Can a Cold One Cure Colds?

Hemera/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- An ingredient in beer can supposedly help people get over colds, according to a new study.

But don't get too worked up -- there's a lot more to the story than that.

For one thing, the study was conducted at Sapporo Medical University in Japan.  If the name sounds familiar, it's because the school is owned by beer maker Sapporo Breweries.

Researchers at the school discovered that humulone, the key compound found in hops that gives beer that bitter flavor, also has anti-viral properties.  In the right dosage, humulone assists the body in fighting the virus responsible for the common cold.

Naturally, the catch is that it takes 30 12-ounce bottles of beer to get that right dosage, which even for the heartiest beer drinker, would probably prove lethal.

Still, humulone when it's all alone shows promise, minus the beverage that millions adore.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

Beware Holiday Heart Syndrome This Thanksgiving

Stockbyte/Thinkstock(CLEVELAND) -- With Thanksgiving around the corner, doctors have an important message: Too much wine with dinner (or too many beers during football) can trigger abnormal heart rhythms.

"It's called holiday heart syndrome," said Dr. Marc Gillinov, a heart surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic and author of Heart 411. "It's a heartbeat that's usually chaotic, irregular and faster than your normal heartbeat."

The most common abnormal heart rhythm, atrial fibrillation, occurs when the upper heart chambers quiver instead of contracting regularly, allowing blood to pool inside the heart. In a healthy person who had a few too many drinks, the fibrillation is usually fleeting. But if it persists, it can lead to congestive heart failure or stroke.

"If that blood is allowed to sit still for long enough it clots," said Gillinov. "If the heart squeezes out a clot, it can lodge in the small arteries of the brain and cause a stroke."

The phrase "holiday heart syndrome" was coined in 1978 when researchers detected heart rhythm abnormalities in 24 study participants, none of whom had a history of heart disease. What they did have was too many drinks.

Since then, several studies have confirmed alcohol's heart rhythm-disturbing effects.

"Heavy alcohol use can lead to dehydration," said Dr. Malissa Wood, co-director of the Corrigan Women's Heart Health Program at the Massachusetts General Hospital Heart Center. "It can also deplete electrolytes like potassium and magnesium. And it may also affect the way the heart responds to adrenaline in your own body."

If your heart starts racing or beating irregularly, stop drinking and sit down.

"Try to cough or drink some cold water," said Wood. "That can actually reset the heart rhythm."

But if the feeling persists for five minutes or you have chest pain and shortness of breath, seek medical attention.

To avoid holiday heart syndrome, avoid drinking more than you would any other day.

"Excess alcohol in susceptible people can trigger abnormal heart rhythms any time of the year," said Gillinov. "We just see it more around the holidays because people are drinking more."

Gillinov said the holidays can still be special with fewer drinks.

"Enjoy the holidays, but make sure you enjoy them in moderation," he said. "Think of your heart. Do some special things, just not too much of any one special thing."

Staggering drinks throughout the night and getting enough water can help too.

Heavy meals can also trigger heart problems. Salty gravies and stuffing can cause a dangerous rise in blood pressure, forcing the heart to work overtime.

"Again, it's just moderation -- whether it's food or alcohol," said Wood.

Although the holidays pose special challenges to heart health, they also offer unique opportunities to boost it.

"The holidays are a great opportunity to give your family the gift of better health through information," said Wood. "Heart disease is the number-one killer in women and men. And we can prevent it by maintaining a healthy weight, exercising, watching salt and fat intake, not smoking and controlling blood pressure."

Coypyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Mom, Partner Arrested for Forcing 4-Year-Old to Chug Beer

Hemera Technologies/Thinkstock(BRIDGEPORT, Conn.) -- A 29-year-old mother from Connecticut was arrested with her partner after allegedly ordering her 4-year-old son to chug a 40-ounce bottle of beer on a playground.

Juliette Dunn was charged with two counts of risk of injury to a child and two counts of second-degree assault June 28 after her son and her 10-month-old daughter tested positive for alcohol. The 10-month-old girl also tested positive for cocaine.

Thirty-three year-old Lisa Jefferson, who identified herself as Dunn's girlfriend, was arrested on the same charges.

A witness told police that Jefferson handed the boy a beer and told him to chug it. When he finished, police said, Jefferson called him an alcoholic.

Police found an empty 40-ounce bottle of Steel Reserve beer on the ground beside the boy and a baby bottle next to the baby containing a dark liquid that smelled like alcohol.

The children were taken to Bridgeport Hospital where, during an examination, the 4-year-old told a social worker "he likes Natural Ice beer, Budweiser beer, but didn't like the taste of Dog-Bite beer," according to the police report.

Drugs and alcohol can have severe and long-lasting effects on children's developing brains, according to Rahil Briggs, assistant professor of pediatrics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City.

"Children's brains are more plastic than their adult counterparts. This means that they are disproportionately sensitive and responsive to input, both negative and positive," Briggs said. "This is why a four-year-old can learn Mandarin much more easily than can a 40-year-old, but it's also why abuse and neglect at an early age can be especially deleterious, and exert life-long impacts."

Because of their size, the same dose of drugs or alcohol is more potent in children than in adults.

"We do not know enough about exactly how drugs and alcohol affect the young developing brain, but we know that every single effect is negative, and some even life-threatening," Briggs said.

Dunn later admitted to smoking crack-cocaine 10 minutes before police arrived on the scene but said she didn't know how the baby tested positive for cocaine because she didn't breastfeed, according to the police report.

The children were temporarily placed in the custody of the Department of Children and Families. "In the process of doing that, we've induced a new trauma," admitted Alan Kazdin, psychology professor at Yale University. "There's no good solution here. But in the process of protecting, you sometimes have to hurt."

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Brewery Introduces Viagra Beer for Royal Wedding Night

Ablestock dot com/Thinkstoc(FRASERBERG, Scotland) -- Scotland's largest independent brewery, BrewDog, has unveiled a limited-edition beer containing herbal Viagra to mark the forthcoming royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton on April 29. The beer is called "The Royal Virility Performance."

From vomit bags to Haribo candy, there is certainly no shortage of strange royal wedding memorabilia. But so far, it's possible nothing has come out that will make the queen blush quite like what Scottish brewing company Brew Dog introduced Thursday.

Known for its eccentric brews, Brew Dog has announced a creation made specifically for the royal wedding. It's called "Royal Virility Performance," and it's an India Pale Ale containing herbal Viagra, chocolate, goat weed and a "healthy dose of sarcasm."

There will only be 1,000 bottles of the limited-edition beer available through Brew Dog's website, costing around $16.55 per 330 milliliter bottle.

With three beers creating the same effect as one Viagra pill, the celebration could add up to a pretty penny. Fortunately, a fifth of the proceeds will go to Centrepoint, a charity aiding homeless youth that is supported by Prince William.

In an effort to distinguish itself from other breweries that might be creating special edition beers for the very special occasion, Brew Dog has laced "Royal Virility Performance" with aphrodisiacs to "give the happy couple something extra on their big day," according to the company's website.

The beer ships strictly the day before the royal wedding. To further commemorate the big day, albeit in raunchy fashion, the label of the bottle is decorated with phrases like "Celebrate Big Willy Style," and "Arise Prince Willy."

Brew Dog even went as far as sending Prince William a bottle, according to Metro UK, so that he can appropriately celebrate his big day.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio