How to Treat A Horrible Hangover

Although Christmas and New Year’s Eve are behind us, this season is still full of parties and gatherings. The party invites can stack up, often leading to overindulgence in libations. The morning after can mean a headache and damage to all of your body including your skin. Excessive alcohol consumption can severely dehydrate the skin, making it tight, dry and puffy – a hefty price to pay for a night of fun.

Drinking dehydrates the body--so be sure to
hydrate throughout the night.
Image: Shutterstock

Relieve your tight skin with a splash of water. While most of us rely on moisturizer to get rid of dry skin. But did you know that over moisturizing, especially if you are prone to acne, can lead to clogged pores? Instead, try filling the sink with cold water and ice cubes. Once they are melted, splash your face 25 times.

Load up on vitamins. Since alcoholic drinks can deplete vitamins from the skin and body, it is important to load up on topically and internally. Green veggies like kale, spinach, cilantro, mint and parsley contain high concentrations of antioxidants; consuming additional nutrients and electrolytes can also help heal a hung-over body.

Hydrate your body by drinking water. If you get tired of plain old water, munch on strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and watermelon instead. Your body will be able to absorb a lot of water from these fruits. You can also try a sports drink like Gatorade to gain back electrolytes you lost from dehydration the night before.

Practice hangover prevention. Limit your alcohol intake and choose your drinks wisely. Go for drinks with less sugar and you will likely drink slower and less. Try to drink a glass of water for every alcoholic beverage you have as well. This provides the dual benefit of slowing your alcohol intake while at the same time rehydrating.  You’ll thank yourself in the morning.

Have a Happy St. Patty’s Day… Minus the Hangover

If you're planning on getting a drink or three for St. Patty's Day, keep these foods in mind to minimize hangovers.

Planning on going out for a good time this St. Patty’s Day? I’m Irish, so I’m all about that. Unfortunately, though, as I get older I’m especially noticing that my body is way less tolerant of alcohol than it once was. I never was much of a drinker, but I’m even less so now. I suppose that’s good news in the long run—having more than one or two drinks max per day generally makes our bodies cringe a little bit.

However, there are still times when I like to go out and have more than just one drink with friends—heck, maybe I’ll even have two or three! The question that comes to mind then is, How can I help my body recover faster?

Bananas are full of potassium.

Believe it or not, what kind of foods we eat before and after a night on the town can have a huge effect on how we feel the next day. So, if you’re planning on drinking more than a pint this St. Patty’s Day, plan on eating some of these foods to help your body recover:

Asparagus – Boosts enzymes and helps break down alcohol. Eat before, during, or after going out to help with hangovers.

Bananas – Restore full muscle function by giving them a good boost of potassium. It helps with those day-after shakes you might sometimes feel. On that same note, kiwi and spinach are also loaded with potassium.

Clear Liquids – Before, during, and after drinking, focus on clear liquids rather than those rich in color. Drinks with brandy, bourbon, red wine, tequila, and others are rich in cogeners, which means they’re far more likely to cause a hangover. Drink a glass of water in between each drink as well as in earnest before going to sleep.

Honey gets toxins out and restores antioxidants and fructose.

Coconut Water – Coconuts, and coconut products are amazing. Coconut water is no exception. Filled with electrolytes without all the artificial ingredients, it’ll help restore your body faster than sugary sports drinks.

Eggs – Organic pastured eggs will give your body some much needed protein, which helps to break down toxins and restore vitamins drained by alcohol.

Honey – Eat raw honey with a few crackers to restore antioxidants and fructose. This will help flush out your system and get rid of any toxins that might still be lingering the day after.

Organic Broth – Drink clear organic broth the day after drinking help replace lost sodium and potassium in your body.

Prickly pear helps soothe inflammation.

Prickly Pear – Offsets inflammation caused by alcohol if consumed as a fruit, in capsule form, or as a tea or juice a few hours before the party starts. Delicious and nutritious!

Tea – Craft a cuppa ginger or peppermint tea to ease any nausea you might have. I’d stick with herbal blends until you’re sure your body can handle caffeine.

Toast – Your liver is too busy processing alcohol to regulate blood sugar, which means that you’re very likely to be lacking in that department. Pop a few slices in the toaster and top them with butter (I also like cinnamon and sugar on mine). It’ll help get your blood sugar back up as well as settling an upset stomach.

Tomato Juice – Vitamin and mineral-rich tomato juice might be just what you need after St. Patty’s Day. It’ll rehydrate your body and flush out toxins from your system, leaving you feeling refreshed.

Quinoa – Your amino acids also get drained by alcohol, but quinoa can help replace them! Plus, its nice neutral flavor will be easy to stomach even when you’re not feeling so great.

Trade the coffee for a soothing herbal tea instead.

And a few things to avoid (even if you think you’re craving them), as they’ll likely irritate your stomach even more:

Coffee

Greasy food

Alcohol

Orange or grapefruit juice

What are your favorite foods and drinks after a night on the town?

All images are from Shutterstock.

Essential Home Remedies: Stomach

Last week, I talked about several easy home remedies to treat minor skin ailments like rashes and acne. This week, I’d like to go down that same road but for internal problems instead. When you’ve got a stomachache or suddenly find yourself feeling nauseous, it’s not convenient to make a trip to the store. Keep these items around the house for an all-natural solution to your problems.

Ginger root can calm an upset stomach.
Image: Shutterstock

Nausea: It happens to the best of us: you’re doing fine and then all of a sudden you’re not. You’re nauseous and uncomfortable. No Pepto Bismol to save you? Try sugar—that’s mostly what OTC remedies are made up of, anyway. Have some sugary syrup (like from a can of fruit) or drink some (flat) soda. Ginger and peppermint are also natural stomach settlers, so having a ginger ale, chewing some fresh ginger, or even eating a Peppermint Patty can help.

Diarrhea: No one like to talk about it, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen. If you’ve got a case of the runs, try making some tea with pomegranate skin in it. Steep about 1 tablespoon in a cup of boiling water for 3-4 minutes. Oak bark works, too, if you boil for 3 minutes then let it steep for 30 minutes. Drink 2 tablespoons 4-6 times per day. Why do these remedies work? They contain tannins, which promote the production of mucus in the stomach lining and protect it from further irritation.

Pomegranate skin tea can help treat diarrhea.
Image: Shutterstock

Food Poisoning: If you’ve got food poisoning, you’ll need something to absorb the toxins. Brew some black tea and make some burned toast. Tannic acid and charcoal (the burned part on the toast) will help soak up those toxins and get you feeling better faster. However, if you have extreme food poisoning, go see the doctor.

Hangover Queasiness: Alcohol drains your body, dehydrates it, and generally makes it unhappy. If you wake up after a night of drinking and feel sick, try drinking a cup of tomato juice with a bit of Tabasco sauce. Sounds suspiciously like a Bloody Mary, I know, but hear me out. The antioxidants in the tomato juice and Tabasco will get your liver going again and supplies your body with much-needed antioxidants to kick-start the recovery process.

Has anyone tried these remedies? I keep ginger tablets on hand for queasiness, and I’ve used sugar to help relieve nausea before. Be sure to let me know if there are any other natural remedies you use for upset stomachs—who knows, maybe I’ll add them onto the list!

Stay tuned for the next part of this series: Sinus and Throat. I’ve got a few more home remedies to share that I think you’ll all appreciate. And with spring in full swing, natural allergy remedies will be ever so useful!

Remember that these are just suggestions to consider. Before treating yourself, be sure to consult with your doctor or other licensed health professional. Be sure to share your natural remedy experiences in the comments below!

5 Common Headaches

We’ve all likely had headaches in our lives. They come in different forms and can be caused by a wide array of things. One-time occurrences are common, but so too are recurring headaches. It’s important to recognize different types of headaches and what’s causing them so you can minimize the chance you’ll get another one as well as determine proper treatment.

Headache types by location
Image from ufandshands.org

Let’s start with the common, self-induced hangover headache. Doctors aren’t positive what exactly causes hangover headaches. Alcohol can cause blood vessels to become inflamed and dehydrates us, both common causes of headaches. Circumstances like staying up late and missing out on morning caffeine can also be contributors. Drinking extra water while drinking, before bed, and after waking up can help reduce hangover headaches. Over the counter painkillers can also be used.

Tension headaches are also common and are characterized by their “behind the eyes” location. If your headaches just behind your eyes or forehead, it’s likely a tension headache and can be treated using over the counter products. Likely causes of these headaches are eyestrain, bad lighting or fluorescent lights. They are generally mild.

Massage can treat and prevent migraines

Image: Shutterstock

If your headache is just behind one eye or much more severe, it could be a migraine. Migraines are triggered by a number of things, including common food additives, caffeine, aspartame, sulfites, tannins, nitrites, alcohol, hidden additives (Tyramine or Phenylethylamine), and even leftovers (higher levels of Tyramine). Non-food causes can include stress, sleep deprivation, dehydration, fluorescent or bright lighting, and more. Migraines are often treated using prescription medication, though massage therapy is also a viable method for prevention.

Cluster headaches and migraines share many symptoms, but cluster headaches are unique in that they usually awaken someone from sleep. The also often last for a much shorter period of time—15 minutes to 3 hours—than migraines do (they can go on for days). Like migraines, prevention is key for cluster headaches and regular pain medications won’t have an effect. Treatments can include inhaling oxygen through a mask, local anesthetics, and prescription medications.

Cause or cure?
Image from memegenerator.net

Caffeine headaches can be brutal if you’re used to ingesting a lot of caffeine. They are most common in the morning and can be a catch-22 for the sufferer. While an occasional cup of coffee to cure the headache can help, doing so more than twice a week may call for additional treatment. Caffeine can also be a cause of headache, so be careful not to get caught in this cycle.