How to prevent, relief and cure Hangover

5 Ways to Hang Over cures

2007-05-22T01:10:00.000-07:00

Hangover cures are the sort of thing that would be a nice addition to a care package being sent to a collage student. Or it might be a good gift to give to your graduating senior on graduation morning. I know a lot of graduating senors that will need a hang over cure the next morning. Come to think of it there have been a few new years days when I could have used this.

The hangover Cure works in many ways:

purges the body of toxins that alcohol introduces;
rehydrates the body, rebalancing electrolytes;
restores vitamins, minerals and nutrients, such as sodium, potassium and calcium depleted by alcohol consumption;
supports the natural metabolism of alcohol;
helps to alkalize the blood, which may have been affected by the acidity of alcohol; and
addresses the root causes of a hangover rather than masking its effects with aspirin or calcium carbonate.

Nicknamed "the after drinking drink," The Cure is a convenient, powdered mix enclosed in an airtight package and dissolvable in 20 ounces of water. For best results, it should be taken an hour after the last alcoholic beverage is consumed. Its effectiveness rests on the unique and proprietary blend of ingredients working in sync with water to alleviate the symptoms of a hangover and to rehydrate the body

Not to your health: new mechanism proposed for alcohol-related tumors

2007-05-14T08:08:00.000-07:00

A glass of wine may be good for the heart-but may promote some cancers. Scientists have now figured out what's behind that sobering observation. New findings suggest that alcohol encourages blood vessels to infiltrate and nourish nascent tumors.

Researchers have long known that drinking alcohol is a risk factor for stomach, liver, and breast cancers, among others. Previous studies prompted a host of theories--for example, that heavy drinking displaces other nutrients in the diet or that acetaldehyde, a metabolite of alcohol, acts as a carcinogen--but they haven't clarified the alcohol-cancer connection.

Seeking an explanation, Jian-Wei Gu and his colleagues at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson inoculated chick embryos with human fibrosarcoma cells, derived from a type of bone cancer. Since chick embryos support human-cell growth and can be monitored through a window cut into their shells, they are frequently used for studying cancers that grow in people.

Gu's group dosed some of the embryos for 9 days with an amount of alcohol corresponding to about two glasses of wine a day in people. Other embryos received a saline solution instead. They were all then observed for 17 days.

In the embryos given saline, only a few new blood vessels infiltrated the tumors, which grew only slightly. However, tumors in the alcohol-treated embryos developed an extensive network of blood vessels, a process called angiogenesis, and doubled in size.

Further examination showed that cancer cells in the alcohol-dosed embryos, unlike their saline-only counterparts, secreted a protein called vascular endothelial growth factor. This protein, Gu's team notes in the Jan. 15 Cancer, probably signaled blood vessels to grow into the embryos' tumors.

Gu says that a similar mechanism might encourage the growth of tumors that spontaneously arise in people. The immune system regularly kills off small tumors before they acquire blood vessels. "Without blood vessels, cancer can't grow very fast" he says. "If something [such as alcohol] promotes tumor angiogenesis, it's a very important mechanism for cancer growth."

Judah Folkman, a cancer researcher at Harvard Medical School in Boston, says that Gu's hypothesis "sounds logical" but must be tested in people. If it proves correct, the finding may put a damper on current recommendations to have a daily drink to promote heart health (SN: 3/8/03, p. 155). "The question is, At what level would it be counterproductive for people who are at risk for cancer?" says Folkman.

For now, Gu proposes a prudent approach to drinking: "If you're healthy and of legal age, drinking a little bit is fine. But we believe if a person has a high risk of cancer, they shouldn't drink."

10 Fast Facts about Alcohol

2007-05-03T04:16:00.000-07:00

Researchers at the University of Utah have noted an association between a genetic defect linked to colon cancer, called microsatellite instability, and long-time alcohol use. Persons in the study who drank an average of 7.5 ounces of wine, 35 ounces of beer, or 3.75 ounces of hard liquor per week over 20 years were 60 percent more likely to develop a tumor in the colon with the microsatellite instability defect than those without the defect.

The findings suggest that alcohol may damage deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and that lifestyle factors can cause genetic changes.

(Source: International Journal of Cancer )

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University propose that the fatty livers in some obese people may be caused by alcohol generated within the intestine.

The study suggests that microorganisms that normally live in the intestine produce ethyl alcohol, which flows to the liver. Obesity is thought to slow intestinal motility and to enable bacterial growth, which increases production of alcohol and other noxious factors.

(Source: Gastroenterology)

People experience coordination impairment and reduced alertness with blood alcohol levels of 0.05. A 120-pound woman reaches 0.04 after drinking one 12-ounce beer. A 160-pound man reaches 0.05 after two beers.

(Source: University of Texas-Southwestern Medical Center)

Taking an aspirin or other pain medication to prevent a hangover may actually make symptoms worse. Some evidence claims that aspirin interferes with the enzyme that breaks down alcohol, which may boost blood alcohol content and intensify alcohol's effects.

(Source: University of California-Berkeley Wellness Letter)

People older than age 65 who drank more than 15 drinks a week have a greater risk for brain shrinkage. A British survey states that men under the age of 35 and women younger than 55 who are light drinkers have a higher risk of death than those who do not drink. Alcohol-related deaths are thought to be the reason.

(Source: Journal of the American Heart Association)

People taking diuretics and some antibiotics, as well as individuals who drink heavily, are at an increased risk of magnesium deficiencies.

(Source: University of California-Berkeley.)

Acne rosacea is a common skin disorder that affects 13 million Americans. Patients experience flushing, broken blood vessels, or pustules on the cheeks, nose, and chin.

There is no cure for rosacea, but a dermatologist can provide topical or oral antibiotics to minimize symptoms. Alcohol, spicy foods, sun exposure, and rigorous exercise are thought to trigger outbreaks.

(Source: University of Texas-Southwestern Medical Center)

A painful sore inside the mouth may be an early sign of mouth cancer. People who drink excessive amounts of alcohol or use any form of tobacco have a dramatically increased risk of oral cancer.

(Source: Mayo Clinic Health Letter)

It has been found that an insufficient supply of essential brain fats is likely to cause irreversible suboptimal brain development. Alcohol use is known to deplete the brain-essential fats, which can lead to serious problems, such as mood swings. Breast-fed babies have more essential brain fats in their bodies than bottle-fed babies and are more likely to perform better in reading, sentence completion, visual interpretation, nonverbal skills, and math tests.

(Sources: Holman, R.T., et al. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 1991; 88:4835-4839; Salem, N. In Spiller, J., ed. New Protective Roles for Selected Nutrients. New York: Alan R. Liss; 1989; and Gibson, R.A., et al. Lipids 1993;31[Suppl.]:177-181.)

According to a recent study at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, more than 75 percent of all esophageal and stomach cancers might be able to be prevented with healthful lifestyle changes such as losing weight, discontinuing smoking, adding fruits and vegetables to the diet, and reducing alcohol consumption.

Ondanestron, an anti-nausea drug given to people during chemotherapy treatments, has proved effective as a treatment for those with early-onset alcoholism and a history of antisocial behavior.

(Source: Harvard Mental Health Letter)

French winemakers used cow's blood as a clarifier before the process was banned in the late 1990's during the mad cow disease scare. There has been much debate over banning such wines.

Top 10 Hangover Cures

2007-04-26T01:20:00.001-07:00

The morning after the night before. You wake up on the floor of your room in the same clothes you wore last night and you can still taste the remnants of the takeaway you devoured on the way home. Upon opening your eyes you utter the immortal and too often spoken words “I'm never drinking again!”. The promise is made every saturday and sunday morning by anyone who has overindulged themselves the night before and you can gaurantee that as soon as the following weekend comes around these same people will be out drinking themselves into the same state.

Of course I am referring to every drinkers nightmare – The Hangover. It simply drains the energy from you and turns you into a walking zombie.
If like me you suffer with terrible hangovers then never fear because help is at hand. I have prepared a top 10 list of hangover cures and remedies to get you back to your old self as soon as possible with minimal hassle.

Cure Number 1 – The Hair of the Dog.

OK so this is probably not the best way to cure the hangover. The last thing anyone wants to do after a severely heavy night on the town is to go back down the pub. This technique is simply a way of postponing the horror of the hangover by topping up the levels of alcohol already floating about in your bloodstream. This method is commonly used among students and younger drinkers who love to live the party lifestyle but beware it only postpones the inevitable.

Cure Number 2 – Re-hydration

This is a common mistake made among most people. Making sure to take on as much water as possible is one of the best ways to avoid a hangover. Around about 200ml of water per 30ml of alcohol is a good rule of thumb. Usually most people are either too tired or too drunk after their night of drinking and simply collapse when they get home. So make sure you drink lots of water before you go to bed. It may mean several trips to the toilet in the night but believe me its worth it.
Sports drinks are also a good idea. The taste might not always be any good but try and consume as much Lucozade, Powerade and any other “ade” you can find.

Cure Number 3 - Food

If you've got a steaming hangover get over to your local café and order a huge big fry-up.

Protein is a good source of amino acids and a good hearty breakfast has loads, so you'll soon be on the road to recovery.

Actually food is a good idea all round - before, during and immediately after drinking. Food doesn't absorb alcohol, but it does increase metabolism, activates alcohol absorption, and increases the speed with which the body processes alcohol.
You may not be able to keep any food down but as much as it might not feel like it it is helping.

Cure Number 4 – Lots of Rest

Going back to bed is an effective way to help your body regenerate and recover. The reason I say “go back” to bed is because simply staying in bed all day is not a good idea (unless you have found some poor mug to cater for your ever need). Make sure you get up, have something to eat and drink, maybe even have a shower to freshen yourself up. Only then should you consider going back to bed. Wouldn't you much rather be asleep for the pounding headache and the upset stomach?

Cure Number 5 – Don't drink so much in the first place!

I no it seems obvious but its true. Try and think about moderating the amount you drink during the night. Don't be conned by your mates or crack under peer pressure to have that “one more” shot or that “swift pint” before you go home. Make sure you no when you've had enough.

Cure Number 6 – Fresh Air and maybe some exercise.

The second last thing you probably want to do is to crawl out from under your duvet and brave the sunlight. The last thing however would be to do any exercise. However this is good for you as it speeds up your metabolic rate and processes the alcohol quicker. It doesn't have to be anything too strenuous just a simple walk around the block would be fine.

Cure Number 7 – Headache Pills

Some people swear by the notion that taking headache tablets before you go to bed is a great way to prevent a hangover or at least reduce the pain. Wrong! A better idea is to take a couple of headache tablets, preferably ibuprofen based ones, in the morning followed by a big glass of water then head straight back to bed. At least his way your head won't feel as thought there is a Frenchman living in it.

Cure Number 8 – Don't mix your drinks.

A good way to make sure that the hangover from hell doesn't come and invade your skull is to stick to one type of drink. Drinking spirits, lagers, shots and anything else you may get your hands on is not a great idea. Its not big and its not clever.

Cure Number 9 – Banana's

Bananas have sugar in the form of fructose, they also have potassium, which is one of the things you lose a lot of when you've been out getting hammered. Bananas are also a natural antacid which helps with the nausea, and are high in magnesium which can help relax those pounding blood vessels causing that hangover headache.

Cure Number 10 - Tomato's

Tomatoes are full of antioxidants and vitamins and they're healthy so get munching. If you don't like eating tomatoes, drink them in a Bloody Mary. You'll feel better in about 15 minutes.

Bloody Mary

1.5 oz vodka
Dash of lemon (or lime) juice
Worcestershire sauce
2 or 3 drops Tabasco sauce
Pepper, salt and celery salt
5 oz tomato juice
Serve in a tall glass over ice

If the idea of more alcohol turns your stomach why not try making a Virgin Mary, it's exactly the same recipe except without the Vodka.

Special Tip Number 11 – The Sauna.

This is a potentially dangerous method of recovery and will involve you having to set some sort of world record for the most glasses of water drunk consecutively. If you and a few friends take a trip down to the local sauna then stay in there for around 10mins (No Longer!) then you will sweat out all the toxins in your body. However you will have to drink as much water as you possibly can because you will obviously be dehydrated to begin with. Beware because there are some nasty side effects of you spending time in this sweaty environment. The place will smell of pure alcohol and sweat and it will not be pleasant.

This is about all the advice I can offer you except for good luck and happy drinking.
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Help for That Holiday Hangover Does Not Include Hair of the Dog

2007-04-24T00:35:00.000-07:00

Q. During the holidays, I occasionally overdo hot toddies, not to mention champagne on New Year's Eve. What can I do for a morning-after headache?

A. Everyone seems to have a hangover remedy they swear by, such as a cup of coffee, a Virgin Mary or milk. Whether they work, however, is debatable. The surest remedy, of course, is not to overindulge. But if the holiday spirit should prevail, here's what can happen and what to do about it.

Clues to the Cause, But Not the Cure. Scientists have a pretty good idea what causes hangovers. Alcohol dilates blood vessels in the brain (contributing to headaches), acts as a diuretic (causing cotton mouth from dehydration), wreaks havoc with blood sugar (triggering dizziness and fatigue) and is irritating to the intestinal tract (causing stomach upset). Alcohol byproducts, called congeners, also contribute.

Less is known about combating hangovers. The caffeine in coffee may lessen a headache by constricting blood vessels, but it can also cause stomach upset and dehydration. The old adage to drink more "hair of the dog that bit you" (i.e. more alcohol) is the worst advice, says Seymour Diamond, M.D., chairman of the National Headache Foundation. What might help, he says, is honey, a good source of fructose, a sugar that speeds alcohol metabolism.

A recent review concludes that replacing lost fluids is what helps hangovers most. And of the few nutrients scientifically tested, vitamin B6 reduced hangover symptoms by half in one study of 17 people who took 400 milligrams before, during and after drinking.

What about advertised remedies like Hangover Helper? Don't count on them. Most such products combine herbs, vitamins, minerals and other substances to purportedly replace lost nutrients and counter the toxic effects of alcohol. Alcohol does cause nutrient deficiencies in chronic drinkers, but not in the occasional overimbiber.

EN's Bottom Line. The only sure way to prevent a holiday hangover is to abstain. If you do indulge, keep it moderate. Dilute liquor (even wine) with mixers like seltzer, water or juice. Eat something before and during drinking to slow alcohol absorption. Drink extra fluids before going to bed and the next day. Be especially cautious about taking over-the-counter pain relievers after ingesting alcohol: Aspirin and ibuprofen can trigger stomach bleeding; acetaminophen can cause liver damage.

Valerian: Improved Sleep without the Hangover

2007-04-23T06:23:00.000-07:00

Two recently published studies add to the growing body of evidence that valerian improves sleep quality without impairing morning performance. The earlier of the two studies examined the influence of valerian treatment on reaction time, alertness and concentration in healthy people. The randomized, controlled, double-blind trial engaged 102 male and female volunteers. The effect was first examined the morning after a single evening dose of valerian root extract (600 mg), flunitrazepam (1 mg) or placebo, and then after two weeks of evening administration of valerian and placebo. The primary criterion was reaction time (RT) measured with the Vienna Determination Test. Secondary criteria included an alertness test, a tracking test (two-handed co-ordination), sleep quality and safety criteria. The single administration of valerian did not impair the reaction abilities, concentration and co-ordination compared to placebo. This was not the case for the flunitrazepam (a benzodiazepine drug) which ca used a deterioration relative to placebo.

Results after 14 days confirmed that there was no difference between valerian and placebo in terms of effect on reaction time and other psychometric test results. There was a trend towards improved sleep quality for valerian over placebo which did not achieve statistical significance. In terms of adverse effects, valerian and placebo were not significantly different.

The second study, published earlier this year was a carefully designed study to assess the short-term (single dose) and long-term (14 days with multiple dosage) effects of a valerian extract on both objective and subjective sleep parameters. The investigation was performed as a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study. Sixteen patients (4 male, 12 female) with previously established insomnia were included in the study. The main inclusion criteria were reported primary insomnia, which was confirmed by polysomnographic recording, and the absence of acute diseases. During the study, patients underwent 8 polysomnographic recordings: 2 recordings (baseline and study night) at each time point when the short- and long-term effects of placebo and valerian were tested. The target variable of the study was sleep efficiency. Other parameters describing objective and subjective parameters such as sleep quality, morning feeling, daytime performance, sleep latency (time to fall asleep) and sleep period time, were assessed. After a single dose of valerian, no effects on sleep structure and subjective sleep assessment were observed. After multiple-dose treatment, sleep efficiency showed a significant increase for both placebo and valerian in comparison with baseline polysomnography. However, there were significant differences between valerian and placebo for parameters describing slow-wave sleep (SWS). In comparison with the placebo, slow-wave sleep latency was reduced after administration of valerian (21.3 vs. 13.5 mm respectively, p[less than]0.05). The SWS percentage of time in bed was increased after long-term valerian treatment in comparison to baseline (9.8 vs. 8.1% respectively, p[less than]0.05). A remarkable finding of the study was the extremely low number of adverse events during the valerian treatment periods (3 vs. 18 in the placebo period). The authors concluded that treatment with a valerian extract demonstrated positive effects on the sleep structure and sleep perception of insomnia pat ients and can therefore be recommended for the treatment of patients with mild psychophysiological insomnia.

Commentary

The sleep quality study revealed two interesting findings which should not surprise natural therapists familiar with the use of valerian. The first is that valerian begins to significantly improve sleep quality only after continuous short-term use. A single dose before bed is unlikely to improve sleep quality (other than a placebo effect); valerian's effect on sleep is a cumulative effect which takes repeated doses over several days. Part of this cumulative effect could be a reduction in stress and anxiety during the day which flows on to improved sleep. The second finding was the remarkable safety of valerian, with much fewer adverse events than placebo. This might have resulted from its anxiolytic influence.

Despite this high safety profile of valerian, it is much maligned in the scientific literature. It is almost as if researchers find it difficult to comprehend that a proven anxiolytic and sleep-promoting agent is free of damaging effects on the nervous system. A case in point is a letter published in the International Journal of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics. The letter, entitled An assessment of the delayed effects associated with valerian overdose purports to describe 24 cases of overdose of valerian, with symptoms of central nervous system depression and anticholinergic poisoning. One patient required ventilatory support and developed aspiration pneumonia. These are serious findings that will doubtlessly be recirculated in the scientific literature as one example of the "dangers" of taking herbs safely used every day by thousands, if not millions, of people. But a close reading of the letter shows that the culprit was not valerian at all. As well as containing valerian, the product contained the drugs hyoscine hydrobromide and cyproheptadine hydrochloride, which would readily explain the symptoms observed on overdose. Another letter published in the Journal of the American Medical Association attributes surprising benzodiazepine-like withdrawal symptoms in one patient to his use of valerian. This contrasts strongly with the findings of controlled clinical trials, such as the two described above.

Need Help To Get Rid Of An Hangover? Here's How

2007-04-03T02:00:00.000-07:00

A hangover can be one of the most terrible feelings you ever experience. If you’re badly hungover you don’t want to move, you don’t want to eat, you don’t want to drink, and you really don’t want to go to work. It’s painful, and you want it to stop as soon as possible. “Make it go away,” you mutter, growing even more conscious of the throbbing sound in your head, “just make it stop.”

As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. The best way to deal with a hangover is often not to get one in the first place, which really isn’t too difficult. Of course, you could avoid getting a hangover by not drinking alcohol at all, but many people don’t really see the fun in that. It is not realistic, you might say. If you do plan on consuming alcohol, then take some preventative measures. In other words, prepare for the battle you know you’ll have to face. First of all, don’t go drinking on an empty stomach. If you have food in your stomach it’ll help you absorb the alcohol more slowly, which is generally a good thing if you don’t want to feel terrible the next morning. Also, make sure you’re hydrated, since the majority of the symptoms of a hangover come from merely being dehydrated.

Once you’re out on the town, be cautious with your alcohol choice. Drinks with high sugar content or sulfites (like wine) will probably make you much worse the next morning. Also, it helps if you stick to one drink the entire night; your stomach won’t be as upset as when you gulp down ten different kinds of drinks from Long Island Tea to Sucking Cowboy. Moreover, you’ll probably end up drinking less. Drink water while you are out too in order to try and stave off dehydration.

When you make it back home, drink a big glass of water or two; this is one of the most important prevention steps. Stay away from Tylenol since it’s hard on your stomach and liver if you take it with alcohol, but a multivitamin will probably do you some good.

When you wake up in the morning, hopefully you’ve avoided the worst of a hangover. If you’re still hurting, don’t reach for the coffee nor the Tylenol. To relieve your headache, take a couple of aspirin instead and drink more water, and if you’re still feeling nauseous don’t go to work. Lie if you have to, say you have the stomach flu, since your body is filled with toxins and will take some time to recover. When you can finally eat, something full of vitamins will work wonders, and some people have a lot of luck with fattier foods like hamburgers to help replace nutrients and settle the stomach.

John Wellington provides readers with up-to-date commentaries, articles, and reviews for health, skin care, and other related information.

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Hangover tips: 7 Tips for Managing a Vacation Hangover

2007-03-13T00:01:00.000-07:00

I have been talking to a number of business professionals who are all suffering from what I refer to as "vacation hangover." What's that you say? Let me illustrate for you.

You scrambled to get everything done before taking a much needed and deserved vacation. Like most people, you centered vacation around a key holiday like the 4th of July. You escaped to a location where there was no possibility of hooking into any of your electronic gadgets - cell phone, PDA, laptop - perhaps even a regular land-line telephone. Seriously. In fact, you enjoyed a relaxing vacation filled with long walks, boating, reading and of course, some great eating. You arrive back home completely unplugged and relaxed and ... WHAM! You are inundated with a backlog of voicemails, emails, and paper mail, both at home and in the office.

The usual, right? Wrong. This time something is different. What's the deal? You are feeling lethargic and unenergetic. In fact, you wonder to yourself, "Wow! How did I lose my edge in such a short period of time away?" You feel as if you can't complete one task let alone all of the tasks that are dropping on you like spent fireworks from a Disney World celebration.

The result: your stress is up, a headache ensues, and you know in your gut, no amount of Tylenol is going to take the edge off. Congratulations! You are now experiencing a vacation hangover. But don't fret. This is a sure sign that your vacation accomplished what it was supposed to

What to do? Simply follow these success tips.

1. Set-up voicemail message stating you are out of the office. Provide callers with an alternate contact person, and choose the option that does not accept voicemails during that period. This will help prevent a back-log of phone calls that need to be returned when you get back from vacation.

2. Set-up an email response stating when you are out, when you will be back, and when you will be responding to email. This will set expectations for work colleagues and customers that are emailing you and help prevent the need for them to email you repeatedly on the same topic or other topics when you are unable to respond.

3. Schedule a day post-vacation for catch-up and include that as part of your "vacation time out of the office." This allows you a day to ramp up and get caught up before people think you are actually back in your office.

4. Create a task list, prioritize tasks and complete the most critical items first. Remember that it took a week or more for everything to pile up and realistically, you won't be able to tackle everything on your first day back.

5. Schedule breaks into your day so that you can take a brief walk, enjoy a beverage or simply breathe. This will help to extend your vacation and provide short opportunities for you to regroup throughout the day. A good practice anytime!

These tips should help you re-immerse yourself into the work environment. If these don't help, do what I do. Plan your next vacation. After all, it helps to have something to look forward to!

Regina Barr is a management consultant and speaker. Her consulting firm, Red Ladder, Inc., specializes in helping organizations and their leaders develop their full potential through strategic project management, executive coaching and training. Regina also helps companies develop strategies to attract, develop and retain women leaders. For more information visit http://www.RedLadder.com or http://www.RedLadder.blogs.com .

Hangovers: Beer for remedies

2007-03-06T00:08:00.000-08:00

Hangover and beer.
It probably happened to you too, after a long night out with one little drink too many, to feel the world spinning around you in the morning, to feel your head heavy and your stomach crunched. You fill a hangover. That was the moment you cursed your life and promised yourself you'll stop drinking.

So you know that drinking alcohol causes hangovers, but what exactly in it not even the physicians can tell you. They even have problems whether to recommend drinking alcohol or not. Some simply forbid it, while others, knowing the proven benefits of many alcoholic drinks, recommend to their patients a moderate consumption of alcohol. Yes: moderation is the key and the second answer to the question "how to avoid hangovers", the first being: don't drink.

Wine, whisky and bourbon can cause a harder hangover than beer and vodka. Some chemical substances in dark grapes found in red wines or the yeast in unfiltered beer can cause severe headaches in many people.

Although no one really knows what in alcohol causes hangovers, a proven reason for the headaches associated with hangovers is dehydration. Alcohol, being a diuretic, makes you urinate. And if you are a beer drinker I don't need to tell you what drink has the strongest diuretic effect. So, when you feel that terrible headache early in the morning, don't go on drinking coffee. Coffee is a diuretic as well and it will only continue the dehydration process. Drink water. That's what you really need. Or start the day with a strong chamomile tea that will act like a balsam for your stomach and open your appetite for food. Because, although you feel like your stomach can't face food, you must eat. Your body needs carbohydrates, potassium and vitamin C after a hangover. Eat plenty of bread or bananas.

Second, you need to do something about the alcohol left in your body. A hangover makes you feel the need to stay in bed. But the secret to a fast recovery is movement. Sweating is the fastest way to get rid of the surplus alcohol. Exercise and sex are as effective as a bio sauna, even more, because not many people can stand the heat and a hangover.

Now you know what you can do after you get a hangover. But can you prevent it? Yes you can! So let's start with the most important advice: don't drink on an empty stomach. Food will help your body digest alcohol faster. As alcohol attacks your stomach, you might consider eating some fatty food like cheese, or having a sip of olive oil that will work like a balsam or a thin film protecting your stomach membrane.

Beer is fast digested, so if you plan to mix beverages, drink beer first. Beer will help your body absorb the other drinks faster. No matter what alcoholic beverage you drink, remember alcohol is a diuretic and always drink a glass of water between each glass of alcohol.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Beer

Who Needs a Hangover Cure?

2007-02-27T03:30:00.000-08:00

Most of us have woken up the morning after the night before with an absolutely stinking rotten hangover right? How many of you have vowed never to drink again, or to lay off a certain drink once and for all? I bet just about everybody has as some time or another. But it's not the brand of booze of the evils of alcohol that got us into this state, it's us. We simply drank too much, period. Maybe we drank on an empty stomach of drank too quickly, but at the end of the day, no one pinned us down and poured the hard stuff down our gullets. Ok, armed with the obvious knowledge of self inflicted injury, just what can we do about this awful feeling? What is the best hangover cure around?

Well, there are a few things you can do to cure a hangover, depending on the severity of it and the condition of your stomach. But firstly let's just understand why we get a hangover in the first place. It's all down to dehydration. It doesn't matter how much you drink, alcohol will dehydrate the body and this dehydration can lead to a splitting headache the next day. Therefore, it's important to rehydrate your body before you hit the sack. Ok, so the thought of drinking huge quantities of water after sinking 10 pints of beer into your gut, is not what you might call the perfect end to a great night out, but believe me, it can save you an awful lot of suffering the following day when you finally awake from your pit.

If you failed to drink some water before you passed out on the bed, then get that tap running the moment you wake up. Drink as much as you can over the next couple of hours if your stomach will permit it. Another little known secret cure for a hangover is vitamin C. What vitamin C does is work against the effects of a chemical found in alcohol called acetylaldehyde. This little monster is what messes with you brain and the sooner you can get that out of your system the better. It's the likely cause for disorientation, loss of short term memory, general fatigues and that nasty nausea, which coupled with a splitting headache, is just the worst kind or hangover going. So, along with water as a nightcap you might want to pop 500 mg or so of vitamin C too.

You now understand that both water and vitamin C can be used as a prevention or a cure. I know which way round I like to use it! But if it's too late for prevention, then you need a hangover cure and another well known remedy is to put Ginger root through a juicer. You can buy it fresh as most supermarkets these days. Simply add your ginger juice to a glass of fresh orange juice (vitamin C again), and you'll soon be on the mend.

Some other known cures for a hangover are a vegetable juice cocktail, and particularly something with tomatoes in it, and some folks say that adding a bit of horseradish helps speed up the recovery process too.

Finally, a good couple of pain killers can work wonders for many folks. Over the shelf options such as Ibuprofen, paracetamol, and aspirin are among the favorites.

If you want to avoid hangovers all together, simply don't drink or drink in moderation. Although this is simple advice it's not always easy to implement, especially if you're in the company or hardened drinkers who just keep topping up your glass. But learning to say 'thanks but no thanks' could save you years or unnecessary suffering, and that's coming from someone who's had a history of the hangovers from hell!

Andy Maingam writes for Oriental Cures dot com where he has articles on The Acupuncture School and All Natural Cures. He also has other cure & healing related pieces on the site.

How To Prevent A Hangover with Vitamins

2007-02-26T10:14:00.000-08:00

Cat: Prevent Hangover

This is a post that might help you out on Holiday Eve and especially the day after.

Hangovers are caused by a combination of two things: dehydration and a chemical called acetaldehyde. Acetaldehyde is a byproduct of alcohol metabolism and is what causes nausea, headaches and fatigue the day after you drink too much.

This Vitamin Cocktail should pretty much kill any hangover you might get after drinking too much on Holiday :

The amino acid L-Methionine (1-3 grams)
Vitamin C (1-3 grams)
NAC- N-acetylcystine
B-Complex

Swallow down this Vitamin Cocktail with about 16 ounces of water and i guarantee you wont be suffering from any nausea, headaches, or fatigue. Take these vitamins before you go out or before you go to bed and you should be pretty much pain free. Ive used this remedy many times and it definately works. Give it a try and let me know.

Hangover Cure Tips

2007-02-26T00:09:00.000-08:00

By Carl Walker

When you are looking for how to cure a hangover, first stop is to drink plenty of water. Alcohol dehydrates you, so your hangover will be lessened (if not cured completely) by drinking water. If you're drinking mixed drinks, such as vodka and tonic, you may even be able to alternate between an alcoholic drink and just a sparkling water. This technique works well if you're disciplined enough to use it. But if you lapse, then drink plenty of water before you go to sleep and again lots of water when you wake up the following day.

Next step in your quest for how to get rid of your hangover is to take a vitamin B complex tablet before you go out for a night on the tiles. Vitamin B is really helpful in fighting your hangover - you'll really appreciate taking the tablet when you wake up the following morning.

Your cure for a hangover can be helped by using a pre-recorded hypnosis session. You can download these almost instantly (see the box at the end of this article for one suggestion) and a hypnosis MP3 will help with your curing your hangover by relaxing your body and helping it to recover from the previous night's excesses.

Another hangover cure, albeit quite drastic, is hair of the dog. One popular way to cure a hangover is to drink it away with more of whatever got you drunk the night before. Although popular, this method isn't recommended as all it really does is postpone the awful time when you have to face your hangover head on.

Drink fruit juice. Like the drinking water method of curing a hangover, drinking plenty of fruit juice can be a good method to adopt in your journey for how to cure a hangover. You'll replenish some of the liquid that you've lost when you created your hangover in the first place. You'll also benefit from the vitamins contained in the fruit juice. If you can get hold of it, try pink grapefruit juice as this helps your body in lots of other ways as well.

Get some fresh air. This is a useful cure for hangover. If it's safe to walk home - and you have other people to walk with you - then fresh air can help with the sobering up process. You'll also get some exercise as well, which should help with your do-it-yourself hangover cure.

Although they are often used in getting rid of a hangover, you should avoid aggressive pain killers like aspirin and ibuprofen (read the label to find out what's really in your favorite hangover cure tablet) and stick with something like paracetemol instead. Ideally, stay off the pain killers completely. Ultimately they'll just give your body even more work to do as well as the job it's doing fighting your hangover.

Looking for a hypnosis cure for your hangover? Then visit About Hypnosis where you can find a hypnosis cure for your hangover, ready to play on your iPod or MP3 player.

How To Prevent a Wine Hangover

2007-02-25T23:27:00.000-08:00

We've all been there. Those times in our lives when we swear that alcohol will never again touch our lips. These instances usually happen in the early mornings, with the cracks from the bathroom linoleum digging into our knees and our contact lenses glued to our eyeballs as if holding on for dear life, afraid that the heaves of our stomach will cause them to fall out.

With alcohol freely flowing - booze oozing out of bottles, people professing their love for each other, glasses of wine practically filling themselves up - it's easy to forget the hangover that awaits in the coming hours. Lurking in the bathroom, hiding beneath the sink or behind a closed shower curtain, this hangover is sure to pop into ours lives anytime we play the role of the unsuspecting partier, leaving us to swear off drinking for life or longer.

Though everything has a price, and a hangover may very well be the price we pay for a wild night out, drinking wine does not always have to cost you in the form of a hangover. Taking some precautions can mean the difference between feeling fine and shooting a beady eyed glare in the direction of every bottle in your wine cellar.

Drink Water

Alcohol dehydrates you, which is why the next day is met with a headache and the ability to drink three bottles of soda, five liters of water, and a pot of coffee without ever having to pee. The best way to thwart this is to drink a glass of water for every glass of wine you drink. While wine does contain water, the alcohol in the wine trumps the water's affect, disallowing you to utilize duality and count a glass of wine as both water and alcohol. Drinking a glass of water for every glass of wine will keep you hydrated, decreasing the chances of a rough morning.

Eat Before

Drinking on an empty stomach may seem like a good idea. As the sensation of wine glides down your esophagus, setting up residence by itself in your stomach and making you feel giddier than it would setting up residence next to a five course meal, drinking on empty can cause you to run out of gas in hangover Hell. Eating about an hour before going out drinking, however, helps to absorb the alcohol, keeping you from getting too drunk, too quickly. While you don't need to eat everything in sight, eating a meal containing bread or pasta is a good way to arm yourself with a hangover deterrent.

Don't Mix with Prescription Drugs

Several prescription drugs contain a label that says, "This medicine will increase the affects of alcohol." While some people may look at this and see it as a way to save money at the bars, taking a few pills and generating a virtual two for one deal is probably not the best way to save a buck. Prescription pills and alcohol can be a dangerous combination and when your body is met with a dangerous combination, it fights back, doing all it can to kick any dangerous substances out of your system. This can only lead to a wilder than intended night, and a morning full of mourning.

Know When to Say When

Though a saying usually equated with drinking and driving, knowing when to say when is also applicable to drinking in general. Even if you drink plenty of water, eat on a full stomach, and lay off prescription drugs, drinking huge amounts of wine can still cause you to get sick. When wine is flowing smoothly, it's easy to keep drinking without realizing the amount of alcohol you are actually consuming. Because the human brain has a late reaction to alcohol, you may be getting extremely drunk without immediately feeling inebriated. It's best to drink slowly, pacing yourself to avoid that one moment where you rise from your chair and realize, three drinks too late, that you've consumed far too much. Drink in moderation and remind those around you that friends don't let friends get hangovers.

Obviously, the full proof way of avoiding a hangover is to not drink at all. But, there's no fun in that; the fact that the Great Depression was preceded by a decade without alcohol is no coincidence. We all want the ability to eat, drink, and be merry. And we all want a glass of wine to savor. By simply being proactive in your drinking, you should be able to avoid regret the morning after. And you should be able to avoid the realization of why, when it comes down to it, a hangover is really just two four letter words.

Jennifer Jordan is the senior editor at http://www.savoreachglass.com. With a vast knowledge of wine etiquette, she writes articles on everything from how to hold a glass of wine to how to hold your hair back after too many glasses. Ultimately, she writes her articles with the intention that readers will remember wine is fun and each glass of anything fun should always be savored.

How to Cure Your Hangover Fast

2007-02-22T09:32:00.000-08:00

Drank too much last night? Head aches, mouth dry, you are nauseous? That’s a hangover for sure. But why does that happen? Let’s see scientifically why hangovers occcur and how to cure them.

The hangover is caused by a combination of the toxic by-product of alcohol metabolism (acetaldehyde), dehydration, and Vitamin A, B (particularly B6) and C depletion brought about by the chemical action of alcohol on your system.

Some drinks give you worse hangovers than others due to the actions of impurities it contains. These impurities are called congeners. It's the ethyl alcohol (ethanol) that gets you drunk, but the amyl, butyl, methyl, propyl, and isopropyl alcohols that are also found in most drinks (more or less), and the concentration of these congeners determine how bad your hangover will be.

The white (clear) spirits have less congeners than the colored ones (vodka, gin, tequila as opposed to whisky and cognac) as they are filtered. Another special “impurity” which really gives you a sick feeling after drinking is acetaldehyde, a by-product of the natural oxidation of ethanol. This is usually contributing to the super headache one feels. What can be done about it?

There are lots of cures from folklore and each country and culture seems to have their own. Below you can read the result of exhaustive research, and popularity of cures among the published articles found worldwide.

Special Rule: If you forget to at night, take two oils containing Isobruphen. There are several names for this medicine, but do NOT take aspirin or other similar medicines. Only Isobuphen appears to work, and other painkillers with acetaminophen can damage your liver.

General Rule: Often called “hair of the dog that bite you”. a Bloody Mary cocktail seems to bring you back to normal. In conjunction with Isobuphen, a Bloody Mary can work quite dramatically. Here is my recipe, taken from a famous Japanese restaurant in New York;

• One shotglass of vodka (use the best you can find)

• Dash of lemon juice

• Worcestershire sauce

• 2 or 3 drops Tabasco sauce or more if you can handle it

• Pepper, salt and celery salt

• 5 oz tomato juice

Over ice in a tall glass add spices, then vodka. Fill with tomato juice and stir. Garnish with celery stick and lime wedge.

Special Rules:

1. Take a hot shower

2. Do deep breathing exercises in front of an open window

3. Walk in place till your heartbeat is about 115 beats per minute then stop

4. As you feel better, drink lots of pure clean water

5. Eat bananas. Bananas contain high volumes of fructose, and and potassium, which is one of the things you lose lots of when you drink. Bananas are also a natural antacid to help with the nausea, and are high in magnesium which can help relax those pounding blood vessels causing that hangover headache.

Obviously one would not like to drink too much and suffer the consequences of a hangover the next day, but following the rules above will alleviate most or all of the symptoms.

For more free diet and nutrition advice including feathres articles and magazines go to:

http://www.net-planet.oeg.health.html

How To Prevent and Cure hangovers Easy and Quickly

2007-02-21T00:22:00.000-08:00

It’s that time of year again we have hangovers and want to cure them. Of course, you should not drink to excess in the first place but if you do, here are some proven methods that will work to cure your hangover fast.

Had too many drinks? Mixed them, soft (wine) and hard (whisky) at the same meal. Your head is splitting; you have nausea, a dry mouth, are dizzy, and can’t get out of bed? That’s a division 1 hangover. How do you cure it? Read on.

What is a hangover?

The hangover above is caused by the combination toxic by-products after the metabolism of alcohol (in this case, the toxin is acetaldehyde) and it’s not a pleasant feeling! Added to this are dehydration, and depletion of Vitamins A, B (particularly B6) and C brought about by the chemical action of alcohol in your body.

You are now suffering the effects of a mild overdose of a depressant drug, and your nerves in a hangover state are only reacting to it. So in addition to all the above, you are also depressed and feeling low!

Some Preventive Measures (Prevention is also the cure)

Firstly, don’t drink on an empty stomach, ever. Always eat as you drink, and always something oily, including oil or butter by themselves.

This is an old trick from girls who don’t wish to get drunk at parties. 5 teaspoons of olive oil before drinking!If you are still conscious as you are about to sleep, have a large glass of water or two.

These glasses of water can solve the dehydration problems caused by the drinking.

Also be sure and take painkillers with Ibuprofen being the one to go for not, aspirin! Aspirin will nothing for you or your hangover.

Waking up is really difficult, and you need something to help.

You won’t feel like eating or drinking anything, but if you are really up to it, try.

The Red Eye.

It’s not the most pleasant taste, but is known to really help and cure hangovers fast.

To make the Red Eye mix in a blender some whiskey, fresh coffee, some Tabasco sauce, a raw egg, pepper and orange juice.

It’s really an acquired taste to put it mildly!

If you can drink it and keep it down, you will feel normal in about 15 minutes.

If you are really brave, and really sick, try the Black Mary.

Here you mix coffee, tonic water, honey and orange juice.

This is equally Am unpleasant taste just like the Red Eye but most people agree it works faster. And agreeing that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, then follow the following guidelines.

1. No mixed drinks.

If you drink hard liquor, drink it straight or with ice. No soft drinks or juices with it. These mixers will serve to get you drunk more quickly, and add a great deal more of toxic material for your body to rid itself of the next morning.

2. Drinking means no dairy products at the same time. No milk, cheese, ice-cream and cream sauces. These are the vomit agents! Stay away from them.

3. Remember only time (and metabolism) sobers you. Coffee, fresh air, walking, and so on, does nothing at all to rid you of the toxic materials that cause a hangover.

4. Do not mix low alcoholic drinks (wine for example) with high alcoholic ones. Mixing these will get you drunk very quickly and sicker the next day. Stick to low or high, but do not mix. Remember this rule.

We all know we shouldn’t drink to much but if you want to prevent a hangover or cure one quickly, the above will work and work fast.

On all aspects of health and more on illness visit our website for a huge resource of articles, features and downloads and at http://www.net-planet.org/index.html

How to get rid of a Hangover

2007-02-19T13:59:00.000-08:00

A hangover can be one of the most terrible feelings you ever experience. If you’re badly hungover you don’t want to move, you don’t want to eat, you don’t want to drink, and you really don’t want to go to work. It’s painful, and you want it to stop as soon as possible. “Make it go away,” you mutter, growing even more conscious of the throbbing sound in your head, “just make it stop.”

As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. The best way to deal with a hangover is often not to get one in the first place, which really isn’t too difficult. Of course, you could avoid getting a hangover by not drinking alcohol at all, but many people don’t really see the fun in that. It is not realistic, you might say. If you do plan on consuming alcohol, then take some preventative measures. In other words, prepare for the battle you know you’ll have to face. First of all, don’t go drinking on an empty stomach. If you have food in your stomach it’ll help you absorb the alcohol more slowly, which is generally a good thing if you don’t want to feel terrible the next morning. Also, make sure you’re hydrated, since the majority of the symptoms of a hangover come from merely being dehydrated.

Once you’re out on the town, be cautious with your alcohol choice. Drinks with high sugar content or sulfites (like wine) will probably make you much worse the next morning. Also, it helps if you stick to one drink the entire night; your stomach won’t be as upset as when you gulp down ten different kinds of drinks from Long Island Tea to Sucking Cowboy. Moreover, you’ll probably end up drinking less. Drink water while you are out too in order to try and stave off dehydration.

When you make it back home, drink a big glass of water or two; this is one of the most important prevention steps. Stay away from Tylenol since it’s hard on your stomach and liver if you take it with alcohol, but a multivitamin will probably do you some good.

When you wake up in the morning, hopefully you’ve avoided the worst of a hangover. If you’re still hurting, don’t reach for the coffee nor the Tylenol. To relieve your headache, take a couple of aspirin instead and drink more water, and if you’re still feeling nauseous don’t go to work. Lie if you have to, say you have the stomach flu, since your body is filled with toxins and will take some time to recover. When you can finally eat, something full of vitamins will work wonders, and some people have a lot of luck with fattier foods like hamburgers to help replace nutrients and settle the stomach.

John Wellington provides readers with up-to-date commentaries, articles, and reviews for health, skin care, and other related information.