HANGOVER

IF YOU WAKE UP WITH A HEADACHE, dizziness, fatigue and nausea the morning after a big celebration, chances are you remember exactly what caused those symptoms, because they're familiar: you have a hangover. The best advice medical experts can give you is to moderate your alcohol intake, but occasionally even one drink can be too much. That's because tolerance for alcohol varies widely from person to person, from drink to drink and from occasion to occasion. You may be able to knock back a six-pack at a weekend football gathering with no ill effects, but wake up woozy and in pain after a few glasses of wine at a relative's wedding.

Generally, the more you weigh, the more you can drink without getting a hangover. Also, if you drink regularly, your production of the enzymes that metabolise alcohol increases and so does your tolerance. This doesn't mean that consuming high quantities of alcohol is good for you - it simply means that, if you don't drink regularly, you're more likely to feel ill effects from those occasional nights on the town, as unfair as that seems.

When you drink, the alcohol is metabolised in your liver. There, it forms toxic by-products, which then circulate through the body, causing the pain that you feel as a hangover. The kidneys filter these waste products of alcohol out of the blood, but they must remove water while they're doing it. That causes dehydration, one of the major hangover symptoms.

Your body also uses many vitamins and nutrients to break down alcohol, especially the B vitamins. This results in a slight state of malnutrition that can worsen if your occasions for indulging occur every weekend - a good reason to make extra sure to take your vitamins during the holiday party season.
Eating lots of sugar can make a hangover worse, as can mixing different types of alcohol; both of these actions make the liver work harder. Generally speaking, light-coloured alcoholic beverages, such as white wine or vodka, are less likely to produce a hangover than, say, red wine or whisky.

If you are planning a night out or a celebration where you know you will be drinking alcoholic beverages, eat a well-balanced wholesome meal beforehand and make sure you drink plenty of water. After the celebration, drink a large glass of water before going to bed, take a vitamin-B-complex supplement that supplies at least 50 milligrams of niacin, and take a liquid bitters preparation (look for products that contain dandelion, gentian, mugwort or Angostura bitters) in water with a little honey. This may lessen the pain of the hangover you'll feel the next day.

DON'T JUMP THE GUN WITH PAINKILLERS
You're thinking, well, might as well wash my analgesics down with my last slug of beer and beat my hangover to the punch? Think again. Pain relievers should not be taken with alcohol. Aspirin and alcohol are both stomach irritants; combining them can damage the stomach lining.
Paracetamol and ibuprofen are metabolised by the liver, as is alcohol. Combining booze and one of these drugs can overload the liver. In fact, just such a combination has been in one case the cause of a liver transplant - not exactly the way you'd want to remember a celebration.
teaspoons

DRUG TREATMENT

Analgesics
Aspirin, paracetamol, ibuprofen. Function: relieve headache and other pain. Aspirin side effects: gastritis; at very high doses, vomiting, ringing in the ears. Paracetamol side effects: dizziness, excitement, disorientation, liver damage. Ibuprofen side effects: gastrointestinal irritation and bleeding, rash; with high doses, blood, liver and kidney damage.

HERBAL REMEDIES

Willow (Salix spp.)
The bark of this group of trees contains the same pain-relieving ingredient found in aspirin in much smaller amounts, so it may be less stressful on your stomach. You'll also find similar pain-relieving compounds in wintergreen. To make a tea, use the bark of willow or the leaves and flowering tops of wintergreen. Typical dosage: 1 to 3 cups of tea per day (steep 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of powdered bark of willow or wintergreen leaves and flowers in 1/4 litre of hot water for 10 to 15 minutes).

SUPPLEMENTS FOR THOSE WHO IMBIBE
So you travel a lot with your job, and such travel involves a lot of social imbibing with potential clients. What can you do? First, keep monitoring your alcohol intake and switch to soda water or tonic water after a certain number of drinks. Second, try taking the following supplements to minimise alcohol's effect on your overall health.

· Zinc. The enzymes that break down alcohol need this mineral to do their work. People who drink frequently are often deficient in zinc; if you want to take a supplement, take 15 milligrams. Or you can try eating a piece of whole-grain toast or some rice before drinking. This not only supplies zinc but also soaks up alcohol in the stomach, allowing it to be absorbed more slowly.
· B vitamins. The whole complex of these nutrients tends to be depleted in those who drink frequently. Like zinc, B vitamins are used by the enzymes that metabolise alcohol. Take a product that supplies at least 50 milligrams of each B vitamin (thiamine, niacin, B6, B12) and 100 micrograms of folic acid after drinking.
· Vitamin C. This antioxidant may help in the breakdown and removal of alcohol from the body. Take 1,000 milligrams of vitamin C as soon as possible after drinking a lot.
· Vitamin A. Excessive drinking depletes this important vitamin too. Morning-after Bloody Marys, made with tomato juice, may help hangovers because of their high levels of lycopene, a relative of vitamin A. Just make your Mary a virgin - that is, without the alcohol - and you've got a very healthful drink.


Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)
This bitter herb's root may help with hangovers by gently relieving constipation and stomachaches. It also stimulates the liver, which may have a beneficial effect on alcohol metabolism. And dandelion is a good source of antioxidants, such as vitamin A, that may help repair some of the damage the festive activities wreaked on your body. Typical dosage: 2 cups of tea per day, morning and evening (steep 1 to 2 teaspoons of dried root in % litre of hot water for 10 to 15 minutes); or 30 to 60 drops of tincture three times per day for the day or two that symptoms persist.

Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum)
This herb's seeds contain silymarin, which has been shown to protect the liver against a number of toxins, including alcohol. A frequent drinker or recovering alcoholic should take milk thistle extract on a daily basis. Typical dosage: 70 to 120 milligrams three times per day. If you are planning a rare, no-holds-barred celebration, take 70 to 120 milligrams once before drinking to help protect your liver.

SWEET CURE FOR A SPLITTING HEAD
Honey contains as much as 40 per cent fructose, a form of sugar that may speed the metabolism of alcohol and decrease the effects of a hangover. So
if tea and toast are all your dicey stomach can handle, you can amply sweeten the tea with honey. High amounts of fructose can also be, found in most fruits.

Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba)
Typically used to improve circulation, improve memory and decrease dizziness, ginkgo may help with hangover. In Japan the seeds of this tree are served at cocktail parties to prevent drunkenness and
hangovers. Typical dosage: three 40-milligram capsules of standardised extract per day.

Red or Chilli Peppers (Capsicum spp.)
Hot peppers contain the pain-relieving compound capsaicin. Try dried, ground peppers or powdered cayenne in a glass of tomato juice the morning after. But keep this Bloody Mary a virgin: fighting a hangover with another drink only delays your body's recovery. Typical dosage: a
pinch or so in food.