Have a Little Hair of the Dog - It'll Cure That Hangover

That simple phrase that describes the solution for your morning woes after you've had one too many drinks. Traditionally this phrase was meant to describe the process of drinking the same alcohol you had the night before to help alleviate the side effects of alcohol.

Some folks swear by the remedy. Others insist it only delays the inevitable. Hangover symptoms may include fatigue, headache, nausea, dehydration and sensitivity to light and noise.

One factor contributing to hangovers are the byproducts from the breakdown of alcohol in the liver. One of these byproducts, acetaldehyde is between 10 and 30 times more toxic than alcohol itself, and is recognized as a carcinogenic and mutagenic.

These byproducts impair the ability of the liver to supply glucose to the tissues, especially the brain. Because glucose is the primary energy source of the brain, this lack of glucose contributes to hangover symptoms such as fatigue, weakness, decreased attention and concentration.

Alcohol decreases the liver's supply of detoxification agents, reducing its ability to effectively remove toxins from the blood stream. In addition alcohol induces enzymes which produce toxins and free radicals.

Alcohol dehydrates the body by increasing urine production which causes headaches, dry mouth and general lethargy. It also causes fluids in the brain to be less plentiful.

So the first line of defense against a hangover is to drink plenty of water before, during and after consuming your favorite "adult beverage".

The second line of defense may actually be taking a little "Hair of the Dog", but not in the traditional sense of drinking more alcohol. I've discovered a product by that name.

"Hair of the Dog" is a beverage that contains a proprietary blend of 3200 mg of phase one and phase two liver detoxifiers along with vitamins C, B3, B6 & B12, Pantothenic Acid and Potassium.

From personal experience, I know that it works. The liver detoxifiers apparently help the liver break down the toxic effects of alcohol. I've used the product as a mixer (quite tasty), and suffered no hangovers after a night of "indulging". More importantly, after a night of heavy consumption a while back, I woke with a massive hangover. I popped open a can of Hair of the Dog and within about 45 minutes the hangover was gone.

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