'Tis the Season for Hangovers: Two MDs Offer Recovery Advice 

The holiday party season is in full swing. One festive toast at a party uptown, flowing drinks downtown, and the next thing you know it's the dreaded hangover.

While there is no "cure" for a hangover, Romy Block, MD, and Arielle Levitan, MD, practicing physicians, co-founders of Vous Vitamin and co-authors of the award-winning book "The Vitamin Solution: Two Doctors Clear the Confusion about Vitamins and Your Health" offer five tips for preventing a hangover.

Drink Water, and Lots of It
Since alcohol dehydrates the body, begin and end your night on the town with plenty of water. If you're hopping from one holiday party to the next, alternate between alcoholic beverages and water. Be sure to drink lots of water the following day, too, as your body will still be thirsty for hydration.

Eat
Drinking on an empty stomach significantly increases your rate of intoxication so Drs. Block and Levitan advise eating before and/or during your celebrations. Having food in your stomach -- particularly, proteins, fats and dense carbohydrates -- helps dilute the concentration of alcohol in your belly and slows the absorption process.

Caffeinate
Studies have shown that caffeine may help relieve a hangover-induced headache. Makes sense -- the stimulant is often found in over-the-counter headache medications; however, Drs. Block and Levitan do not recommend products that combine caffeine and alcohol due to safety issues. Save your caffeine for the morning after.

"Caffeine can be helpful for the headaches associated with a hangover but only when taken at that time. It should not be taken at the same time as alcohol because the combination can be dangerous," warned Dr. Block. "The caffeine in high concentrations can mask the depressant effects of alcohol�so it can then�reach very toxic blood levels. There have been several FDA warnings about combining the two in significant amounts."

Replace Electrolytes
Combat the diuretic effect of alcohol by replacing electrolytes with a sports drink or a supplement, like Vous Vitamin Recovery Act, which contains thiamine, folic acid and magnesium. The unique formulation was inspired by the IV fluid dubbed a "banana bag," which is used in hospital settings to treat heavily intoxicated patients. It works by replenishing nutritional deficiencies and preventing alcohol from binding to certain cell receptors in the brain.

"Vous Vitamin's Recovery Act is a blend of vitamins and nutrients made specifically to combat the toxic effects of alcohol," said Dr. Levitan. "It is based on the IV formulation that hospital's use to rehydrate and help patients recover from acute intoxication. The blend of electrolytes, when taken with adequate water helps rehydrate and replenish nutrients in brain cells that often become depleted with alcohol use."

Sleep
While alcohol may help people fall asleep faster, it has been shown to disrupt sleep patterns and results in a night of poor quality sleep. After too many cocktails, rest and recuperate with time.