Aquila Online

A-Z of Hangover Cures

// November 16th, 2004 // General // 3,126 views

So it’s that time of year again – when we all indulge a wee bit in our favourite spirits. Add to that the fact that you can now purchase alcohol on Sundays – we’re in for some serious after-effects.

There are many folk and other remedies and recommendations to cure hangovers though few have been scientifically investigated. Time is the best cure, as symptoms usually disappear within 24 hours.

Courtesy of IOL: Here’s an A-Z of causes, consequences and possible cures. Always check with your doctor first.

A for Aromatherapy: An ancient art that uses essential plant oils for healing. Two drops each of lavender and juniper and one drop of rosemary essential oil in your bath can help to melt away those hangover blues. Or you can mix one drop of fennel and one drop of juniper essential oils into 500ml warm water, and use cotton wool pads dipped into the solution to dab on your pulsating forehead, temple and liver area.

B for Breakfast: If you can get out of bed the morning and face the thought of eating, whip up a simple nutritious breakfast of oats with yoghurt and honey and a sprinkling of wheatgerm. Follow with a slice of dry rye toast, to mop up all the acid in your digestive system.

C for Coffee: Don’t even think of drinking it before, during or after binge drinking. Like alcohol, coffee is a diuretic and will aggravate its effects.

D for Dehydration: One of the reasons for your hangover. Alcohol is a diuretic and increases urinary output – a nice way of saying you will pee more. It inhibits the release of vasopressin, an antidiuretic hormone, promotes urine production and affects the body’s electrolyte balance, leading to dehydration. The sweating, vomiting and diarrhoea that may accompany a hangover lead to further fluid loss and electrolyte imbalances.

E for Eggs: The ingredient in traditional hangover cures such as omelettes and the English Fried Breakfast. The protein in eggs is a complete source of all the amino acids (building blocks of the body). These include cysteine used in the manufacture of antioxidant enzymes in the body such as glutathione (See G for Glutathione), that mop up free radicals – toxic by-products of the body’s metabolic processes caused by alcohol intake.

F for Female: Research shows women suffer hangovers more easily than men. The theory is they don’t have as much of the enzyme that breaks down alcohol.

G for Glutathione: The enzyme that fights free-radical activity in the bloodstream, and that heavy drinking destroys.

H for Homeopathy: Homeopathic hangover cures are available at selected pharmacies and health stores, and should be matched to your symptoms. Nux vomica if you feel dull, dizzy and irritable, and have a bad headache; Kali bichrom if you have nausea and vomiting from beer.

I for Inflammation: An important component of hangovers. Alcohol irritates the stomach and intestines, causing gastritis (inflammation of the stomach lining). This delays digestion and emptying of the stomach.

J for Jaundice: Chronic heavy drinking impairs the liver’s ability to remove yellow pigment from the skin making it look jaundiced.

K for Kidney Dialysis: A bit bizarre, but based on the theory that you can’t expect your kidneys to perform their usual functions of filtering your blood effectively after a massive influx of alcohol, so you can get a machine to do it for you. Like most normal people, you probably don’t have easy access to a dialysis machine. If you did, and could cope with being hooked up to it with all those needles while dead drunk, you could flush the alcohol from your blood-stream and be stone cold sober in a few hours – and ready for another round.

L for Low Blood Sugar: Excess alcohol can cause hypoglycemia (low blood sugar or glucose levels) manifesting in symptoms such as fatigue, weakness, and mood disturbances, aggravated by not eating. Diabetics are particularly at risk of alcohol-induced blood glucose alterations.

M for Methanol: A contaminant in cheap red wines, whisky and fruit brandy, it is the “meths” or fuel alcohol that makes you blind if you drink too much of it.

N for N-acetyl-cysteine: An amino acid involved in the manufacture of glutathione to mop up free radicals that build up in the liver from binge drinking. It is said to be one of the more effective hangover remedies when you need a clear head in the morning.

O for Opuntia ficus indica: A type of prickly pear extract shown in United States research to ease hangover symptoms such as nausea, dry mouth and loss of appetite if taken before the binge starts.

P for Painkillers: Not a good idea to treat the throbbing headache that is a common hangover symptom. Some types of analgesics (pain-killing medications) do not mix well with alcohol and can aggravate the effects. Read the labels carefully.

R for RU21: A supplement supposedly developed by the Russian KGB to keep agents alert and sober while fraternising with the enemy. It is a mix of vitamin C, carbohydrates, and amino acids to prevent the production of the enzyme that turns alcohol into a toxin and contributes to a hangover, to minimise the effects of alcohol.

S for Salts: Along with loss of fluid from all those trips to the loo, you will also lose important salts, in particular potassium and sodium ions required for the optimal functioning of nerves and muscles.

T for Toxins: The root cause of a hangover because alcohol floods the body with toxins. Your lymphatic system is designed to get rid of toxins in the body, but is overwhelmed by binge drinking. Give it a boost with a detoxifying drink made from three-four tablespoons of pure cold-pressed olive/almond oil; six-eight tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, three-six garlic cloves and freshly grated ginger to taste. Mix in a blender and drink immediately. If it doesn’t help your hangover, at least vampires won’t bite you.

U for Useless: How you will feel between the sheets if you overdo the drinking. Shakespeare wrote poetically about alcohol and how it increases desire and decreases performance.

V for Vodka: A drink that seldom gives hangovers, according to its fans, because its constituents make it relatively clean, metabolically speaking. That only applies to moderate drinking, and not “mixing your drinks” as they all have different impurities, some of which react with others in volatile ways.

W for Water: Drink lots of it to prevent dehydration. It won’t prevent all the symptoms, but will keep you hydrated, flush toxins from your system and help you to metabolise alcohol quicker.

X for Xcess: What alcohol consumption at party time is usually all about. You will do yourself a favour if you resist the temptation, and keep your intake to a bare minimum. Small amounts of alcohol, interspersed with lots of water and food, give all pleasure without the pain.

Y for Yellow: What you’ll look like if you keep up binge drinking because of alcohol’s effects on the liver.

Z for Zzzzzz: If all else fails, sleep it off. Alcohol interferes with biological rhythms including your sleep pattern, which is why a hangover makes you feel so exhausted. Catch up on the sleep and you will soon feel ripe and ready to party again.