Health, Disease, Prevention

Seven Tips for Curing a Hangover

World's Best — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 18:27:51 +0000

If you drink, you know that every time you do so you are putting yourself at risk for a hangover. Here are seven tips that can help you to drink and still feel good the next morning.
Number One: Drink water. Sounds easy enough, but this simple step can help with the majority of your hangover ills. It will keep you from becoming dehydrated and slow down your rate of alcohol consumption. Drink water before you leave, in between alcoholic drinks, and when you get home. Of course, this is the most effective if you can stick to it. If you forget, drink as much water as you can before heading off to bed. When you wake up in the morning, you should start drinking water as soon as you can.
Number Two: Buy yourself a bottle of vitamin B complex tablets. Vitamin B depletion is a bad side effect of dehydration. Take a supplement before you leave the house and another when you get home, and you will be thanking yourself in the morning.
Number Three: Try hypnosis. No, this does not mean going out drinking while you are in a trance. However, hypnosis can help with the recovery of a hangover by helping your body to relax and ignore some of your pain. You can find pre-recorded hypnosis sessions to help you get started out if you are new to the experience.
Number Four: Drink the hair of the dog that bit you. No, you do not have to go out and shave your favorite pet. Some people believe that having another alcoholic drink of the same variety you were drinking the night before will help keep the hangover at bay. In general, this has no medical proof, however, and will usually just postpone your hangover until later.
Number Five: Drink fruit juice. If you had the party at your place, you may have a stockpile from serving mixed drinks the night before. Fruit juice is packed with vitamins to help with the dehydration, while at the same time the liquid itself with help. Juices packed with vitamin C are the best, and look for varieties that are 100% juice as they will be more effective than juice blends.
Number Six: Get some fresh air. Yes, a little exercise will do you could. If you live within walking distance from the bar, and are in a safe neighborhood, a walk home can be a great help with sobering you up and getting your systems functioning again. Or try getting out for a quiet walk the next morning to soothe your nerves.
Number Seven: Watch your painkillers. Some may be very effective with dulling the pain, but when combined with the alcohol in your system can have toxic side effects on your liver and other systems. Read labels carefully, and avoid taking any painkillers the night of drinking – wait until the morning when most of the alcohol has been cleared from your system.
If all else fails, remember that all hangovers get better with time. And next time, you will know better and be able to watch what you drink.

Preventing a Beer Hangover

World's Best — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 18:27:33 +0000

Getting drunk on beer is a common problem. Because of the carbonation, you absorb the alcohol in beer a lot faster than other drinks. Combine that with the fact that beer is most often drunk at social occasions – like parties, tailgates, and bars – that people tend to throw their inhibitions to the wind and drink at will. Beer is not as bad as hard liquor, right? Wrong. Just like with any other alcohol, you can get a hangover from beer – especially if you over indulge. Here are some tips for preventing a beer hangover.
There is a wide variety of hangover cures out there, and each drinker will have his or her own. However, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, as the saying goes. By taking some steps to prevent getting a beer hangover in the first place, you can spend your morning after the party doing something more enjoyable than staring at the toilet bowl swearing never to drink again.

Of course, the only guaranteed way to avoid a hangover is to avoid alcohol entirely. This is including beer. Of course, if you are looking for ways to prevent hangovers, this probably is not an option for you. If that is the case, keeping your drinking down to a minimum will help you to avoid the worst of the side effects.

Next, your goal is stay hydrated. No, drinking more beer is not going to keep you hydrated. Drink plenty of water, fruit juice, and other non-alcoholic beverages before you go out, while you are drinking, and when you get home again. Most of the really bad hangover symptoms come from dehydration, so staying hydrated will go a long way to helping you feel better.

It is best to avoid mixing drinks. However, if you are going to, you should save your beer drinking for last. Because of the carbonation, beer is absorbed more rapidly than some of the harder liquors. So, if you drink beer, first, it will also speed up the absorption of anything you drink after it. If you start with beer, stick to beer for the whole evening.

You have heard that “milk does a body good” and it is also true for hangovers. Having a glass of milk before you start drinking will help coat your stomach. This will slow down the alcohol absorption and help prevent irritation from the alcohol.

Eating while you drink beer can also be helpful. This is one of the few cases where bar food actually comes in handy. Starchy and fatty foods like the greasy burgers and fries they serve will help dilute the alcohol, slowing down absorption and making it easier for your body to process it.

Nurse your beers when you can. By limiting yourself to a drink an hour, your body has more time to process the alcohol, reducing your chances of having a hangover in the morning.

Taking some vitamin B can be helpful as well. You can find it in most multivitamins or on its own. It can help give your body back some of the nutrients that were lost due to the frequent trips to the restroom.

Popular Hangover Cures That Have Been Around For A While

World's Best — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 18:27:08 +0000

Hangovers are common, especially among the college crowd. It seems that there is always someone coming up with a new hangover cure. There are a few popular hangover cures though, that has been around for some time now and are worth repeating here.

Cure #1 - The Bloody Mary Cure. The ultimate hangover cure.

This works even for those who hate tomato juice….it really does taste better than tomato juice once you add the other ingredients.

Bloody Mary Hangover Cure Recipe

Ingredients:

2 oz of Vodka

6 oz of Tomato Juice (Beefamato is better than regular tomato juice)

4 tsp Worcestershire Sauce

2 to 3 drops of tabasco sauce

1 celery stalk (to put into the drink)

Mix together drink and eat the celery for breakfast. Guaranteed to cure any hangover.

Cure #2 - The old saying, “take an aspirin and call me in the morning”, may be popular with doctors of yesterday; but it may not be that far off from a real hangover remedy that many take today after a night out on the town. The popular remedy is for 500 to 1000 mgs of aspirin, a rehydrating sports drink (my favorite Gatorade), and a 25 mg. Dramamine (Dimenhydrinate) tablet. The combination will help to drive away the headache, vertigo and nausea.

One thing you want to stay away from is acetominophen (Tylenol), because the combination of alcohol and acetominophen may cause liver damage.

Cure #3 – Important: Take this cure BEFORE you go to bed, when you return from your drinking binge (if you remember). Take TWO (Ibuprofen) Advil before you go to bed. The reason being, that if you wait until the next morning your stomach may not be able to handle ibuprofen or anything else. If you try to swallow some, you may see them right back up again…yuck! Taking the ibuprofen the night before will lessen the grief you feel in the morning.

Cure #4 - The Clam Chowder Cure. This is a favorite among college students. Especially students who live on the east coast of America where you find the “Friendly’s” Restaurant chain. They make an amazing “New England Clam Chowder”. Order some of their chowder and “A Big Beef”, and a “Chocolate Fribble”. You will feel 100% better guaranteed. If you do not live near a Friendly’s restaurant, then keep some Campbell’s Chunky Soup on hand and when you first wake up the next morning have a bowl with a little pepper in it, then go back to sleep. When you wake up, you will feel 100% better.

Cure #5 - Ease the symptoms with drink and food. Here are some general beverages and foods that are known to help ease the symptoms of the hangover:

Coca Cola - The fizzy that is the carbonation is good for your nausea and the liquid is good for the dehydrated part of you. The caffeine and sugar will make you feel like you are not quite as dead as you feel.

Don’t drink too much caffeine though, because it can actually make the dehydration that accompanies most hangovers.

Vegemite on toast gives you vitamin B and salt both of which are good when you have a hangover.

College students also swear by cold pizza, not quite sure why this one works, but it does.

Bananas are excellent sources of fructose and potassium. They are also a natural antacid that helps with the nausea and the magnesium in them helps with the pounding from the blood vessels clanging in your head. Those brave enough can try a peanut butter, honey and banana sandwich on white bread.

Chocolate milk - there is just something about chocolate that cures most anything! Jug about 1/2 litre of the store bought container of already made up chocolate milk and soon you will find that the drink has calmed your stomach and quieted the nausea. You are getting much needed vitamins, sugars, and a mix of carbs/salt, and oh yes, did I mention chocolate!

Natural Treatments For Hangovers

World's Best — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 18:26:46 +0000

While some people reach straight into their medicine cabinet to treat their hangover, others prefer a more natural approach to their symptoms. If you would rather take something other than a drug for your pain, here is a look at some of the natural treatments for hangovers that you may find effective.

Bifidus can help you out when you take it before going to bed after a night of drinking. Bifidus helps to reduce the amount of acetaldehyde, one of the byproducts of alcohol that is responsible for a lot of you hangover symptoms. This allows you to feel better the next day. Take a teaspoon of bifidus powder and mix it into a glass of water until it is completely dissolved. Drink immediately, and with any luck it will be your magic cure. You should wake up in the morning with no trace of a hangover – or at least much less of one than you would have had. You can find bifidus at most health food stores.

Another natural hangover remedy that works well is taking vitamin B6 and thiamin. Found in many multivitamins, you can also purchase these nutrients separately. The good thing is that these vitamins help the liver process the acetaldehyde so that you can feel better. Before going out drinking, take a high dose vitamin B supplement. Some theories also show that taking it after drinking as well may be beneficial.

Milk thistle is an herb that you can buy to treat hangovers. Milk thistle helps remove toxins from the cells of the liver, helping to protect it from damage caused by the alcohol. Before you go out drinking, eat a good meal and take two capsules of milk thistle.

If you do not have time to run out to your local health store, you can try an easy homemade remedy. Take two teaspoons of fresh squeezed lime juice and ¼ teaspoon of sugar to a full glass of water. Drink it before going to bed after your night of drinking. The sugar can help raise your blood sugar, which drops as a side effect of the alcohol, while the lime helps refresh and activate the liver.

Aromatherapy is a natural remedy that has been used to treat a variety of conditions, and hangovers are another place where it can be helpful with abetting your symptoms. A drop of peppermint oil under your nose can help with nausea, or try using two drops of coriander oil on your stomach. If you feel feverish or sweaty, a drop of Frankincense oil over your liver can help cool the body. The smell of citrus oils like grapefruit or orange can help lift your mood, while a couple of drops of vetiver oil rubbed onto the top of your head can improve your mental focus. A drop of marjoram oil rubbed behind your ear can assist with those killer post-drinking headaches.

Obviously, the best cure for a hangover is not to get drunk in the first place. But if you find yourself feeling ill the next day, trying some natural remedies may be the cure you need to feel better.

How to Treat an Alcohol Hangover

World's Best — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 18:26:12 +0000

A simple search online or an interview of friends and you will find that there are plenty of hangover treatments, remedies, and preventions out there. Everyone claims that his or her idea will prevent the hangover from happening, shorten the amount of time that you have to suffer, or at least make sure that they symptoms are not as severe as before. Unfortunately, many of these remedies are founded in myth, and very few have been scientifically tested for effectiveness. So, the best way to treat an alcohol hangover is to avoid getting one in the first place. Otherwise, you just have to wait it out – most of the symptoms will be gone before the day is out.

What is the best way to do this? Watch how much, and how strong, of alcohol that you drink. If you drink in small amounts, generally not enough to get “buzzed” or drunk, the risk of having a hangover is rather minimal. If you do drink enough to become intoxicated, keeping your drinking to a minimum will also reduce your chances of having a hangover. Lower alcoholic beverages, when compared to hard liquor, are also less likely to cause a hangover.

The type of alcohol that you drink can also play a role in whether or not you get a hangover. Some alcohols, like vodka and gin, have fewer congeners than their darker cousins, such as brandy and whiskey. Red wine is commonly known to cause hangovers, particularly the inexpensive brands or those that are from a bad harvest. If you choose to drink the harder alcohols, choose to “top shelf” your liquor choices – these are often more refined, and have fewer congeners than the same type of liquor in a cheaper brand.

If you get a hangover, there are some treatments that you can try to reduce the intensity of your symptoms. One common remedy is to try eating foods that are high in fructose, such as fruits and fruit juices. This easily digested sugar can help bring your blood sugar back to normal, while many fruits will also contain Vitamin C and potassium – to essential nutrients that are lost through dehydration. Starting your day out with bland, complex carbohydrates can also be helpful – toast and crackers are generally well tolerated even when nauseous, and can also help blood sugar levels.

If you were up late drinking the night before, you may also be suffering from sleep deprivation as well as the affects of the alcohol. Sleeping in the next morning, or finding time to take a nap, may be all you need to start feeling better.

Many over the counter medications can help reduce the intensity of your hangover symptoms. For instance, you can try antacids to relieve your nausea and stomach pains. Pain killers can help with the headache and other aches and pains, but should be avoided if you are feeling nauseous or have stomach pains, as they can further irritate the stomach. Be sure to read labels, because some painkillers are not recommended for use if there is alcohol in your system, since they can increase the load on your liver and cause further problems.

Caffeine can help with some of your symptoms and give you a boost of energy. However, it is also a diuretic, and can make hangover symptoms worse. So keep caffeine intake to a minimum, and be sure to drink plenty of other fluids while you are recovering.

How to Survive the Morning After Hangover

World's Best — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 18:25:45 +0000

If you failed to listen to everyone’s advice and drank more than you should have, chances are you woke up alive but wishing you were dead. Hangovers are no joke, and there is a pretty good chance you now know what it feels like to have a spike pounded into your head, to eat live fire ants, and mop the floor with your tongue. However, since you managed to make it home in one piece and live through the night, there is still hope. Here are some things that you can do to make surviving easier.
First off, get back in bed as soon as possible. If you are supposed to be showing up at the office today, call in sick. You really are sick. Some people think it is their just desserts to go in feeling like a train wreck since they were the irresponsible ones the night before. But the reality of it is you are not going to be doing yourself or your coworkers any favors. Plus, if you really overdid it, you may still have enough alcohol in your system to impair your decision making abilities. Get your butt back in bed. It is better to make up a white lie that you have food poisoning or the stomach flu and deal with the consequences later. Plus, chances are you are going to sound terrible enough on the phone that the person taking your call will believe you.
Next, ignore any well-meaning friends that try to tell you that the “hair of the dog” is the best hangover cure. Drinking more alcohol is only going to put more alcohol in your system. So, while you might feel better temporarily while you enjoy the buzz, your body is going to have to work that much harder to process the toxins, deal with even further dehydration, and everything else that comes with drinking. Plus, nearly every health care professional will agree that if you are drinking to overcome the effects from drinking, you probably have an alcohol addiction problem and need help. It is much better to have water, sports drinks, or fruit juices. These will hydrate you and replenish nutrients so that you will feel better in the long run.
Lastly, stay away from the coffee pot. If you are like most Americans, if you are having trouble getting up in moving in the morning you brew yourself a cup of Joe – or stop at the nearest Starbucks or coffee shop to your house. However, your normal morning cure-all is probably not the best idea today. Caffeinated beverages act like diuretics just like alcohol is. Many of your hangover symptoms can be contributed to dehydration, and drinking coffee is only going to make that worse. The caffeine may give you some temporary relief from the pounding headache, but you will feel all the worse once it wears off. If you absolutely cannot survive the morning without some caffeine, limit yourself to a small cup and chase it down with plenty of water or juice. A better option is to take the juice with an aspirin and get yourself back to bed.

How To Prepare For Your Night Out

World's Best — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 18:25:27 +0000

So, if you are planning that spectacular New Year’s Eve party, bachelor party, or just the best night out ever, you have probably considered a lot of the factors. What you are going to wear, what you are going to serve, or what local night spots you are going to check out. However, have you thought about what you are going to do the next morning? Many people forget to consider the recovery and hangovers from a night out on the town until they are in the throes of one. Here are some things that you can do before you go out to prevent a hangover the next morning.
If you have some idea as to how alcohol affects your body and exactly what it is that is making you feel terrible, you can do some things to prevent from feeling that way the next morning. Most of the time, it is the concentration of the alcohol and subsequent toxins that make you feel bad, combined with the side effects of dehydration. This is directly affected by how much you drink and how quickly, combined with your own body makeup. But there are some things that you can do to counteract the effects.
First of all, never go out drinking with an empty stomach. In an ideal world, you would eat a filling, healthy meal full of all the essential vitamins and minerals that your body needs to function properly. More realistically, you are going to end up chomping on some bar food. If you think about it, pop a multivitamin before you leave the house. At the bar, try some greasy, fried food like French fries before you have a drink. While you do run a risk of clogging up your arteries or gaining weight if you go out clubbing every weekend, the fat and carbohydrates in the food will help slow the absorption of alcohol by your body. The grease lines your stomach for a time, making it harder for alcohol to get absorbed and into your blood stream.
Alcohol acts like a diuretic, meaning that it can cause you to dehydrate. In case you had not noticed, you are probably making more trips to the bathroom than you are to the bar. This is causing your body to lose fluids as well as important vitamins and nutrients. So, if you can make sure that you are at maximum hydration before you head out on the town, you can help balance some of these effects. Have a few glasses of water, sports drinks, or juice before leaving the house. If possible, continue to have these as well as your alcoholic drinks throughout the evening. Not only will it slow down how fast you are consuming alcohol, but it will also help keep your body somewhat hydrated, and stave off the worst hangover symptoms in the morning.
Lastly, if you know yourself, you probably have a pretty good idea whether or not you can stick to a hangover prevention plan in once you get to the club or the party. If you know that you are going to overdo it, make your hangover cure before you leave the house. Fruit smoothies are a great morning-after tonic, but if your head is pounding and you feel like throwing up you may not be in the condition to operate the blender when you wake up. Mixing up your favorite hangover remedies the night before and popping it into the fridge or freezer can make things go a lot more smoothly later.

How to Cure a Hangover When You Drink Too Much At Home

World's Best — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 18:25:02 +0000

The home bar is becoming a more common fixture in today’s homes. Add in the big screen TV and a billiards table and you have the perfect adult game room to hang out in, watch the big game, or have fun with friends. While this may sound like a great time, it can also leave more openings for people to overindulge, since they no longer have to worry about driving themselves home or relieving the sitter on time. This in turn leaves more of an opportunity to suffer from a hangover the next morning.
This should not spoil your opportunity to have a good time, however. It merely means that you have to put into practice some of the same steps that you would use if you were heading out to the bars or nightclubs with your pals.
First, have a good meal before you crack out the bottle opener. If you do not want to cook, order a pizza, take out, or break out the chips and dip. A meal loaded with fat and carbohydrates is your best bet, and will help slow down the rate that the alcohol is absorbed. Avoid caffeine and sugar. Caffeine will further dehydration, a common problem after drinking, and sugar will jump your blood sugar up even higher than alcohol alone will, leaving you with a nasty hangover when it comes back down.
Dehydration is a major factor in hangovers. As you become dehydrated, your body gets rid of many of the water soluble vitamins and minerals that you need during your frequent trips to the restroom. These include sodium, potassium, Vitamin C, and Vitamin B, and a lack of these is a definite contributor to your feeling lousy the next morning. Taking a good multivitamin or some Vitamin B and C supplements before you drink can be particularly helpful for your morning after woes. Drinking plenty of water while you are drinking alcohol will also help, since it decreases your chances of becoming dehydrated while simultaneously cutting down on the number of alcoholic beverages that you are consuming.
The best way to beat a hangover the next morning is to start treating it before you get to the point where you are throwing up your breakfast and pulling all the frozen vegetables out of the freezer to make ice packs. Start with a sports drink like Gatorade and plenty of water. This will help with the symptoms of dehydration. Some light carbohydrates, like plain pasta or crackers, will help with the nausea, and take a multivitamin if you stomach it. Then go and lay back down and try to sleep some more, since your body needs this time to recover and get over the mistreatment it suffered the night before. When you wake up the second time, repeat your treatment, and try to include a high protein snack. Avoid drinking any more alcohol, as these myths will only further your suffering along by giving your body more alcohol to try and process.
Always keep in mind that the alcohol you have at home is at least as alcoholic as what you are getting in the bar (and sometimes more so, since you are in charge of how much ice, juice, and other additives are being added, if any), so use caution when drinking. Know what your personal limit is and stick to it, and you are certain to be all the better for it in the morning.

Avoid The Hangover Headache

World's Best — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 18:24:38 +0000

It is an all too common scenario: you spend your evening being the life of the party – drinking, dancing, and hanging out with all your friends. You feel on top of the world and are really having a good time. The next morning, you wake with your eyes bloodshot and your head pounding, and a desire to hide under your pillow until the end of the world. The dreaded hangover headache is upon you, causing you to feel sick, in pain, and to run to the bathroom every five minutes. Here is what you need to know for the next time you forget your promise of “never again!”
First, you might find it helpful to understand how and why your favorite alcoholic drinks are leaving you with such a massive headache the next morning. In many cases, the chemical ethanol is your primary culprit. Ethanol is what happens when you ferment the sugar and starch found in grains. You may also be familiar with its uses as a motor fuel as well as its drink applications – any wonder now that it makes you feel terrible?
There are several ways that ethanol can give you a major headache. First is from vasodilatation. Vasodilatation is where the blood vessels in your body start to expand. This can give you the flushed look as there is more blood towards the surface of your skin, as well as cause the pain in your head from veins being stretched to the max. At the same time, Ethanol is a diuretic; hence the frequent trips to the bathroom. This causes you to lose vitamins, minerals, and salt as well as become dehydrated. As your body starts to realize that it is becoming dehydrated, it kicks into survival mode, and goes to protect your most important parts – your internal organs and your brain (the same thing would happen if you got stranded in the desert). This in turn causes more stress on your already sensitive blood vessels in your head, increasing your pain and discomfort.
This is also just considering the ethanol in your drink. Since most people go for quantity, not quality, for their night on the town, you probably consumed a lot of chemicals known as congeners. These are impurities found in the alcohol as a by product of the fermentation process, and are part of what gives the different forms of alcohol their distinct tastes. These impurities are also a surefire way to a hangover headache. In general, the darker your drink, the more congeners it has, so stick to clear alcohols if you are trying to avoid the morning after pain.
So now that you understand how the hangover headache occurs, you may be wondering how to prevent it. Of course, the best way is to not drink at all, or to drink moderately. Unfortunately, for the party animals out there, this might be easier said than done.
If you must drink, drink plenty of liquids to avoid dehydration – both before and after going out as well as during the party. Water is an easy option, though sports drinks and juices contain electrolytes and vitamins that can give you a boost as well.

Home Remedies To Treat Your Hangover

World's Best — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 18:24:17 +0000

Unfortunately, there is no cure for a hangover – you simply have to give your body enough time to clear the alcohol from your system and treat the symptoms as they come up. Luckily, the majority of hangover symptoms will not last longer than 24 hours, so there is some real relief in sight. In the meantime, here are some home remedies that you can try to use to feel better.

Many of the symptoms of a hangover are caused by dehydration. Alcohol is a diuretic, so with all of those extra trips to the bathroom last night you were flushing out valuable fluids and nutrients that your body needed. So, be sure to drink plenty of water to help get hydrated again. Fruit or vegetable juice can also work, since they include a lot of the vitamins that you need as well as some sugars, or you can try a non-caffeinated sports drink for the electrolytes.

As long as you are not normally a heavy drinker or have a known case of liver disease, you can try taking some acetaminophen to help your headache and various aches and pains. Acetaminophen should not be taken with alcohol, so wait until the morning of your hangover to take it. If you have liver problems, talk to your doctor about what painkillers you can use. Avoid aspirin and ibuprofen, since these can further irritate your already irritated stomach lining and/or cause further liver damage.

For a drug free remedy for headache pain, try a cold pack. If you did not plan ahead and have an ice pack in the freezer, a bag of frozen veggies can work just as well.

If you have an upset stomach, you can try an over-the-counter antacid. Be sure to read labels and make sure that it is safe to drink after consuming alcohol. If you like tea, peppermint and chamomile tea can also be soothing to the stomach and help fight nausea.

Besides losing fluids and vitamins when you are dehydrated, you also lose salt and potassium. Trying some Bouillon soup or a sports drink can help put these back in balance in your body, as well as some needed fluids, while still being easy on your stomach.

Having some vitamin C may help speed up the rate that the alcohol in your body is broken down. Having a glass of orange juice or a fresh citrus fruit can be good for you, or try chewing on some Vitamin C tablets.

There are some things that you should avoid while you have a hangover. Avoid any caffeinated drinks. Caffeine is also a diuretic, like alcohol is, and will cause further dehydration. Plus, many coffees and sodas are rough on your stomach, and can irritate your stomach lining further. You should also avoid any hangover cures that involve the “hair of the dog”. This does not do anything more than put more alcohol in your system and ultimately will make the hangover worse. Stick to water or juice instead if you really want to feel better.