Make holiday spirits bright with hangover cures

From Bloody Caesars to actual bloodletting, cures abound, writes Jody Robbins.

If your holiday season involves endless socializing, there’s a good chance alcohol will be involved and, at some point, you’re going to be hungover. Making merry and overindulging are, for some, what the holidays are all about.

Make spirits bright again by trying one of these local hangover cures.

IV NUTRIENT INFUSION

It’s one thing to take an Ibuprofen and a B-vitamin as a preventive measure before bed. It’s quite another to mainline your meds in a doctor’s office. While the jury is out on whether IV vitamin therapy improves the health of people who suffer from vitamin deficiencies, there appears to be little risk in one-off treatments.

This type of IV therapy mostly bypasses the gastro-intestinal tract and delivers nutrients right to the bloodstream and tissue level. This means patients receive much higher doses of vitamins and nutrients than they could ever take by mouth. “It delivers the highest possible absorption,” avows Tammy Glenn, a registered nurse, who administers IV nutrient infusions at Papillon Medical.

Here, infusions are tailored to your needs and after a quick consultation with a doctor, you’ll be hooked up to an IV delivering concoctions reputed to energize, revitalize, detox or manifest an inner glow. Ingredients can include magnesium, B and C vitamins, amino acids, Glutathione (an antioxidant) and Phosphatidylcholine, a phospholipid which helps to support the liver. Infusions take anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes on Mondays and Thursdays at Papillon Medical in Calgary’s Gulf Canada Square.

ACUPUNCTURE BLEEDING

A throwback to medieval times (minus the leeches), this type of bloodletting is not just a common practice in Chinese medicine but is used to treat headaches, nausea and general malaise in India and Egypt, too. In this treatment, a licensed acupuncturist uses a tiny lancet to prick the apex of the ear

— a strategic area in Chinese medicine — drawing a drop of blood. We’re talking mere drops of blood here, and it’s unlikely you’ll feel a thing. The punctured area is then quickly covered up with a cotton pad, so that it seals and coagulates.

According to Chinese medicine, alcohol adds more heat to the body’s system, which is why some folks become red and blotchy in the face after one too many. Bleeding is a way to release some of that excess, toxic heat, says Sonia Palak of Calgary’s Johal Health Centre. “It’s like a pressure cooker letting off steam. It takes the edge off.”

Additionally, your acupuncturist can work your liver and stomach channels to help support those organs. After a night of drinking, the liver is working hard to metabolize the alcohol, while the stomach is processing all those preventive treats you wolfed down before hitting the sack. Check with your provincial College and Association of Acupuncturist for a listing of licensed practitioners.

DRINK IT OFF

Locally made Wild Tea Kombucha, a fermented, slightly fizzy tea drink contains both glucosamine and glucuronic acid — both of which are reputed to help cleanse the liver. Fermented food and drink have naturally occurring B vitamins, which as we all know get depleted when drinking copious amounts of alcohol. Additionally, the low level of caffeine in kombucha can help soothe a pounding headache.

For some, hair of the dog is the only way out of their misery. For that, head to The Beltliner to build your own Caesar. Canada’s national drink morphs into breakfast in a glass with their dizzying array of toppings offered only on weekends. The OG is straight up, garnished with pickles, pepperoni and a celery stalk. Pimp it out with bacon strips, chicken and waffles, half an avocado or even a breakfast sandwich speared and set on top of your medicinal beverage.

BITE BACK

If the thought of a hearty fried breakfast doesn’t turn your stomach, it may be worth the drive to Turner Valley for Sunday brunch at The Westwood. Their aptly named hangover breakfast is comprised of shoestring fries, cheese curds, a sunny-side up egg and a dusting of sumac. It’s a fresh take on poutine with hollandaise replacing the gravy. Add in-house smoked bacon or brisket as an extra attempt to soak up that alcohol.

For a healthier option, look to Heaven, a gluten-free, Venezuelan restaurant on 17th Avenue S.W. Here, they serve up hangover soup, a.k.a. sancocho. You’ll feel much better (or at least more virtuous) scarfing back this traditional Latin American soup than a greasy burger. In Venezuela, sancocho is a typically served on Sundays, the morning after the night before. Its rich broth, made from chicken, beef and root vegetable stock, is easy on the stomach and helps to hydrate. Jam-packed with meat, potatoes, cassava, avocado and part of an ear of corn, it’s a complete meal that’s typically served with arepas.