DIET AND FITNESS:
Hangover --Top 10 Natural
Remedies
Related Links
Does Beer Raise Blood Pressure?
Top 10 Foods That Fight Depression
Foods That Help Schizophrenia
Ideal Diet to Fight Bipolar Disorder
Foods That Reduce Stress
Foods That Reduce Blood Pressure
Isolation --The Silent Killer
Daily Habits to Ease Your Anxiety
BloodPressure -What It Means
Waist Size Matters
Bowel Movements Indicate Your Overall Health
Snoring Linked to Stroke
My Heart Attack-Personal Stories from Survivors
How Much Salt Is In My Food?
How Much Sugar Is In My Food?
June 13, 2011
By Michael Chang, Contributing Columnist
It’s an all too familiar story. The night begins with just a
beer and proceeds to a night of chaos and mayhem with
your friends. A night of fun and debauchery transforms into
a morning of misery and struggle. The nausea, the dizziness,
and the body aches make you regret ever taking that first sip
of alcohol. And you promise yourself that you won’t ever
indulgence in this sin again—until the next time.
After a rough night out on the town, you experience the dry
mouth, the headaches, and the fatigue that accompany the
inevitable hangover. Because alcohol is essential a drug and
a poison that you are willfully consuming into your body,
there are immediate negative consequences—besides
impairment of judgment and physical ability. Even after the
intoxication has ceased, you will experience a myriad of
different physical and mental symptoms that occur after
heavy drinking: headaches, sensitivity to light and sound,
redness in the eyes, muscle aches, thirst, among other signs.
And the occurrences of these miserable symptoms after a
bout of drinking are rather frequent. According to 1993
Veterans Administration Hospital study in Michigan,
approximately 75 percent of alcohol consumers have
experienced a hangover at least once, 15 percent have at
least once a month, and 25 percent of college students
experience hangovers weekly.
Causes of Hangovers
While the causes have yet to be scientifically proven, we can
point to several reasons why you might be feeling the way
you day after a long night of hitting the bars. After a heavy
night of drinking more alcohol than your body can
metabolize, you will have additional toxins, such as alcohol
by-product acetaldehyde, building up in your body.
Moreover, the dehydrating effect of alcohol, if unaddressed,
can result in a mind-numbing headache, dry mouth, and
fatigue.
The type of alcohol consumed can also play a role in the
severity of your hangover. Darker spirits like wine, brandy,
and whiskey have a higher content of congeners, which are
alcohol fermentation by-products, and can result in a more
intense hangover. Also, cheaper alcohol can cause a worse
hangover as well because the impurities have not been
filtered. Lastly, the mixing of different drinks is a definite
way to become heavily intoxicated and thereby, subjecting
yourself to a rough hangover the next morning.
Top 10 Natural Remedies for Hangovers
While the best cure for hangovers is to abstain or restrict the
intake of your alcohol, this is simply impossible for certain
individuals. It might sound great on paper; however, the
reality is that you will engage in these activities regardless.
And given the statistics on the frequency of individuals
experiencing hangovers, it is likely that at some point in your
life, you will need to find a way to treat that throbbing
headache the morning after.
You might be inclined to pop a few aspirins or an ibruprofen
to rid yourself of that discomfort and nausea. However,
while these over-the-counter pills might temporarily relieve
your hangover symptoms in the interim, they pose a
significant health risk that your alcohol-exposed body should
not be enduring. These various painkillers can thin your
blood, damage your liver, and cause stomach bleeding—and
pairing it off with alcohol consumption, which also increases
the risk of these symptoms, is a dangerous combination.
Rather, you should try some other ways to nip that
hangover. First, time and sleep are the best remedies for
getting over a hangover. Also, ensuring that your body is
properly hydrated is another way to ward off the symptoms
of dry mouth, dizziness, and nausea. Because alcohol
dehydrates your body, it is vital that you consume a lot of
water before, while, and after consumption of alcohol.
Before heading off to bed, drink a glass of water so you
reduce the chances of an intense hangover the next morning
due to dehydration.
However, if you are still suffering from the migraines, try
some of these natural remedies and cures that will alleviate
the miserable feelings that you are experiencing.
1. Replenish the Lost Potassium by Eating Some Bananas
Because alcohol is a diuretic, it depletes your body of many
vital electrolytes, including potassium. According to a 2007
The Royal Society of Chemistry study, consuming potassium
and sodium will give you the burst that you need after the
rough night you had. Perhaps the best source of potassium
that can be found is bananas. After all the potassium has
been drained from your body due to your alcohol binge, you
will want to replenish the lost electrolytes. Moreover, this
beloved fruit also contains significant amounts of
magnesium, which can help you relax your blood vessels,
and vitamin B6, which can help subdue other hangover
symptoms. So, the next time you feel that throbbing
headache after waking up the next morning, try peeling
banana.
2. Try Some Ginger Root Tea or Ginger Ale to Quell Nausea
When young children complain about tummy aches, mothers
tend to give them some ginger ale to settle their stomachs. It
is, thus, no wonder that ginger may help quell some of those
feelings of nausea that you experience when hung over.
According to the American Society of Clinical Oncology, a
2009 study found that as minimal as one-quarter of a
teaspoon of ginger may cut nausea symptoms by 40 percent.
Ginger ale can do that trick; however, if you are able to brew
some ginger tea, it will even alleviate your hangover
symptoms even more. Boil a few strips of fresh ginger root,
add some lemon or orange juice and some honey. Drink up
and you should feel your nausea diminish in no time.
3. Consuming Fructose-Heavy Foods and Beverages to Burn
Alcohol Faster
Fructose, which is the sugar that comes from fruit, can be a
great way to help ease the symptoms of a hangover. This
type of carbohydrate is absorbed much faster than sucrose,
which comes from processed sugars, and get better help you
fight those symptoms of alcohol. This improves your body’s
ability to metabolize alcohol, so by sipping on some fruit
juice, particularly freshly squeezed orange juice, you can
raise blood sugar levels to burn that remnant alcohol. While
a 1976 study published in the European Journal of Clinical
Investigation did not have any conclusive data on the effects
of fructose on hangover symptoms, it did find that fructose
expedites the body’s metabolism of alcohol, which can
alleviate some hangover symptoms.
In addition to fruit juice, other great source of fructose can
be found in the ginseng root, a Korean herb that contains
around 0.5 percent fructose. However, using this as a
hangover treatment can get pricey because this herb can
cost quite a bit.
4. Fight Your Hangovers with Some Honey
According to the Royal Society of Chemistry, honey is the
best hangover cure. Because alcohol depletes the potassium
and sodium from your body, consuming honey the next
morning might be the best thing for your ailing body. A good
source of both potassium and sodium to fight the alcohol
toxins, honey can be used in a hot toddy (honey, lemon, and
hot water) that will alleviate your hangover symptoms.
Moreover, because honey contains fructose, rather than
sucrose, it can be better absorbed by the body. Fructose will
help you burn the alcohol faster so that you might not as
heavily feel the effects of hangovers.
5. Take Some B-complex Vitamins to Lessen Your Hangover
Because the body turns to reserves of vitamins when the
body is placed under stress, depletion of essential vitamins
occurs from heavy drinking. One of the biggest reserves hit
hardest by alcohol consumption is B-vitamins. So, add B-
complex vitamins to your list of hangover remedies.
According to a 1974 Thomas Jefferson University study,
vitamin B6, also known as pyritinol, can reduce your
hangover symptoms by about 50 percent. Perhaps, the next
time you are experiencing the pounding headaches and
nausea associated with hangovers, taking a B-complex
vitamin or eating some B-vitamin rich foods such as
potatoes, fish, or garbanzo beans, might cut your hangover
time.
6. Re-hydrate Your Body with Coconut Water
As previously mentioned, alcohol acts as a diuretic and
dehydrates the body, which a major contributor to the
hangover you experience the next day. Coconut water can
be a great way to re-hydrate your body and fight your
hangover symptoms. Refreshing, delicious, and healthy, it
also provides you many necessary minerals, such as
potassium and sodium, and electrolytes. Excessive alcohol
consumption has a negative impact on your body, for
instance, resulting in electrolyte imbalances. The need to
immediately restore these for optimal recover can be fulfilled
by coconut water. In addition to re-hydrating your body and
to replenishing the necessary minerals, coconut water also
has many cleansing effects on the body.
7. Taking Wintergreen—an Herbal Alternative to Aspirin—to
Ease Headache
Because over-the-counter pain medication, such as aspirin,
can be at worst, damaging to your body, and at best, the
cause of an aggravated stomach, it is best to avoid these pills
as the cure for your hangovers. It might actually do more
ham than good. However, there are some herbal forms of
aspirin, such as the aromatic wintergreen, that have the
same properties as aspirin, but is much gentler on the
stomach. It is a source of salicylic acid for natural pain relief,
which can help clear up the headache associated with the
morning after. If you are unable to locate the herb fresh in
your area, you can find wintergreen in dried form at a local
health store.
8. Using Kudzu Herbs to Reduce Chances of a Hangover
Another herbal treatment for hangovers is the kudzu root.
Drinking kudzu tea can help relief some of the symptoms of a
hangover the next morning. However, how it really helps
you combat your hangovers is to ensure that you either
experience it while consuming your beverages the night of
or that you don’t drink enough to even get a hangover.
Because kudzu helps you feel more satiated with how much
are drinking with less alcohol, it will reduce the likelihood of
your hangover the next morning. The herb causes the
chemical acetaldehyde, which scientists blame for hangovers,
to accumulate faster in your bloodstream. When you take a
few capsules with your first drink, it will reduce the cravings
for more alcohol. It might also cause you to get your
hangover—if you get one—while you are drinking, rather
than the morning after. According to a 2005 Behavioral
Psychopharmacology Research Laboratory study, taking a
daily extract of kudzu reduces the amount of alcohol a
person drinks by nearly 50 percent.
9. Ease Your Hangover with Some Eggs the Morning After
After waking up from a night of drinking, many people crave
some scrambled eggs, bacon, and pancakes—an All-American
breakfast. This isn’t too far off from treating your hangover
symptoms. Eggs can be a great remedy for your hangover
woes because they contain huge quantities of cysteine,
which has been shown to break down acetaldehyde, the
suspected culprit of causing hangovers. If you imagine your
body as a car, the cysteine will take the smog, which in this
case, would be the acetaldehyde, and convert it into clean
air. So, next time you feel the consequences of your
decisions the night before, eating some eggs can cut your
hangover time significantly.
10. Drinking Sports Drinks Can Calm Your Hangover
As previously mentioned, excessive alcoholic consumption
causes dehydration, which then, in turn, results in the
hangover the next morning. Moreover, drinking also results
in the depletion of many electrolytes, causing an imbalance.
Sports drinks address both of these issues that may result in
hangovers; thus, by sipping on your sports drinks, whether
it is Gatorade or Powerade, you can better fight that
headache and nausea and restore yourself back to normal.
Ensure that the sports drink does not contain caffeine
though because it will act a diuretic and dehydrate your
body even more.
You're just getting started. Learn more about the
relationship between your diet and your risk for other
diseases and conditions: Foods That Fight Schizophrenia /
Salmon Health Benefits/ Fish Oil /Top 10 Foods That Fight
Anemia / How Much Is Too Much Salt? /Sugar-The Disease
Connection / Are Diet Sodas Bad for Your Health? / Ideal
Breakfast for Diabetics / Ideal Breakfast for Arthritis
/Healing Foods Links / Foods That Shrink Your Waist /
Foods That Lower Cholesterol/ VLDL-The Other Cholesterol/
Foods That Reduce Blood Pressure
Home > Conditions > Depression > Here |
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| COLLECTIVE WIZDOM.COM Healthy Body, Healthy Mind, Healthy Life |
Custom Search
Advertise With Us Register Privacy Policy About Us Contact Us Disclaimer : All information on www.collectivewizdom.com is for educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice. For specific medical advice, diagnoses, and treatment, please consult your doctor. Privacy Policy. About Us Contact Us (c) copyright collectivewizdom.com 2007 -2011 and all prior years. All rights reserved |
