One study has shown that taking 1,600 IU (measured unit) of prickly pear extract five hours before
drinking reduced risks of a severe hangover by 50%.
Drank too much?
Have a hangover?
Now you’re googling what is the best hangover cure?
Can you prevent a hangover?
Why do we even get hangovers?
Hi everyone, I’m Doctor Wagner.
I’m a board-certified emergency medicine physician, and on my show, I answer your urgent
medical questions and clear up myths about certain ailments.
So you drank a little too much of aunt Bertha’s special egg nog or the good ol boys Jack,
Johnny, and Jose weren’t too kind to you at this holiday season and now you’re feeling
like The Walking Dead.
This video is just for you.
Today we are going to talk about hangover cures.
Most people who have drunk alcohol probably have experienced a hangover.
That feeling the next day which includes nausea, vomiting, dry mouth, dizziness, lightheadedness,
dehydration, feeling like the world is just beating you down.
The actual medical term for hangover is, veisalgia.
It’s perhaps a bit surprising that scientists still haven’t fully understood the cause
of a hangover.
The simplest and most familiar explanation is that drinking alcohol causes dehydration
Both because it acts as a diuretic, increasing urinary production, and because people who
are drinking heavily for multiple hours probably aren't drinking much water during that time
period.
Most scientists believe that a hangover is driven by alcohol interfering with your body's
natural balance of chemicals in a more complex way.
One belief is that in order for your body to process alcohol, your body must convert
the enzyme NAD+ into an alternative form, NADH.
With an excess buildup of NADH and insufficient quantity of NAD+, goes around your body.
So the thinking is, your cells are no longer capable of efficiently performing a number
of metabolic activities.
Everything from absorbing glucose from the blood to regulating electrolytes.
Hangovers result from a buildup of acetaldehyde, a toxic compound, in the body.
As the body processes the alcohol, acetaldehyde is the very first byproduct, and it's estimated
to be between 10 and 30 times as toxic as alcohol itself.
In a controlled study, it has been found to cause symptoms such as sweating, skin flushing,
nausea, and vomiting.
(ie the feelings of a hangover)
Hangovers could also be driven by the way alcohol messing with your immune system.
Studies have found strong correlations between high levels of cytokines, the molecules that
your immune system uses for signaling, and hangover symptoms.
Normally, the body might use cytokines to trigger a fever or an inflammatory response
to battle an infection, but it seems that excess alcohol consumption can also provoke
the same cytokine release, leading to symptoms like muscle aches, fatigue, headache, or nausea,
as well as cognitive effects like memory loss or irritation.
Are certain drinks more likely than others to cause a hangover?
Yes, typically darker alcohols have a higher likelihood of giving you that hangover feeling.
That’s because they have higher levels of trace chemicals produced during the fermentation
process.
That contributes to higher likelihood of feeling hungover.
Interestingly though not everyone gets a hangover.
Although approximately 75% of those who drink alcohol to intoxication will experience a
hangover.
There’s 25% of the population, has no hangover experience ever.
Lucky for them.
How can you prevent hangovers?
The million-dollar question that is on everyone’s minds right now.
The simple answer is abstinence and moderation.
In other words, there is no proven way to prevent a hangover after binge drinking except
by not drinking at all.
Which is kind of the obvious answer I realize, but there are certain things you can do to
minimize the hangover and the severity of its symptoms.
Number one: Don't drink quickly, or on an empty stomach.
Number two: Conversely drinking slowly, either on a full stomach or while eating.
Even though food doesn't literally absorb the alcohol, but having a full digestive tract
slows down the rate at which your body absorbs the alcohol.
Number three: Stay hydrated in between drinks.
From a doctor’s standpoint, there is no concrete evidence that any homespun remedies
do anything to actually cure a hangover.
But, they’re interesting to hear about.
Here are some homespun remedies that some of you out there swear by.
Number one: The so-called hair of the dog technique.
That is, drinking the morning after you’ve had a hard night of drinking.
It might temporarily dull your senses, making you less aware of your hangover symptoms,
but it does nothing to resolve the underlying physiological problems and, of course, it
can just lead to another hangover.
But some people swear by it.
Number two: The grease up before you go technique.
One long-standing folk remedy is to take a spoonful of olive oil before a party.
Some swear by it.
Eating a pizza or other fatty food has the same effect.
Both are said to grease the intestines so the alcohol takes longer to absorb.
Number three: Consume sugar while you’re drinking.
Studies have shown that fructose may speed alcohol metabolism, thus reducing the risks
of a hangover.
Number four: Eat breakfast.
Electrolytes in food help replenish a dehydrated system and get in calories back into your
body.
But go easy.
A hangover needs foods that are easy to digest, like toast or cereal.
Some believe that eating burnt toast will help.
Number five: Eat ginger.
For centuries, people have taken ginger to reduce nausea and vomiting.
Try nibbling crystallized ginger in the aftermath of a night of drinking.
The National Institutes of Health reveal early research that consuming a combination of ginger,
tangerine pith, and brown sugar before drinking decreases nausea and vomiting.
Number six: While it’s still being tested, one study has shown that taking 1,600 IU (measured
unit) of prickly pear extract five hours before drinking reduced risk for severe hangover
by 50%.
Number seven: Go back to bed.
A hangover isn't caused by lack of sleep, but that makes it worse.
Take a long nap the day after.
It’s the body’s way of healing itself.
Number eight: Load up on vitamin B and C.
There are also a slew of vitamin combination concoctions out there that companies are making
in an attempt to prevent or help the hangover.
All of which have limited effects.
Lastly, you can lessen some of the symptoms of a hangover with well-known over-the-counter
drugs such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatories such aspirin or ibuprofen, which can treat
headaches and other pain, while you can take stomach relief medicines, Tums or Pepto-Bismol,
to reduce your nausea.
Very important to note, you should not take any Tylenol because when the liver is processing
alcohol, the Tylenol can cause toxic effects to the body.
The moral of this hangover story, you can eat food, drink water, and rest.
Alright, that’s been your five minutes on curing hangovers with me.
Doctor Wagner.
I hope I’ve cleared up some of the myths regarding the hangover and helped you get
a better understanding of home alcohol affects our body and what you do to lessen the hangover
feelings.
Have a home remedy for a hangover?
Be sure you let me know in my comments below.
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Thank you so much for watching and stay healthy my friends.