Women, Wine & Wellness

This two-part series concerning women and alcohol ("wine" was chosen for the title for alliterative reasons, apparently) covers the subject from a general standpoint in Part 1 (Alcohol and Your Body) and focuses on a specific facet of the subject in Part 2 (Fetal Alcohol Syndrome). Part 1 explains the physiological impact of alcohol, pointing out that women become intoxicated much quicker than men, because of a difference in metabolism. Also, a woman's chances of developing breast cancer can reportedly be doubled even with moderate drinking. Cirrhosis of the liver-in times past considered a "male" disease-is now purportedly a serious consequence for women, especially in light of the fact that recent research indicates that 56% of alcoholics are women (a surprising and-given the reliability of statistics-possibly suspect figure). Part 2 looks at F.A.S., Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, considered the leading cause of mental retardation today. Barbara Luke, at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, points out that medical experts agree there is no safe level of alcohol consumption during pregnancy. The program examines the development of the fetus through each trimester and the corresponding potential effects of alcohol during those periods, as well as outlining the heartbreaking effects of F.A.S. as evidenced in the physical and mental deformations of newborns. An obvious choice for medical and support group facilities, Women, Wine & Wellness is so unrelentingly negative that it will certainly scare a lot of viewers unnecessarily. Not a necessary purchase for public libraries. (See WHY ARE YOU SO ANGRY? for availability.)