How to cure a hangover

Pharmacist Brenda Donald from Central Parade Pharmacy & Herbal Dispensary, Mount Maunganui.

From Burger King, blue Powerade and sleep, to spirulina, exercise and hydration, there are many hangover cures Bay locals swear by.

But, unfortunately, for those who enjoyed New Year's Eve just a bit too much, most don't work.

And some remedies, like the hair of the dog, can make you feel even worse. Bay health experts say the only sure-fire way of avoiding a hangover is to not drink.

Bay of Plenty Times readers took to Facebook yesterday to share their hangover cures, with mince and cheese pies, orange juice and Berocca the clear winners.

Others said a big sleep, painkillers and even a workout helped.

But according to Central Parade Pharmacy & Herbal Dispensary pharmacist Brenda Donald, water is the way to go.

"Alcohol is a diuretic, which increases urination, and leaves you dehydrated.

"But that is not the only problem, with impurities added to alcoholic beverages during the distillation process contributing to the stomach ache you get when you are hungover.

"Prevention is better than cure when it comes to a hangover, but if you can't help yourself, drinking water is one of the best things you can do. It rehydrates your body and dilutes the impurities left in your stomach."

Ms Donald said such products as Hydrodol were good to take before going out and when you get home after a big night out. "And B vitamins are good, drinking a Berocca will help a little but really it is all about rest and hydration."

A double latte and pain killers were also high on the hangover cure list, but

Hair of the dog: Hangovers make you feel horrible because alcohol is toxic and you need to give your body a chance to recover. That morning drink could lead to an even worse hangover the following day.

Greasy food: Health experts recommend sticking to easy to digest foods such as toast and cereal.

Coffee: Caffeine narrows your blood vessels and boosts blood pressure, both will make the hangover worse.

Exercise: You are already dehydrated and exercise requires hydration. Put the sneakers away and hit the couch.

Sleep: If you have the luxury of sleeping it off, do so. Your brain and body will thank you for giving then time to heal on their own. Jude Randell, the owner of Bethlehem Health and Tea Shop, said drinkers would be better off looking after their long-term health. ' ' Painkillers j ust mask the symptoms, they don't help your body heal," she said. "And coffee really just dehydrates you further, which is the last thing your body needs."

Ms Randell said bitter herbs like milk thistle, dandelion and artichoke helped people's livers deal with all the alcohol thrown at them over the holiday period.

"Those bitter herbs help stimulate liver enzymes," she said.

"After a big night out it can take liver cells weeks to regenerate and herbs will give them a bit of a boost, which most people need at this time of year."

JUNE

of the world's most successful coaches, sevens rugby legend Gordon Tietjens, is knighted in the Queen's Birthday Honours List. The Mount Maunganui resident was honoured just weeks after guiding his team to a record 11th IRB World Series title in 14 years. Sir Gordon has been in charge of the team since 1994.

Art Gallery was chided for displaying photos that featured coarsely worded messages scrawled beside images of a 1974 gay liberation dance. "This could not be deemed 'art' by any stretch of the imagination," said Jocelyn Winwood. Gallery director Penelope Jackson defended the works by the established art photographer. "Art often challenges us, both in good and bad ways."

hopes of getting a new $3.3 million library were dashed yet again after the council buckled to pressure to sort out the city's flood problems first. Friends of the Libraries chairwoman Kate Clark said that while she felt sorry for flooded homeowners, it had happened three times already and she challenged why the council had not got onto it quicker. "We are left with our leaking library that is way too small."

Black great and sometimes Papamoa resident Sir Colin 'Pinetree' Meads' comment that children must play sport to win drew a tactful response from Bay rugby boss Mike Rogers. Meads said the education system taught children to be good losers "but you must always play to win". Rogers said learning to win and lose had valuable outcomes for children. "I think you learn a lot from just participating."

dairy farmers lost about $74 million from the combined effects of plummeting milk production and supplementary feed costs caused by the drought. The flow-on effect from farmers spending less affected agricultural contractor Peter Bradstreet whose income was down $450,000 this year. His workload had halved because of the parched pastures.

plans for a new three-storey building on The Strand were announced by the owners of the now demolished Grumpy Mole Saloon. The 1200sq m building will house a new restaurant and offices and was scheduled to be completed by next April. Demolition of the old pub had been "influenced" by new earthquake strengthening standards that followed Christchurch's quakes.

Fawkes mask was donned by Tauranga doctor Mustafa Sabanli to cover his face as he left court after answering charges that related to fleeing from police and crashing his car. The 30-year-old Tauranga Hospital doctor pleaded guilty to driving with excess breath alcohol, driving in a dangerous manner, failing to stop for police and failing to remain stopped. He resigned his job.

for death has become a liberating experience for a group of women drawn together by the unusual task of building their own coffins. Sitting in their homes, the coffins were either disguised as book cases and tables or proudly propped up in bedrooms. "It is not morbid. It is facing the reality of our own mortality," club member Jillian Brown said.

Tauranga lost the lease to operate the Cargo Shed after the council backed the case put up by disgruntled stallholders. The decision was a stunning conclusion to the rift that developed between Creative Tauranga and stallholders after the stallholders were evicted. Creative Tauranga said the shed was not working and needed to be modernised.

mast was a shattering blow for Bruce Goodchap, the Tauranga skipper of yacht Squealer, which lost its rig just 120 nautical miles from winning the Auckland to Musket Cove Fiji Ocean Race. It gutted Mr Goodchap and the rest of the syndicate of seven sailors who regarded the race as the culmination of a 12-year dream.

of new homes have trebled as the region's building sector shakes off the lingering effects of the global credit crunch. GJ Gardner sales consultant Bruce Matthews said sales had taken off in the last couple of months. They were now averaging 10 new contracts a month compared with two to three a month over the past seven years.

32 million state-of-the-art radiotherapy facility is being built at Tauranga Hospital so patients will no longer have to travel outside the region for treatment. The new radiotherapy centre will be completed mid-2014. About 500 Bay patients a year receive radiotherapy treatment, with most opting to go to Hamilton.

reputation as the place to win big in Lotto took another step up when a Tauranga woman and fan of Absolutely Fabulous won $9.83 million with her Powerball ticket. She bought the ticket on a whim from Mount Paper Power and planned to treat herself to a new home, car and world travel. Other big wins have included $8.6 million in 2007, $13.3 million in 2008 and the big kahuna, $27 million, in 2012.

school catering for up to 700 students is planned to be built on a 14ha block in Pyes Pa opposite Tauranga Cemetery. The purchase of the kiwifruit orchard represented the first venture outside Auckland for ACG Group's New Zealand operation. The plan was to eventually offer pre-school to secondary education.

cannabis was described as "madness juice" by a senior police officer who said its popularity had contributed to increasingly violent attacks on police. Wayne Aberhart said users were hard to subdue: "People just don't listen to any sort of reason whatsoever. I suppose it is like P."