Archive for the ‘Men’s Issues’ Category

Beer beverages are one of the oldest beverages, probably as old as agriculture, with the first written history of beer-like beverages being recorded in ancient Egypt. Most likely, these beer-like beverages that contained carbohydrates and underwent fermentation were independently invented among various cultures.
 
In the middle ages, beer beverages were consumed by all social classes since the purity of water could not be guaranteed. Beer was particularly popular in the northern regions of Europe because it was easier to grow oats, barley and wheat as compared to fruits, such as grapes, used to make wine. A Carolingian Abbot introduced hops to beer beverages in 822. Along with flavoring the beers hops improved it’s conserving properties and beer would not spoil as easily. Hopped beer was perfected in the towns in Germany by the 13th century.
 
Nowadays beer beverages are promoted as the ultimate man’s drink, probably because the carbonated bitter brew appeals to men’s taste buds more so than to women.  There are no shortages of commercials depicting “A clear hot day with virile sexy hunks choosing this foam headed brew to quench their thirst. No female in her right mind can ever resist such a testosterone oozing male, particularly after having a brew.” So, is the myth true? After having one or more of this thirst quenching brew, will the human male turn into an irresistible stud muffin?

Let’s take a closer look at the composition of beer.
 
Beer is obtained by the alcoholic fermentation of a malted cereal, usually barley malt with or without other sugars, and to which hops have been added. A typical beer will contain water, carbohydrates in the form of maltose and dextrin, hops, yeast, and alcohol.  More than 90% of beer is water and breweries generally get their water from a well or spring, or they use tap water. There are many salts and minerals in the water, which affect the ultimate flavor and head formation of the beer.

Malt is the sugar that comes from the grain and that is fermented into an alcohol. Barley is generally used, but at times wheat and occasionally oats or spelt are used. Sugar is often added to help the fermentation. Yeast is a single cell micro-organism needed in the brewing process for converting fermentable sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide.

Hops, whose scientific name is Humulus lupulus, give beer its bitter flavor and are also a natural preservative. Only the flowers from the female hops are used for beer, and these flowers contain lupulin, a resinous substance that gives the typical bitter flavor.  Besides being used for its bitter taste and natural preservative properties hops have many other useful medicinal properties. The strong bitter flavor makes them a great candidate to strengthen and stimulate the digestion, increasing gastric and other secretions.  Hops are potent diuretics; this is why after drinking beer you are constantly running to the bathroom to empty your bladder.  Also hops have calming and sedative properties.  Often you feel like having a nap after drinking a beer.

The female flower of hops contains phyto-estrogens with powerful estrogenic activity. Therefore, hops are often recommended in herbal remedies for females with menstrual problems and menopause symptoms.   These phyto-estrogens are detected in beer beverages and with each bottle of beer a man drinks he is consuming some estrogen with that beer.  Heavy beer drinkers consume a significant amount of estrogen. Males naturally have small amounts of estrogen in their body due to the testosterone conversion process. But an excess of estrogen will shut down the production of testosterone from the testes, which results in the following:
 
Fatigue;
Loss of muscle tone;
Increased body fat;
Enlarged prostate;

Last, but not least, is the loss of libido and sexual function.  So, sorry guys, but beer will not turn you into an irresistible stud muffin, it will more likely turn you into a doughboy!!!!

Speaking as one who has suffered her fair share of injuries on the journey to Black Belt I want to share some observations and suggestions that may help adults not only in Martial Arts but other forms of aggressive exercise and sports.

As I started progressing through the belt ranks I became more and more serious about training.  I wanted to be at the dojo (karate school) all the time.  I went to every class that I could during the week.  This meant I was training every single day, 5 days per week all in a row.  Big Mistake!! Eventually I was suffering with shin splints from the warm ups where endless jumping jacks and plyometrics are performed.  I also started to feel pain in my ankle and knee. The initial ankle pain eventually turned into a serious problem that took me out of the game for 6 months.  I wasn’t listening to my body’s cry for mercy.  My “older” body needed recovery time between sessions.  I cannot stress enough the importance of a day of recovery to give your tired muscles a rest between lessons or sports games.

I tended to ignore feelings of pain while pushing forward.  Eventually I found an awesome Chiropractor who practices ART (Active Release Technique).  This is a specific technique that deals with soft tissue treatment.  ART is used for athletic performance enhancement, injury prevention and management.  I found this to be very effective for treating my injuries.  My Chiropractor became my savior.  The slightest hint of pain or tightness in my body and I am in his office getting treatment.  Adults cannot ignore feelings of pain while they continue to grind their bodies through grueling sessions.  I got smart and started listening to my body – and my Chiropractor who taught me the exercises that I need to do for my individual problems.

My good friend, Fernanda the Pharmacist and Herbalist, got me going on the proper supplementation to aide in keeping my joints and muscles healthy.  She recommended glucosamine as it’s needed to make and repair joint cartilage.  The cartilage serves as the cushion at the joint surface.  She also recommended MSM (methylsulfonylmethane) which provides sulfur making it a vital building block of joints, cartilage, skin, hair and nails.  She suggested Celadrin which is a blend of fatty acids that enhances the cells membranes and their integrity for efficient functionality.  Celadrin prevents inflammation while restoring fluid to cushion bones and joints promoting flexibility and mobility.

Lots of good clean water and learning what foods to consume before and after training sessions is also essential for performance and a healthy body.

Following proper recovery time, athletic injury prevention and management techniques, consuming good supplements and proper nutrition can all go a very long way in keeping your body healthy and therefore less prone to injury.