Project: Desensitize

• red facial flushing. check
• dizziness. check
• nausea. check
• increased body temperature and heart rate. check check
• physical discomfort. check
• and lightheadedness. Check

Yes, it is definitely the Alcohol Flush Reaction also known as the Asian Flush when drinking alcohol. With this, I usually get the attention for the wrong reasons - among them is turning beet red and scary-ugly usually without even finishing a bottle of beer or a simple alcomix. What’s odd is that only a very lucky or unlucky few (depends on how you look at it) have it. 

It is carried only by people of East Asian descent. Roughly one third of the eastern Asian population carries this mutation. “Alcohol flush reaction (also known as Asian flush syndrome, Asian flush, Asian glow, among others) is a condition in which an individual's face or body experiences flushes or blotches as a result of an accumulation of acetaldehyde, a metabolic byproduct of the catabolic metabolism of alcohol,” according to Wikipedia.

Technically it’s not an allergic reaction but a genetic issue. What’s actually happening is: “when you are breaking down ethanol in your body, there is a build-up of acetaldehyde. This reaches very high concentrations in individuals who suffer from Alcohol Flush Reaction and results in the symptoms you are familiar with such as red facial flushing, dizziness, nausea, increased body temperature and heart rate, physical discomfort and lightheadedness.”

Further, for people with Alcohol Flush Reaction, your body is not launching an immune response, but is actually suffering damage from a toxin when you are drinking. The Asian flush, sometimes called the “Asian glow,” refers to a common reaction to alcohol among East Asians. This facial flushing was found to be a result of a deficiency of a liver enzyme called ALDH2. This finding was revealed in a 1981 article in Lancet.

So it’s a gift as well as a curse

Acetaldehyde is a carcinogen in humans. Research has shown that facial flushing when drinking is indicative of ALDH2 deficiency, which can increase the risk of developing esophageal cancer by six to ten times. On the other hand, the flushing discourages people like me from drinking too much. Because, “the best practice to avoid these symptoms is to abstain from drinking.”

 

choose your poison wisely

Makulit lang

But,’ the “Asian flush” can disappear for some people later in their lives, especially if they continuously “practice” drinking,’ a related article also revealed. (http://www.gbhealthwatch.com/Trait-Asian-Flush.php) It is just me but I am hoping to still desensitize and ‘outgrow’ this condition soon so I choose to drink at my own risk.