your body to detox and to fight off disease.

Coming home to a chilled, sometimes fruity, sun downer after a stressful day can be quite delightful, but what is the cost of this evening ritual to your health? Most of us went through a “party” phase in our youth & college years. Since then we have learnt where our alcohol limit is and when we should stop. We are under the impression that as long as we don’t get drunk, we are consuming alcohol healthily. That is super far from the truth. After doing some research, I’ve found that consuming alcohol on a regular (even low quantities) can be very harmful to your overal health and wellness. Let’s dive in to the facts.

According to Healthline, long term effects or high alcohol consumption can cause:

• Your brain’s frontal lobes to shrink
• Black outs
• Behavioural changes – during consumption & before and after
• Hallucinations caused by withdrawal
• Slurred speech
• Thinning bones – regular alcohol consumption can lead to osteoporosis or thinning bones
• Coordination
• Erectile dysfunction
• Infertility
• Alcohol dependence or when alcohol is effecting your work or productivity
• Cardio vascular disease
• Liver disease
• Digestive problems like frequent diarrhoea
• Malnutrition – alcohol prevents your body from absorbing vitamins and minerals
• Numbness caused by central nervous system damage
• Diabetes complications – alcohol can unbalance your body’s organs which can lead to improper regulation of blood sugar
• Muscle cramps

It’s true, all the above coincide with heavy or regular (abusive) alcohol consumption. So what do small amounts cause? Drinking small amounts of alcohol might not send you to the hospital, but it does however put your body in whole lot of unnecessary strain. Below are a few short term/ low consumption symptoms that may occur as per Drink Aware,UK:

Short term/ low consumption symptoms:

Kidneys – Alcohol is a diuretic. It acts on the kidneys to make you urinate more than the fluid you’ve taken in. That means with every 1g of alcohol consumed your urine will increase with 10ml. This causes your kidneys to work overtime and with urinating more than what you’re consuming you will become dehydrated. This will cause nausea, headaches and a dry mouth the next day. Dehydration is also harmful to the kidneys as it can cause acids and waste to build up. This can cause kidney stones and urinary tract infection. Both of these illnesses also have a long list of their own harmful symptoms.

Sleep deprivation – Alcohol may cause you to fall asleep quicker but you will not get the rest your body needs. When you consume alcohol before bed you will fall into a deep sleep and you will stay there for much of the night. Yes, we all consider a “deep sleep” as a good thing, but as a matter of fact we need more REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep. This is the more restful stage of a sleep cycle and causes you to wake up rested and energised for the new day. Without REM sleep, you will wake up feeling tired and sluggish. You should not drink at least 1 hour before going to bed. This will give your body the time to process the alcohol.

Digestion issues – Any amount of alcohol, big or small, will irritate your digestive system. The reason for this is that alcohol causes your stomach to produce more acid than it should, which can cause gastritis (inflammation of the stomach lining). Regular consumption can also cause peptic ulcers (a painful, open sore in your stomach lining) and acid reflux (where stomach acid burns your throat). One of the most frequent issues is that it causes disruptions in digestion and vitamin absorption, which can lead to anaemia and malnutrition. IBS sufferers will also find that alcohol is a trigger for their symptoms. Excessive or longterm use can cause mouth, tongue, lip & throat cancer.

Weight gain – This is a no-brainer. Alcohol consists of high amounts of sugar and calories. DID YOU KNOW 1 x 250ml glass of wine = the calories of 1 x ice cream?

Appearance – As discussed previously, alcohol causes dehydration. Your skin is the largest organ of the body and needs water to stay smooth and healthy. Alcohol also inhibits the body from supplying the skin with much needed vitamins and minerals, leaving your skin looking older. Regular alcohol consumption can also lead to skin spots (due to liver) and skin disorders like Rosacea, where your face easily blushes or gets flushed. This can eventually lead to facial disfigurement.

I can carry on for days about the effects alcohol has on your body, but I think I’ve given enough to make you think about your next drink. Cutting out alcohol completely from your diet, to some, may seem impossible. So rather than quitting cold turkey, how about reducing your consumption. Replace your evening sundowners with something more relaxing like a milky drink or herbal tea. There are loads of healthier options that are delicious. When drinking on weekends, replace every second drink with a glass of water. This will help your liver and kidneys process the alchohol better and will prevent dehydration. You can also look in to alternative non-alcoholic drinks, but keep an eye on their sugar content.

Ozone Therapy can help

Recovering alcoholics and occasional drinkers can get loads of health benefits from regular sessions in an ozone sauna. Ozone therapy may help your body to detox and get rid of built-up acid and unwanted impurities. It can also improve digestion, boost vitamin and mineral absorption and improve kidney and liver function. Each session takes only 30 minutes to complete and can be done at a spa or clinic in your area or in the comfort of your own home if you purchase an ozone fibreglass sauna or portable ozone sauna. Depending on your medical history, it is advisable to start off with one-two sessions per week for a month. After which you can gradually increase the sessions. Remember ozone therapy is a non-invasive therapy which helps your body to detox. Like most detox therapies you may experience some side effects, especially if you have been struggling with your health. Detox symptoms, in general, are a great sign as it proves that your body is getting rid of unwanted toxins. You can read more about detox and the healing crisis by clicking here.