Take Two Irish Coffees and Call Me in the Morning

Researchers at the University of Texas in Houston have been testing various substances known to affect the brain in hopes of finding a treatment to limit the damage of cerebral strokes. The most effective so far: a shot of booze with a coffee chaser. “We found that if we gave a combination of alcohol and caffeine, equivalent to, say, one drink of alcohol and two or three cups of coffee, that there’s almost complete protection from a stroke,” said study leader James Grotta, a neurologist. But care must be taken. “If you give too much of either the alcohol or the caffeine, then the effect is lost,” Grotta warned. Worse, “if you give the combination chronically — for a week or so prior to the stroke — there’s also no benefit.” (Reuters) ...The paradox: even if it doesn’t work, you’ll still feel better.