No Cure for Hangovers

The holidays are the hangover season -- liquor companies estimate they make 25 percent of their profits between Thanksgiving and New Year's. But researchers warn that there is no real cure for the hangover other than limiting alcohol consumption, Newsweek reported Dec. 12.

Veisalgia -- the medical term for the hangover -- is partly a "kind of mini withdrawal" caused by dropping blood-alcohol levels, partly the result of the impact of alcohol on the body, experts say. The worst moments of the morning-after hangover occur when the body's blood-alcohol level hits zero, but the stimulating chemicals released by the brain in response to drinking remain, causing an increased pulse rate, nausea, tremors, and heightened sensitivity to light and sound.

Hangover symptoms also may be caused by the body breaking down alcohol into the toxin acetaldehyde, which causes nausea, vomiting, and other hangover-like symptoms. The chemical can remain in the body even after all the alcohol is gone.

Another contributor to hangovers may be congeners, which are byproducts of distillation and fermentation and are especially prevalent in dark-colored liquors. Methanol is a congener; it is broken down by the body into formaldehyde. Alcohol also is a diuretic, which makes drinkers dehydrated, causing headaches and dry mouth.

Drinking water at a party can help lower alcohol consumption and keep you hydrated; eating, sleep and pain relievers also can help. Some say exercise eases hangovers, too. But experts say that so-called hangover remedies touted in commercials and ads are a waste of money. 

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