Spring break. Warmer weather. St. Patrick’s Day. March Madness. In many ways, March might as well be called Merry March – and if your preferred form of merriment takes the form of booze, then March might be your hangover season too.
Of all these March fetes, St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, is probably the holiday best known for overindulgence in classic Irish beverages like Jameson and green beer. That means that March 18 is the day searches for hangover remedies spike.
You’ve probably heard of some of the classic hangover cures. Here are a few that aren’t as great as they’re cracked up to be, plus one that actually works.
Prevention
Not drinking at all is the only surefire way to avoid a hangover. But if you wake up with a throbbing headache, this knowledge is completely useless to you. Let’s move on.
Hair of the dog
Continuing to drink might delay the onset of symptoms by a few hours. But at some point, even you will have to stop drinking, and your hangover will be even worse. Plus, if you’re nursing a hangover on a workday, most employers will be less than sympathetic to a “medicinal” shot of vodka at your desk.
Greasy food
While any excuse to eat hash browns is welcome, there’s nothing about grease or fat that is particularly curative. (That said, some nutrition is always a good idea.)
But there’s one hangover remedy you might not have considered – and it works.
Massage
Here’s why massage is the hangover remedy you’ve always wanted.
It’s completely natural. No need to take drugs like aspirin, which can thin the blood and tax your already overloaded liver.
Massage boosts your immune system. During a hangover, your body is full of toxins, and your liver, the organ responsible for breaking them down, just can’t keep up. Massage will help your lymphatic system clear your blood of all the poisons you put into it on St. Patrick’s Day.
Hangovers mean headaches. A massage is a great way to increase circulation, which also pushes blood to the brain, easing pesky headaches caused by your hangover.
The only real cure for a hangover is time and rest. A massage helps your body relax and heal itself.
So go ahead and have fun on St. Patrick’s Day – just make sure to book an in home massage to cure that hangover afterward!