Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, December 20, 1994 TAG: 9412200064
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB KOSTANCZUK KNIGHT-RIDDER/TRIBUNE
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
``Have toast with honey,'' suggested the 62-year-old Merrillville, Ind., resident. ``The sugar in the honey counteracts the booze.''
Although it's no panacea, Calvert's suggested remedy happens to be a sound response to tying one on, according to Dr. Seymour Diamond, executive director of the Chicago-based National Headache Foundation.
``Honey contains a sugar known as fructose,'' explained Diamond, ``and fructose is a sugar that helps alcohol burn off faster within the body.''
However, Calvert can offer no personal testimony as to whether the honey-toast combination is a godsend for those who have been lascivious about libations.
``I've never had to try it,'' he said.
That's all the better for Calvert.
While much of the emphasis during the holidays centers on curing a hangover, many medical experts contend the real focus should be on avoiding them in the first place.
The National Headache Foundation, for instance, suggests drinking in moderation, if at all.
If alcohol abstinence isn't an option during the Christmas-New Year's season, there are ways to drink moderately and avoid the dreaded hangover.
The National Headache Foundation suggests sipping drinks slowly, while also noting that mixed drinks containing fruit or vegetable juices will probably have less of a detrimental effect than downing straight alcohol.
Once again, said Diamond, it's the fructose in the juice that helps burn off alcohol faster.
But Diamond said he is not giving a green light to the avid consumption of a variety of mixed drinks.
``Mixing two different types of alcohol is usually not the healthiest thing in the world to do,'' he said.
While certain types of drinks seem to produce headaches more readily (draft beer is sometimes mentioned as a culprit), others tend to have milder aftereffects when consumed in moderation, Diamond said.
``White wine, the vodkas and the gins are probably the least headache-producing of drinks,'' said Diamond, adding that white wines, in particular, ``are usually less bothersome than either beer or red wine.''
However, any kind of substantial drinking on an empty stomach is not a good idea, according to the Washington, D.C.-based TIPS company (Training for Intervention Procedures by Servers of Alcohol).
TIPS official Adam Chafetz said eating food will slow down the rate of alcohol absorption.
``Just nibble on stuff,'' he suggested.
Medical experts, however, warn against eating a lot of fatty foods to avoid hangovers - respiratory problems could ensue if the drinker vomits.
Despite all of the tips on hangover prevention, many will imbibe to excess this holiday season - and pay the price.
Everyone seems to have his or her own cure.
For Chafetz, drinking a lot of water right before going to bed seemed to help.
Others try a one-two punch.
``All I can do is [take] aspirin and drink juice,'' said David Knauer, 42, of Hobart, Ind., as he recently bellied up to the bar at a Hobart watering hole.
In a nearby tavern, Marty Crontz, 28, of Portage, Ind., said he favored aspirins before hitting the hay.
Wendy LaBisoniere, a 23-year-old clerk at a Schererville, Ind., record store, has leaned on ibuprofin.
``My ma takes it for arthritis, I take it for hangovers,'' she said with a laugh.
Tony Jones, 30, of Gary, Ind., utilizes the ``hair of the dog'' approach, which calls for drinking some more to reduce hangover symptoms.
``The only way to cure my hangover was to have another shot of what I drank [the night before] - the old saying: `Bite the dog that bit you.' That was my remedy. Maybe it's all in the mind, but it worked for me,'' he said.
However, medical experts warn against that solution.
Russell Mankes, an East Coast toxicologist, sees the ``hair of the dog'' approach as a possible first step toward alcohol dependency.
Diamond said another bad hangover remedy is excessive consumption of coffee.
While conceding one or two cups may help, Diamond said pumping an intoxicated person full of coffee can do more harm than good.
``If you take excessive amounts - four, five, six cups - it causes a rebound swelling of the blood vessels and can cause problems,'' he said.
Mankes also says hot coffee may end up irritating a raw stomach, while also noting that coffee is a diuretic that doesn't serve the cause of rehydrating a dehydrated body after heavy drinking.
Another warning from Mankes: Ibuprofin can irritate a stomach that is already irritated from the drinking.
A hangover remedy he does like, though, is milk, which can soothe a jumpy stomach and furnish nutrients.
Since rehydrating after a drinking binge is important, a drink like Gatorade can help do the trick and aid in the replacement of important minerals, according to Diamond.
Bouillon cubes can also be of use.
Another fact to mull over: Recent studies have suggested that a cup of coffee and a couple of aspirins may help when a mild, migraine-like headache is in the works.
Some packaged products also purport to help. One is ``XS,'' which is sold at major drug chains. The liquid formula combines non-aspirin pain reliever, antacids, a coating ingredient for the stomach and caffeine.
Other reported remedies include magnesium, primrose oil capsules and cold pizza.
But Mankes believes that when all is said and done, there is no real cure for a hangover.
His parting advice: ``Drink in moderation.''
by CNB