How can you prevent or cure a hangover the natural way this festive season?

Added November 30, 2009, Under: Exercise, Headaches & Migraines, Health, Men's Health, Women's Health

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Young people in the UK have gained an unwelcome reputation worldwide for heavy drinking and even binge drinking sessions.  Many tourist spots in Europe have to cope with the influx of teens and twenties intent on partying their holiday away and consuming as much liquor as they can.  And of course frequently, they end up in trouble with the authorities.

Now the Department of Health in England has found that one in five people admitted to exercising to “make up” for a heavy bout of drinking. The same poll also found that one in five people drink more than double the National Health Service’s recommended limits for alcohol per day. The safe limit for women is 2 small glasses of wine and 3 small glasses of wine for men.

Some people feel that when they have drunk too much and are suffering from a hangover, carrying out strenuous exercise will help the body overcome the effects of heavy drinking.  Although exercise will assist in getting relief from your hangover by helping the body rid itself of toxins, because the increased circulation gets blood and oxygen to your oxygen-starved brain, it does not have to be strenuous exercise.  A good brisk walk will have the best results.

Professor Ian Gilmore of the Royal College of Physicians is quoted as saying: “regular exercise will not stop the onset of liver disease and other alcohol-related illnesses if people continue to binge drink above safe limits.”

While Public Health Minister Gillian Merron says: “Everyone knows that regularly taking part in physical activity is important for maintaining good health.  But the truth is, if you have a big night at the pub, you’re not going to compensate with a workout the following day.”

If you are interested in reading more about this British government study, log in to www.news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8379608.stm

You know you have a hangover when you have a headache, nausea, intestinal upset (and perhaps diarrhea), aches in the muscles and joints plus fatigue.  It is also 100% certain that you are dehydrated.

One of the best preventative measures is to drink 2 to 3 large glasses of water before you go to bed as hydrating your system helps counteract the effects of the alcohol.  Taking some vitamin B supplements before bed will also be very beneficial.  They are important in aiding the alcohol metabolizing process and in dilating blood vessels.  B-vitamins will help restore your energy level.  You will need to take a high potency B-complex supplement for this remedy to work (50-75 mg of B-complex twice a day).

Other remedies include taking a probiotic supplement such as acidophilus which helps restore the flora balance in your stomach.

Or as soon as you wake up on the “morning after”, add 2 teaspoons of fresh lime juice and a teaspoon of sugar to a glass of water.  Drink it slowly.  This concoction will help stabilize your blood sugar which will be low.

Try not to take pain killers because of the strain on your stomach, kidney and liver which are already being over worked processing the alcohol in your system.

One of the quickest ways to cure a hangover is to make a banana milkshake sweetened with honey. The banana helps calm the stomach and, with the honey, builds up the depleted blood sugar levels. The milk soothes the stomach and rehydrates your system.  Bananas are also rich in the important electrolytes, magnesium and potassium which become severely depleted during heavy drinking.

Even if you are not a regular drinker, a hangover can happen to the very best of us especially with the festive season just around the corner.  So if you ever get into that situation, now you know what you can do to minimize the damage to your health and come through unscathed.