Posted by Nikoletta Ventseslavova

One of the miseries regularly inflicted on humankind is the hangover.

What causes a hangover?

When alcohol finally gets eliminated from the body, the damage it has done isn’t. A hangover involves a combination of headache, upset stomach, thirst, nausea, tremulousness, fatigue, etc. According to Krista Medina, assistant professor of Psychology at the University of Cincinnati, the first sign is alcohol withdrawal, which brings tremor and sweating.

Next comes dehydratation, as alcohol interferes with the secretion of the hormone that inhibits urination (the reason rest rooms in bars are overcrowded). As a result of dehydratation we get both thirsty and lethargic. In addition, our blood sugar level is lowered, which causes muscle weakness.

The technical version (non nerds: skip this part) by the National Institute of Alcoholism blames chemicals in some alcoholic drinks called congeners (found mostly in dark liquors and wine). It explains that when trying to break down the alcohol’s poisons, our body releases toxic chemicals, leading to nausea or vomiting. When we drink, our liver tackles ethanol (alcohol) and methanol. The process of drinking generates reactive chemicals called free radicals, which are cleansed by an enzyme called glutathione. However, during a binge, glutathione reserves can run low, leaving the free radicals to run riot through the liver. Finally, white blood cells send cytokines in our bloodstream to fight the invader (the same happens when we are attacked by a flu virus). Cytokines are the source of aches and weakness, because they use the body’s energy to combat the enemy.

The most popular remedies :

During the Cold War the Russian Academy of Sciences spent 25 years in researching and developing a miracle drug called RU-21. It was created for K.G.B. agents who wanted to stay sober while getting their contacts drunk to pry information out of them. In the end it turned out that it does not keep people sober. What those scientists actually discovered was a way to prevent a hangover.  Many other nations also have invented ways to combat this condition:

Berocca – a vitamin supplement, containing all the chemicals, which are lost and destroyed in a drinking session: Vitamin B1, B2, B5, B6, B12, Biotin, Vitamin C, Calcium, Sugar and Salt. Many Australians take these small tubes with them on a binge. Berocca is often used by businessmen during long business meetings.

In China and Italy heavy drinkers find relief in strong green tea and a pot of black coffee.

Romanians, Mexicans and Turks recommend a soup of tripe, boiled in a greasy, salty
soup with garlic and milk.

In Bulgaria one of the most efficient ways to combat a hangover is sour cabbage pickle juice, combined with Alka-Seltzer. This medicine contains a painkiller, sugars and some anti-acid chemicals. When combined with vitamin C it works marvels. [ed. after a heavy night, 1 of 3 of us tried this one and she ended up with a hangover whilst the other 2 of us were fine!]
Eggs – this remedy is an American favorite. Hangover cures, such as an English Fried Breakfast, or Prairie Oysters (a concoction of tomato juice, Worcestershire sauce and a raw egg) involve eggs. They contain cysteine, a biochemical that mops up free radicals. There is also an amino acid supplement – N-acetyl cysteine(NAC) – which is also rich in cysteine and is extremely good at mopping up free radicals that have built up in the liver.
Highland Fling – ancient Scottish heavy drinkers beat hangovers with heated buttermilk with a tablespoon of cornflower with salt and pepper

Hot showers – usually headaches are caused by constricted blood vessels and tense neck muscles. Thus, hot water relaxes the tension and dilates blood vessels. When it is combined with tomato juice and aspirin it has a strong relieving effect.

Oxygen – scuba divers claim that a blast from an oxygen tank works perfectly against hangover symptoms. The increased oxygen flow improves the metabolic rate and thus increases the speed at which the poisons are broken down.

Pinching your hand – holistic medicine has found that there is a nerve junction between the thumb and forefinger on our left hand; if we pinch this acupressure point hard for 30 seconds every five minutes, headaches get relieved.

Water with salt and sugar – research on small mammals with a poisoned digestive system has shown that it works as an isotonic and helps the body to recover.

“Hair of the dog that bit you” – based on the notion that “the best thing for what ails you is more of what ails you”, these nostrums have been around since the time of Shakespeare:

- the  Bloody Mary, which contains:

-  the Black Velvet, made of equal parts of champagne and beer

- and the Red-Eye, including whiskey, coffee, a raw egg, pepper and orange juice.

The physicians’ point of view:

Although many cultures recommend different hangover foods, including greasy meals and ethnic soups, it turns out that their consumption does not help us feel better. Dr. Samir Zakhari, director of the division of metabolism and health effects at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, says: “If a person wants to eat, that’s fine. They should do that during drinking or before drinking, not after, because if people eat after drinking, it might be too late. By the time you have a hangover, eating greasy fare won’t have much of an effect in alleviating the symptoms ” and adds: “This belief that drinking more alcohol will alleviate the symptoms of too much drinking “doesn’t make sense. You have already done enough damage to the different parts of the body like the liver and heart .” He explains that people believe that drinking alcohol cocktails is the right remedy, because one of the symptoms of a hangover is over-stimulation of the brain, which makes us feel sensitive to light and sound. More alcohol sedates the brain again, but it is harmful because increases other negative symptoms such as dehydratation and only postpones hangover symptoms, and also shows signs of alcoholism.

Doctors from the Mayo Clinic recommend the intake of natural remedies such as prickly pear cactus extract and yeast-based preparations and a lot of water intake. They also note that the combination of ibuprofen and caffeine also helps in alleviating aches and boosts energy.”Before you go out, aim to drink in moderation or not at all” is the general advice of the experts.

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