Medical Matters:At this time of year, doctors are frequently asked if they have a "secret" hangover cure. They don't; in fact the bad news for readers planning a festive blow-out is there is no effective treatment for overindulging in alcohol, writes Muiris Houston
Not that it has stopped the perennial search for a magic "cure". The hair of the dog is well known - a classic example is a 50/50 mix of tequila and tabasco sauce. The principle behind the hair of the dog is simply to postpone the inevitable. Adding to your alcohol overload the morning after the night before will not help you avoid a hangover.
Incidentally, the expression "hair of the dog" comes from the Middle Ages and a belief that a cure for a dog bite was to insert a burnt hair from the offending canine into the wound. The Ancient Greeks recommended the warm entrails of a freshly slaughtered sheep (would you ever drink again?), while the Romans opted for fried canaries.
By the 17th century, bleeding by leeches was the hangover remedy of choice - this cure must have really helped any poor soul already in the throes of the DTs, struggling to come to terms with imaginary rodents crawling all over his body.
One I hadn't heard of until recently is to take a sauna; it must surely make the symptoms of dehydration worse even if, in theory, you sweat the alcohol out of your body.
Other "cures" include drinking lots of water before you take to the bed; lots of sugary drinks; salty food; and the one cure that mystifies me because of its sheer unpalatability - a raw egg in vinegar or Worcestershire sauce with added salt and pepper.
Why does alcohol produce hangovers? Dehydration is definitely a factor; the toxic byproducts produced by the liver when it processes alcohol is another; and the reduction of blood sugar levels also plays a role.
For those who do wake up with a hangover, classic symptoms include irritability, a pounding headache, tummy cramps, diarrhoea and extreme thirst. And sometimes the hangover does not end after 24 hours.
One in eight new patients attending accident and emergency is there because of an alcohol- related injury; in a 2006 national survey, 44 per cent of respondents said they had been injured, harassed or intimidated by their own or someone else's drinking; and the number of people admitted to hospital with acute liver disease increased by 54 per cent from 1997 to 2004.
A problem particular to Ireland is that we are especially fond of binge drinking in one or two sessions a week. Rather than drinking moderately every day, one-third of Irish people take at least five drinks per session; elsewhere in Europe, just 2 per cent of Italians drink in heavy "bursts".
The effects of these drinking patterns are already being felt. Researchers from Trinity College Dublin reported recently that emergency admissions for alcohol-related acute pancreatitis (a potentially fatal inflammation of the pancreas gland) had risen sharply between 1997 and 2004. A particularly striking aspect of the research was that the rise in alcohol-related pancreatitis mirrored the rise in per capita alcohol consumption.
If the social aspect of Christmas is about stepping off the treadmill of everyday life, and our routine involves regular drinking sessions, maybe the festive season is a chance to live differently. And before I am accused of being the Christmas grinch, I am not for one minute suggesting total fast and abstinence.
By all means, drink alcohol but the holiday period could be the time to try drinking more regularly but moderately. Or maybe try different drinks - those fond of beer and spirits might enjoy a Christmas break with an emphasis on wine.
In the same way, Christmas offers an alternative to rushing around chasing our busy lives. Traditionally, this has meant lounging around watching TV, while a surfeit of rich food and inactivity causes our stomachs to grumble and our moods to worsen. This year, why not use your time off to start taking regular walks?
Two large studies published in the Archives of Internal Medicine last week emphasised the benefits of lifestyle changes, even for those who do not lose weight or are unable to quit smoking. Taking 30 minutes' moderate exercise - walking, dancing or gardening - most days of the week, reduces the risk of an early death by more than a quarter.
The studies of more than 500,000 Americans also found that a Mediterranean-style diet reduced the risk of death from heart attack, stroke and cancer by almost 20 per cent. Eating lots of vegetables, nuts, oily fish, fruit and pasta was the key.
While not wishing to overshadow the expertise of John McKenna elsewhere in the Health Supplement, anyone for a Christmas dinner of salmon, walnuts, broccoli and carrots with a blueberry or cherry dessert? A nice wine and some good quality dark chocolate will ensure a mild taste of hedonism.
Alternatively, you might like to stick to turkey and ham with all the trimmings but follow it up with a good walk.
Have a happy and healthy Christmas.
Dr Muiris Houston is pleased to hear from readers at mhouston@irish-times.ie but regrets he is unable to reply to individual medical queries.