Enniscorthy Guardian

Preventing a hangover during the festive season

- WITH CLAIR WHITTY Clair Whitty is a Bach Flower Practition­er, Nutritiona­l Health Coach and Vega Allergy Tester based at The Natural Health Store, 24 North Main Street, Wexford 053 9121613 | clairm1@eircom.net www.clairsclin­ic.ie

IT’S the party season and many of you will be heading out for the work party, or meeting up with people for a few drinks. You may have one or two drinks too many! Here’s why we suffer as well as some ways to help prevent a hangover.

Alcohol is a diuretic which means you will excrete four times as much water from your body than you drink. That will leave you feeling very dehydrated, and will also add to the headache that many of you experience. It even pulls water from the brain which is a major cause of that hangover headache. Scary! Alcohol dilates the blood vessels which causes pressure resulting in pain. Alcohol affects your blood sugar levels: it excretes glucose, and minerals like potassium and magnesium which can affect your energy levels, focus, and concentrat­ion.

So how can you prevent a hangover, or at least reduce the impact of it? If you eat fatty, oily foods before you drink it can slow down the absorption of alcohol. I think most would agree that that’s a good idea. Drink plenty of water before you go out and in between drinks.

Try Milk Thistle Complex by A. Vogel, it contains Milk Thistle, Dandelion, and Artichoke to help detox, strengthen, and protect the liver, and aid in fat digestion. Take it before going out, when you come in, and again in the morning.

Oxylent is a multivitam­in that will help to rehydrate you and keep you energised so that you can enjoy your evening. It comes in sachets which you add to water, it tastes great. Take it before you go out. You can take a second sachet if you are having a late night.

In the morning have a high carbohydra­te, high protein breakfast. Include eggs; this is very important as they contain cysteine which helps in the breakdown of alcohol.

A cup of coffee can help your hangover because it causes the blood vessels to shrink helping reduce pain. A good run later in the day will help if you can handle it. Some people find that Nux Vom a homeopathi­c remedy will help ease nausea.

I hope this informatio­n helps you to enjoy your socialisin­g over the festive season, hangover free! And that you have a great night out.

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