Winter Maladies: Natural Approaches
June Russell's Health Facts
Alcohol - Headaches/Hangovers
Headaches
About seven million adults in the U.S. suffer from headaches at least every other day. Frequent
headache is more prevalent among women than men, but not as pronounced as it is with migraine headaches.
{Headache 1998, in mercola.com - August 2002}
Migraines are closely linked to red wines and champagnes.
{"The Natural Way of Healing Chronic Pain," Teresa DiGeronimo, editor, plus 6 other authors, 1995}
Alcohol is among one of the most common causes of migraines, particularly red wine and beer.
{"Getting Healthy Now," book by Gary Null, 1999 - www.sevenstories.com}
The liver plays a role in migraines. If this vital organ is overloaded with toxic substances, it can cause inflammation that triggers migraine pain. To treat this problem avoid alcohol, caffeine, fat, and environmental chemical exposures.
{"Migraine Treatments That Really Work," Jamison Starbuck, ND, Bottom Line Health newsletter, July 2002}
--- Cluster Headaches ---
Cluster headaches tend to come in cycles, hitting the sufferer once or twice a day. They are more likely to strike smokers and can be triggered by alcohol. Tyramine, in aged cheeses and red wine, is thought to dilate blood vessels, but people have been given tyramine to headache sufferers and they don't get headaches. Migraine afflict as many as 26 million and are increasing. The use of over-the-counter pain relievers may not be safe, and analgesics, like aspirin and acetaminophen can cause a rebound effect.
{"The Pain is in the Brain," Discover magazine, March 2000, from headache researchers information}
Hangovers
In the U.S., the annual cost of hangover-related absenteeism and poor job performance is $148 billion.
{Health magazine Oct. 2002}
"In the medical community, we tend to focus on alcoholics. But that's a very small number of people, whereas being hung over is a common thing," said Jeffrey Wiese, medical professor at the University of California. He and colleagues at a San Francisco veterans hospital reviewed medical studies on alcohol published between 1966 and 1999, and the study appeared in the June 6, Annals of Internal Medicine.
It is the light or light-to-moderate drinkers who cause the most problems. More than half of all alcohol-related problems in the workplace are caused by light drinkers, and 87 percent by light-to-moderate drinkers. The problems are mostly due to hangovers. Researchers also found that people with hangovers posed a danger to themselves and others long after their blood alcohol levels had returned to normal, suggesting that hangovers could be more insidious than actual inebriation. "Even if you don't feel severely hung over, your cognitive abilities, concentration and technical skills may actually be diminished," Wiese said.
{"Hangovers - A Pain in the Workplace," alcoholism.about.com - June 2002}
Frequent hangover was associated with an increased mortality from respiratory diseases in Finland.
{Int J Epidemiol. 1983}
{"The Extent of the Problems and the Epidemiological Aspects of Alcohol Drinking," Department of Health and Human Services, 1990}
Smoking intensifies the problems of a hangover because of the additional toxins and further dehydration, and lack of sleep increases susceptibility to hangover. If you are a middle-aged male, do not start consuming alcohol regularly because it will increase your risk of mortality. Men who are regular drinkers or occasional drinkers have a slight higher risk of death from other causes other than heart disease. When compared with occasional drinkers, new drinkers do not have the reduction in death from coronary heart disease or cardiovascular mortality, and they have an increased risk of death from causes other than heart disease.
{Annals of Internal Medicine 2000 and Alcohol 1999, Hint #1061, “Summary of Hangover Hints Previously Posted,” in ‘Nutrition Hints,’ Betty Kamen, PhD, and Dr. Michael Rosenbaum, MD, Jan. 2003} Editor's comment: The message is - don’t start now!
--- Causes of Hangovers ---
Alcohol is a diuretic; that is, it increases urination and dries you out, explains alcohol metabolism researcher James Schaefer, PhD, professor at the Union College in Schenectady, NY. Drinking plenty of water for a hangover the next morning helps compensate for dehydration. Impurities are added to alcoholic beverages during the distillation process, and these contribute to the nasty stomach ache you get with your hangover. These impurities are especially high in sweeter drinks and malt liquors. Drinking lots of water also dilutes the impurities.
A hangover is actually a toxic reaction to alcohol, or even a mild form of alcohol poisoning. Toxins can result from chemicals in the alcohol. Methanol and acetone can be found in drinks which some believe, to cause hangovers worse than the alcohol.
{"Natural Hangover Help," herbsforhealth.about.com - July 2002}
Alcohol is a diuretic, a drug that increases urination and flushes fluid from the body. Drinking coffee the next morning only increases the problem because coffee is also a diuretic. There are mild poisons in some alcoholic drinks, such as methanol and acetone. Dr. Ian Calder of the London-based National Hospital for Neurosurgery has said these substances are responsible for hangovers rather than alcohol (ethanol). Drinks which are worse for hangovers are listed in descending order: brandy, red wine, rum, whiskey, white wine, gin and vodka. The British Medical Journal did tests that showed drinking bourbon whiskey is twice as likely to cause a hangover than the same amount of vodka. If you drink red wines and Chardonnay which is younger than three years (maturing in oak barrels), there will be a higher level of "nasties" that can cause hangovers. If left to mature, these nasties change to neutral substances.
{"What causes hangovers?" www.drinkease.com - July 2002}
Evidence suggests that the chemical, acetaldehyde, which is produced by the human body as it processes alcohol, may cause cancer. In addition to the ‘morning after’ effects, it has been shown to damage certain genetic building blocks which are efficiently inserted into DNA.
{“Cancer Added to Hangover Headaches,” American Chemical Society, in Science Daily, October 2002}
--- Hangover Remedies ---
Most hangover remedies are ineffective. The primary cause of hangovers are congeners which are byproducts of the fermentation process that give alcoholic beverages flavor, aroma and color. Some people can't enjoy one beer or glass of wine without suffering from a splitting headache.
{"Chaser is serious hangover prevention," www.doublechaser.com - Oct. 2002}