Is alcohol really good or bad for your health? A small amount might help you relax by shifting your body from stress mode to a more restful state. But the real benefit may have less to do with alcohol itself and more with the routine of unwinding at the end of the day. Simple habits like drinking tea, meditating, or having a set evening ritual can provide the same sense of relaxation without the downsides.

Movement is one of the best ways to improve overall well-being. Whether it’s walking, yoga, or lifting weights, staying active helps manage stress, boost mental health, and keep the body in balance. The takeaway? It’s less about what you drink and more about finding healthy ways to shift gears and recharge.

Highlights of the Podcast

00:01 – Introduction

00:49 – Alcohol & Nervous System Benefits

02:30 – How Much Alcohol is Beneficial?

03:06 – Mental Association with Alcohol

04:30 – Other Ways to Achieve Relaxation & Nervous System Shift

06:18 – Exercise & Mental Benefits

07:11 – Final Tips for Wellness

Narrator [00:00:01] Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention, please? Covering both sides of the big issues with the. Analysis. You trust on Newsradio 1040 W.H.O..

FOX NEWS Radio Host [00:00:10] We're currently being joined by healthy living expert Dr. Matt Chalmers and Dr. Chalmers. Thanks so much for being a part of our show today.

Dr. Matt Chalmers [00:00:18] Absolutely. Thanks for having me.

FOX NEWS Radio Host [00:00:20] All right. This is a question I think it's an age old question. And it's a question that I've kind of been interested by because it feels like there's a new study that comes out every few months that says alcohol is beneficial if you have it in moderation is could help your body. And then there's immediately a study that follows that says alcohol is actually terrible for you. And every time you drink it, you're taking years off your life. So kind of where are we at at this point, at this juncture with this very fascinating and eclectic conversation?

Dr. Matt Chalmers [00:00:49] So what we're finding is there is a there's a significant benefit for a small amount of alcohol in our nervous system. And what ends up happening is it shifts you from what's called flight freeze or sympathetic nervous system over to parasympathetic, which is resting, digesting. And this transformation is extremely important. And you can feel this. So when you take that first drink and you feel the day wash off, you feel your body completely unwind. That's what we're talking about. And that's really important outside of that. When we found research like that, it's pretty toxic for us.

FOX NEWS Radio Host [00:01:23] Interesting. So the nervous system wouldn't be what I would initially, you know, like attribute anything with drinking any liquid for. So exactly how does that relationship in our bodies work and how quickly does that operate when we have our first drink?

Dr. Matt Chalmers [00:01:41] It's pretty immediate. So like a lot of people will take that first drink when they set the glass down, that's when they just kind of go, I can just feel the day kind of wash off of them. That's the change we're looking for. And so it happens pretty immediately. But it's very, very, very small amounts. It's like the first sip of red wine or someone says, you want to have a wine or a beer at the end of the day, and it does that to you. That piece is good. It's the rest of the chemistry. That's that's just part interesting.

FOX NEWS Radio Host [00:02:08] So when we talk about this, what's that kind of number that would be ideal on a day to day basis to balance that, to to have the benefit of what the nervous system would be experiencing, but also to avoid, you know, the carb load or obviously the toxicity of having too much of this in your system at any one time.

Dr. Matt Chalmers [00:02:30] You're looking at about half a glass of wine. That's about what it is for most people. So I guess it's a very small amount to get the full benefit.

FOX NEWS Radio Host [00:02:40] Interesting. So that certainly, you know, for for somebody who's trying to learn about this, understand what the benefits could be and how to maybe moderate that, how often like obviously a have I'm not the kind of guy that's going to go home and, you know, pour myself a half glass of wine every single day. But if I'm having like a beer every like three days, do I get similar benefits?

Dr. Matt Chalmers [00:03:06] You can. The big thing is not the alcohol. The big thing is that our mind significantly ties to it. It's the separation of my workday is over and my home day is beginning. And that's really where we start to notice this. And you can you can psychologically tie that to other things If you're like, Hey, when I get home, this is my get home routine. I have a glass, I have a cup of tea, and I sit in this chair and I just relax for ten minutes. And that's my process. That will work as well. So it's really the the the shift from stressed out, sympathetic to parasympathetic is really the benefit that we're going for.

FOX NEWS Radio Host [00:03:42] That's crazy. So Dr. Matt Thomas is joining us on the phone line here. I okay. So I'm trying to kind of come to, you know, like wrap my mind around this. So the benefit is the mental aspect of what that end of day drink signifies to us mentally. Is this some kind of additional like placebo effect potentially? Like if instead of, you know, a glass of wine or a half glass of wine, we're talking about like, you know, hey, I decide to have a chocolate bar or something like that. Is it is is it like if our brains associate with anything else at around the same time, could it have the same effect on us even without the drink?

Dr. Matt Chalmers [00:04:30] Again, meditation can do this. There's a lot of things that can shift you back over. Exercise is phenomenal at doing this, so there's a lot of other ways to get this neurologic shift. It's just when we start looking at, you know, what you say, there is a benefit. That's pretty much the only benefit we have. Everything else biochemically is really bad.

FOX NEWS Radio Host [00:04:49] All right. Well, that's interesting and obviously that would make sense, even though I know many people to enjoy a good drink and think that it does help unwind them very well could be something else for, you know, from your perspective, as somebody who is a healthy living expert, what would be another, you know, kind of way? You mentioned exercise. And, you know, especially this time of the year or so, many people who kind of get started into workout routines, but it becomes, you know, difficult for them to either maintain that. Is there kind of a perfect marriage with physical activity and not, you know, having it be super duper difficult for people who might be overweight or have not been in shape in a long time to kind of get that ball rolling, to feel those effects that you mentioned about exercise, kind of helping our body feel better in our nervous system as well.

Dr. Matt Chalmers [00:05:41] So we do this a lot. So you can tell people, go take a walk, you tell them, you know, you know, do do a dance class. It's really kind of what what appeals to that person. That's how we get the consistency is like, what do you like? If if I was to go try to dance every day, I wouldn't workout every day. I like to lift weights. Do I lift weights? If somebody wants to dance, if they want to, you know, jog, walk, whatever, whatever their thing is that they're like, I get I like that one the most. Just start moving. Yoga is phenomenal to just get out and start moving for 20 minutes a day. And that's the greatest way to start really kind of changing the trajectory of your entire health.

FOX NEWS Radio Host [00:06:18] It's quite fascinating how much different I even feel, you know, and I like to think that I'm in somewhat decent shape, but I just started a CrossFit class to kind of really whip me in shape. And man, it's terrible when I'm in the midst of it. But there's some sort of just like, I think this may be what we're talking about here, this kind of release. When I'm done, when I get to sit down, when I'm having, you know, my protein shake and it's like, wow, I actually ended up doing that. So is there any final tip before we let you go, Dr. Chalmers, that you would, you know, suggest to people? Because obviously we're talking about kind of a neurological situation that could be beneficial to people in the way that they feel, and it's not necessarily tied directly into the intake of alcohol. What is you know, maybe one other thing that you would suggest to people who are trying to get that benefit of that release that we are talking about here.

Dr. Matt Chalmers [00:07:11] So, you know, like I said, meditation is fantastic. Try to find a time where you can sit and kind of center yourself and let the rest of the day kind of move away. The thing about that that makes it easier for movement is that our brains are literally built to a way where if you start to move, you will suppress the temporal lobe, which is fear, hate, anger, terror, panic like the amygdala is in there. And so movement of any kind is the number one thing you can do for depression for. Or shifting your nervous system back over or for over total overall health is just start moving.

FOX NEWS Radio Host [00:07:45] Yeah. Love it. Absolutely love it. That's great advice. We started talking about is alcohol beneficial to you? We finished with just get Moving and you're going to reap the benefits of that. Dr. Matt Chalmers, thanks so much for the information today. Very interesting stuff and we really appreciate the time.

Dr. Matt Chalmers [00:08:00] Absolutely. Thank you, sir.

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Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only. Before taking any action based on this information you should first consult with your physician or health care provider. This information is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health providers with any questions regarding a medical condition, your health, or wellness