Hangover Cures?

In yesterday’s post I recommended limiting yourself to one drink per party. And while I stick by that advice, I am a realist. Nearly every holiday party I’ve been to was also attended by someone who had a few too many. And you know what that means – hangover!

Age old hangover or “detox” remedies range from the silly to the downright scary, including:
-Drinking sauerkraut juice
-Eating a bowl of cabbage
-Chowing down on burnt toast
-Downing a mixture of coffee and lemon juice (can you imagine?)

And though some folks swear by their morning after cures, none have been proven effective by experts. In fact, a recent review of over 100 studies found that nothing from taking herbs or vitamins to eating certain foods can be backed up by research. The only real remedy is to prevent the hangover, or drink plenty of water the next day (since alcohol is a diuretic and hangover symptoms are largely related to dehydration).

And here are a few things you should definitely NOT do:

-Don’t take painkillers when you drink including aspirin and acetaminophen. Some brands are now carrying voluntary warnings about the side effects, which can include liver damage and stomach bleeding.
-Don’t mix alcohol with stimulants and herbal products that claim to dexot the body, including energy drinks. Some of these products contain stimulants. Alcohol has the opposite action, acting as a depressant, therefore mixing the two is not recommended. In addition, some herbs and supplements affect the liver, as does alcohol. The combo can overtax this organ, potentially causing damage.

If you drink, you can possibly prevent the “morning after blues” by:

-Eating with drinks, especially foods that take longer to digest including healthy protein and/or fat-rich foods, like nuts (this slows down alcohol absorption).
-Limiting your intake to 1 drink per hour if you can’t stick to the 1 per party rule-of-thumb.
-Drinking plenty of water before, during and after drinking (order a water with each drink).

For more info about alcohol or hangovers, click here.

And for more info about interactions between alcohol and over-the counter or prescription drugs, click here.

photo courtesy of iband