Hair of the dog anyone?Karen Skidmore, of CanDoCanBe fame, has asked me to write about natural hangover cures. There's a huge temptation for most of us to overindulge at this time of year and as a result we often face rotten hangovers caused by the dehydrating, toxic and mineral depleting effects of alcohol. There are all kinds of remedies out there from a fry up and a can of coke to over the counter remedies and some hair of the dog. A good friend of mine (you know who you are...) even swears by a pint of water and three nurofen before he hits the sack! These so called cures are not very healthy and will probably end up making you feel worse so here are my top ten tips for reducing festive hangovers...
1. Take a spoonful of glutamine powder in your water before you go out to help reduce the chance of overeating or over drinking.
2. Take some essential fatty acid capsules before you go out.
3. Avoid cheap red wine, port or brandy as they contain additives known as congeneurs which are bound to give you a fuzzy head. Vodka is a better option because it's very pure and relatively free from toxic ingredients.
4. Avoid fizzy drinks as they help to speed up the amount of alcohol entering your bloodstream. I'm sure you know how easy it is to get drunk on champagne!
5. Eat a sensible, well balanced meal either before you go out or before you start drinking.
6. To combat dehydration which is the root cause of hangovers, drink plenty of water before, during and after your drinking binge. Also try taking 1-2g of Vitamin C.
7. Ginger tea can help combat nausea, peppermint tea will settle your stomach and dandelion tea will help to regulate your fluid levels.
8. Your liver will be extremely grateful if you take a milk thistle supplement before and after your drinking because it will support the detoxification process.
9. The homeopathic remedy nux vomica is well know for its role in combating nausea and hangovers. Try taking a 12C tablet every 3 to 4 hours.
10. Finally make sure you eat something the following day because your blood sugar will be all over the place causing tiredness, headaches and the inability to concentrate. Bananas are a great start to a hangover day.
1. Take a spoonful of glutamine powder in your water before you go out to help reduce the chance of overeating or over drinking.
2. Take some essential fatty acid capsules before you go out.
3. Avoid cheap red wine, port or brandy as they contain additives known as congeneurs which are bound to give you a fuzzy head. Vodka is a better option because it's very pure and relatively free from toxic ingredients.
4. Avoid fizzy drinks as they help to speed up the amount of alcohol entering your bloodstream. I'm sure you know how easy it is to get drunk on champagne!
5. Eat a sensible, well balanced meal either before you go out or before you start drinking.
6. To combat dehydration which is the root cause of hangovers, drink plenty of water before, during and after your drinking binge. Also try taking 1-2g of Vitamin C.
7. Ginger tea can help combat nausea, peppermint tea will settle your stomach and dandelion tea will help to regulate your fluid levels.
8. Your liver will be extremely grateful if you take a milk thistle supplement before and after your drinking because it will support the detoxification process.
9. The homeopathic remedy nux vomica is well know for its role in combating nausea and hangovers. Try taking a 12C tablet every 3 to 4 hours.
10. Finally make sure you eat something the following day because your blood sugar will be all over the place causing tiredness, headaches and the inability to concentrate. Bananas are a great start to a hangover day.
You know I like my history...There have been some weird and wonderful hangover remedies throughout history such as the medieval prescription of rabbit droppings and pickled sheep eyes. My favourite story however, has to come from the ever so sophisticated Romans. According to Susan Clark they built special rooms called vomitories. Now, can you get guess what went on in a vomitory? Well, an intoxicated Roman would lean over a marble rail and have the back of their throat tickled by a slave so they could indulge in a practice known as the 'upward purge' (that's vomiting to you and me) and head straight back to the party cleansed and refreshed! I'm not recommending this...although on occasions I'm sure you haven't needed a slave to help you!
Alcohol is essentially a poison and the only way to avoid its after effects is not to drink it, but where's the fun in that? You could try drinking fizzy water with a slice of lime because after all who's going to know that its not a gin and tonic? OK, my secret's now out...
Have a healthy and hangover free Christmas,
Charlotte x
PS If you have any questions about the above just give me a call on 07770 736905
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