Day 66- Hangover Cure for Cinco de Mayo

Another holiday is here that celebrates with lots and lots of booze. But not just any booze; tequila, which has left many of us feeling not so "hot" the next day. So to make sure that you don't waste May 6th laying in bed with a awful hangover, try these tips tonight.

• Take your B Vitamins before and after a night of drinking- can help reduce some of the damage alcohol inflicts on the liver. Plus drinking depletes your B vitamins, so it is a good idea to restore levels in your body.
  
• Replenish your electrolytes with coconut water before you go to bed and when you wake up in the morning. The dehydration, will cause the body to draw water from the brain, constricting it, which leads to headaches, fatigue, and dizziness.
• Take extra antioxidants- this will help to counter balance the free radical damage from the drinks. A good choice is a glutathione cream.
• Take N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC), which is a precursor for glutathione, and is needed to break down the dangerous side effects of ethanol; Acetaldehyde. Acetaldehyde is responsible for a majority of the hangover symptoms. NAC works best when taken with B vitamins.
• Order a glass of water in between each alcoholic beverage that you drink, this will help you drink less and keep yourself hydrated (plus you will get exercise with all the restroom trips that you will have to take).
• Make sure you eat a complete balanced meal before you begin drinking; preferably including something fatty, such as cheese.
• Skip the extra sugary drink options, these drinks will cause you blood sugar to spike, putting more stress on your liver

What causes a Hangover?

• The presence of alcohol (ethanol) increases urination. Ethanol inhibits the secretion of the antidiuretic hormones (ADH or vasopressin) by the pituitary, which causes the kidneys to send water straight to the bladder; bypassing absorption by the body.
• Acetaldehyde is formed in the body when an enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase breaks down ethanol in the liver. Acetaldehyde is far more toxic than ethanol itself, so the body then releases acetaldehyde dehydrogenase and glutathione to break down the acetaldehyde. If you drink to much glutathione stores becomes overwhelmed and the liver produces more, but can't keep up, causing acetaldehyde to accrue in the body. This is the cause of many of the hangover symptoms.
• During fermentation and distillation byproducts are created, called congeners. Congeners can include acetone, acetaldehyde, and tannins used to distinguish drinks. Keep in mind the darker the liquor the higher the levels of congeners. In a study, whiskey drinkers suffered worse hangovers than vodka drinkers, even though both groups drank the same about.

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Pura Vida!

Alica Ryan, NTP