The Hangover! 12 Ways To Recover From Excessive & “Recreational” Alcohol Consumption
By Dr. Michael Wald, DC, MD, CDN, CNS (The Blood Detective)
Integrated Medicine of Mount Kisco
495 E. Main Street, Mount Kisco, NY 10549
914-242-8844 (Ext. 1)
Happy New Year! It’s no secret that many of you reading my article had some form of alcohol, or combination of alcoholic beverages, to usher in the New Year. Nothing wrong with a little celebration! What is not too smart is ignoring simple steps to help offset the known toxic effects of alcohol upon the body.
Even small amounts of alcohol can cause health problems that go unrecognized until it’s too late. Too much or too little alcohol is variable from person to person depending up many factors including your liver’s ability to detoxify alcoholic toxins.
Don’t fret! There are simple measures that you can take, right now, to help you recover more fully from a hangover and protect your body from the consumption of alcohol over the course of your lifetime. I have outlined some of the most important nutritional steps you should consider, but it is always best to have a nutritionally-oriented health care provider measure specifically what nutrients (vitamins, minerals, amino acids, etc.) are deficient and how precisely other what body systems have been impacted.
How Your Body Is Effected By Alcohol
Toxic effects of alcohol partially involve alcohol’s conversion in the body to another toxin called acetaldehyde, a potent carcinogen.
Fatigue from alcohol induced anemia can cause lightheadness and shortness of breath
Cancer Risk – Cancer sites linked to alcohol use include the mouth, pharynx (throat), larynx (voice box), esophagus, liver, breast, and colorectal region. Cancer risk rises even higher in heavy drinkers who also use tobacco.
Heart attacks from clots and more fatal heart attacks compared to those who do not drink. High blood pressure often results from regular alcohol consumption.
Liver cirrhosis that can sometimes be fatal also affecting many of the more than 500 known function of the liver including, detoxificiation, hormone balance, tissue repair, blood clotting, inflammation control, and much more.
Dementia – Alcohol is known to increase one’s risk of dementia or serious memory loss.
Depression – Alcohol causes a large number of nutritional deficiencies that promote depression, affects protein balance, lower neurotransmitter levels in the brain, destroys neurons and promotes inflammation.
Seizures – Toxins in alcohol can damages brain tissues resulting in seizures.
Gout – Alcohol causes an accumulation of uric acid in the body that destroys joints, increases heart disease risk, promotes inflammation plus other ill health effects.
Nerve Damage – Resulting in pain, tingling, numbness, muscle weakness, headaches, incontinence, constipation, erectile dysfunction, and other problems.
Infectious Disease – Risk increases due to a lowering of the immune system.
Intestinal Problems – Including esophagitis, gastritis, ulcers, malnutrition, malabsorption and more are common among regular drinks who are non-alcoholics.
Appearance – Is often dramatically affected causing brittle hair, hails teeth and bones, promoting wrinkling, discoloration and overall youthful appearance of these and other body tissues.
Medication Effects – Alcohol consumption may adversely effect how medications work.
Health Effects – Are compounded by other poor lifestyle habits such as dehydration, poor sleep habits, exercise, stress and diet. Genetics plays a role in terms of how well or unwell an individual’s liver and other body systems can withstand toxic alcohol effects.
Nutritional Protection
Below are a few of the most important nutritional steps you can incorporate into your life on a daily basis to help offset alcohol’s impact on both morbidity (loss of eventual quality of life) and mortality (life span).
1) Milk Thistle (Silymarin) – This herb has been shown to help the liver prevent and recover from toxic alcohol effects. Consider Milk Thistle available at: www.Blooddetective.com.
2) Lipoic Acid – This member of the B-vitamin family helps prevent and reduce the toxic effects upon the liver and helps protect the nervous system including the brain from alcoholic degeneration. Consider Alpha Lipoic Acid available at: www.Blooddetective.com.
3) B-vitamins/Multivitamins – Replacing B-vitamins is essential for anyone who drinks alcohol even recreationally. B-vitamin deficiencies can cause brain degeneration, fatigue, nerve damage and many other serious, and sometimes irreversible health problems. Consider Multivitamin-Mineral Complex available at: www.Blooddetective.com.
4) N-Acetyl Cysteine – This amino acid has significant liver protective and reparative effects and supports the liver’s ability to repair liver cirrhosis and fatty liver that form over the course of many years (often unnoticed) from alcohol consumption. Consider N-Acetyl-Cysteine available at: www.Blooddetective.com.
5) Vitamin C – is a powerful antioxidant and detoxifier that works best with the other supplements suggested here and helps offset liver hepatitis. Consider Vitamin C Synergy available at: www.Blooddetective.com.
6) Phytonutrient Drink – Plants contain hundreds of natural compounds that help promote immune balance, inflammation, detoxification and overall health and should always be considered by those who drink alcohol recreationally or excessively. Consider Green Detox, Longevity Complete, Reds Protect – 3 delicious drinks that are dissolved in water and consumed available at: www.Blooddetective.com.
7) Fluids – Do drink plenty of water. The amount of water you drink should produce nearly clear urine.
8) Active Folic Acid – This B-vitamin, in its active form, is needed to promote a healing reaction required for virtually all body tissues. Consider Active Folate available at: www.Blooddetective.com.
9) Active B12 – Deficiency of B12 results in depression, memory problems and dementia, heart disease, cancer and nerve damage. The best form of B-12 is known as methylated B12. Consider Liquid B12 available at: www.Blooddetective.com.
10) Vitamin D3 – Alcohol consumption promotes vitamin D3 deficiency that increases one’s risk of dying of anything. This is not an exaggeration! Sunlight and even eating foods high in vitamin D3 are not enough to correct a vitamin D3 deficiency caused by alcohol consumption. It is necessary to take a vitamin D3 supplement. The amount of vitamin D3 is best determined by blood levels and should reach a level of 75 ug/dL. The higher normal one’s blood level of vitamin D3 the lower one’s risk of dying prematurely. Consider D-5000 available at: www.Blooddetective.com.
11) Intravenous or intramuscular shots of nutrition and significant hydration is often used to help a person recover faster from both the acute and chronic effects of alcohol consumption. Intravenous nutrition administered in a hospital and is composed mostly of hydration fluid and sometimes a B-vitamin or two. At Integrated Medicine of Mount Kisco we formulate IV’s that provide a dozen or more nutritional factors shown to work on the immediate effects of alcohol upon the body and to help offset long term, serious health effects.
12) Eat Cleanly – Consider my Healthy Diet Basics as a guideline for overall health and wellbeing and to help your overcome, as completely as possible, alcohols effects. Go to: http://bit.ly/1aoka9v
Drinking alcohol is a life choice that may have serious health consequences. Be smart and take small steps today to help safeguard your health in the short and long term.
Nutritional Report Offer
Start your health off right in the New Year and schedule your Blood Detective Longevity Consultation that includes comprehensive testing of many body systems and your personalized nutritional report with suggestions. Call us at: 914-242-8844 (Ext. 1) or email us at: drwald@intmedny.com.
Disclaimer: This information is for educational purposes only and is not meant to replace the advice of your doctor. Taking nutritional supplements alone will not prevent potential health problems resulting from alcohol consumption. The specific nutritional compounds mentioned in this article may or may not have been studied as described herein. The supplements available from Blood Logic, Inc. have not been specifically studied against alcohols health effects.