Educate yourself about alternative medical treatments available for specific diseases and conditions. This site is presented to help you research alternative medical treatments, natural and herbal remedies and different ways of thinking about how to solve specific medical problems.  Please read our disclaimer.

Alternative Treatments for Hangovers

Alternative treatments for hangovers have been used by people in other cultures for many years.  Some treatments are very effective for some people.  Others may only work because the patient believes they will work, much like the way placebos sometimes work in medical experiments.  However, we believe that the more you know about the options, the more you will be able to make intelligent, informed decisions about the medical treatment, which may be right for you and your particular medical conditions.  Please read our disclaimer.

About Hangovers

A hangover refers to the unpleasant symptoms that follow the consumption of a drug, and for the purposes here, namely alcohol. Alcohol consumption has many effects on the body, most are notable at the time of consumption, but others are only demonstrated through resulting feelings the next day. Symptoms of nausea, headaches, lethargy, irritability, and sensitivity to light are common following a night of too much alcohol. These sensations come as the result of many of the different effects of alcohol on our body.

As many know, alcohol is a diuretic, increasing the amount of fluids we excrete. This loss of fluid from our body can drain water from muscles and the brain, resulting in headaches, lethargy and tiredness. Alcohol is known to linger and upset the stomach, resulting in nausea. Further, low blood sugar is caused as metabolism of sugars is often stopped for the period that alcohol is being metabolized. As most people know, a reduction in drinking is the best way to prevent a hangover. Most individuals have the ability to metabolize one drink every hour. For those days when this natural limit has been overextended to the point of causing hangovers, these following remedies can help to relieve some of the painful symptoms. In the end, remember while relieving symptoms, they are the body’s attempt to signal that something is wrong.

• Hydration is the main key to both helping to prevent and relieve hangovers. While drinking, a good rule of thumb is to drink one glass of water for every alcoholic beverage that you have. Following drinking and prior to a hangover, when resting yourself down to bed, or when you wake up in the middle of the night to urinate, having a glass of water at that point can also go a long way. Finally, in the morning when you actually experience a hangover, water can still be very helpful in relieving headaches and helping you feel more energized.
   
• Juice and sports drinks are very helpful in addition to and in substitution with water. Unlike water, these beverages can help to resupply electrolytes that are lost when drinking. Further, the fructose in these beverages is also said to stimulate the removal of alcohol from your system.
   
• Never drink on an empty stomach. Even after drinking alcohol and before a hangover it can be beneficial to eat to get food in your stomach. The presence of food, especially fatty foods, absorbs alcohol and mediates both how drunk you get and how hung over you feel the next day.
   
• Take note of which alcohols present symptoms of hangovers. Congeners, substances that result from the metabolism of alcohol in our bodies, are known to exaggerate hangovers’ effects. White wine is known to have very few congeners, and thus may be one of the best alcohols to drink. Others, like red wine, can present specific symptoms like headaches in persons for other reasons and may best be avoided. Of course, each person will want to adjust according to his or her personal reactions to various alcohols.
   
• While and shortly after drinking alcohol the human body loses a great deal of potassium. And the lack of this important chemical furthers the detrimental feelings of a hangover. Therefore, replenishing the body’s supply of potassium is a very beneficial remedy for a hangover. Bananas are an infamous source of potassium. More natural sources of potassium include apricots, raisins, chicken, fish, turkey, carrots and potatoes to name a few.
   
• Ensure that your body has enough magnesium. Magnesium is known to deplete due to heavy alcohol drinking and results in more severe hangovers. Magnesium is found in green vegetables, particularly spinach and legumes such as beans and peas. Further nuts, particularly almonds and cashews, seeds and unrefined (whole) grains are good sources as well. As a mineral, magnesium is often found in tap water; however this is very much dependent on the source.
   
• A lack of the B6 vitamin is also shown to exaggerate hangovers, and drinking does drain this substance from the consumer’s body. B6 is a common vitamin and is found in meats, nuts, whole grain products and vegetables. Specifically, the best sources of the vitamin are in potatoes, bananas, rice and carrot and tomato juice.
   
• Exercise can be helpful in eliminating hangovers. Cardiovascular exercises that slightly raise a person’s heart rate mean that more blood is pumped throughout the body. This blood comes with renewed oxygen that helps the body to get over a hangover more quickly.
  
  
   

Have questions about Alternative Treatments?

We recommend that you review the information about physical therapy on this website, look at the alternative medical treatments on the appropriate websites, do your own independent research, talk with your doctor or other medical professional and learn as much as you can before making the decision that is right for you.  We are not qualified to answer medical, behavioral or health related questions, so please do not ask.