How much alcohol is truly safe to have?
Dr. Jennifer Penrose interviews a local family practice physician, Dr. Erin Kershisnik owner of Vantage Physicians, a local “direct primary care” or what was also known as “concierge medicine.” Then we really dive into our hot topic of “how much alcohol is safe to drink and how beer, wine, and hard liquor differ.” We also discuss alcohol addiction and that there are ranges of options for people to discuss with their doctor.
We get to hear Dr. Kershisnik’s journey as to why she landed in family practice and eventually opening a “direct primary care” practice. We also discuss how a direct primary care practice is different than a traditional model and what types of patients make up her practice.
Dr. Kershisnik then shares about what the latest research really says about alcohol… it is truly a “Buzz” kill. However, it does allow us all to evaluate when we are drinking and how often and how much. Much like dessert we don’t have dessert every day; or maybe we shouldn’t. She also discusses how research compared drinkers to smoking cigarettes over time and mortality rates. Basically 1 bottle of wine was equal to smoking 10 cigarettes for women and 5 cigarettes for men. We can all agree that smoking causes cancer. So it is likely that depending on the amount and/or frequency of alcohol consumption that cancer could be linked. Drinking daily was also not recommended.
Alcohol excessive drinking costs the US 250 billion annually in health care related costs. Addiction to alcohol has been in the shadow of opiod addiction lately and truly it should be treated seriously. There are options that many do not think about that they can wean off alcohol carefully with their doctor. In fact Dr. Kershisnik warns do not stop drinking cold turkey if you are used to drinking daily - you can actually die doing that.
Then we wrap up with Dr. Kershisnik’s favorite place to eat, tips for staying healthy, and places to enjoy in the South Sound.