Too much stress can lead to drinking. And drinking too much alcohol has serious health risks.
Several health professionals asked Dr. Tim to create a health education card that they could hand out to bring awareness to blood alcohol concentration. Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) is the amount of alcohol present in the blood. It is calculated by determining how many milligrams of alcohol are present in 100 milliliters of blood. This is an excellent card because it has a Stress Test on the front and a Blood Alcohol Chart on the back. The Blood Alcohol Chart is easy to use and understand to determine safe drinking levels based on your body weight and the number of drinks per hour. The green levels on the card are the areas where you’re least likely to encounter the negative and potentially dangerous effects of alcohol consumption. This is just a basic educational tool, and not a medical indicator. Many other factors can affect your alcohol metabolization (sex, physical condition, age, health level, medications, etc.). This card is to be used as a guide and does not guarantee your BAC.
This is a 14pt heavy cardstock card with a durable glossy UV coating on both sides. It measures 2 inches x 3 ½ inches. The stress chip on this card indicates a temperature range of 81-91°F.
To use: Place thumb or finger on black stress chip. Wait 10 seconds. Remove thumb and note the color. Then look at the chart. The color will indicate your hand temperature. The stress chip will return to black color within seconds and can be used over and over again. If your hands are cold, the stress chip will stay black. Touch it to your neck so you can see the stress chip show color change. Your neck temperature is around 90◦F so the stress chip will turn green or blue. The stress chip changes colors as temperature changes which can be an indicator of stress level. Catching stress before it builds into a headache, stomach ache or other health problem is a great life skill. Warm Hands are Relaxed, Cold Hands are Tense. Best when used at room temperature ranges of 70-74°F.
This is not a medical indicator. Seek professional medical treatment from professionals.
How hand temperature relates to stress: The basic rule for interpreting temperature change is simple: “Warm hands are relaxed, Cold hands are tense.” Under stress muscles tense and blood flow is restricted to the main body and shut down from the hands and feet.
When the body’s fight or flight system is activated the muscles tense, heart rate speeds up and blood flow is redirected from the extremities to the muscles, heart and vital organs. As a result finger temperature can show changes of 5 degrees or more in seconds as you prepare to fight or flee a dangerous situation. Our bodies perceive everyday stressors (traffic, deadlines, money, etc.) as an emergency flight or fight event. The amount of temperature change depends on the stressor or problem and how you react to it.
Watch this short video on stress cards: