Call Us (219) 531-1234DETOX AFTER THE HOLIDAY CHEER
Two issues come to mind after a good party, the first being indigestion and the second a hang over.
Most often the indigestion is from the fats. The meal itself tastes really good from the fat and salt. The desserts are mostly made from butter and sugar. The gallbladder breaks down the excess fats and can get overloaded quite easily. If you do not have a gallbladder the pancreas is going to be working three times as hard.
Traditionally this is where digestive after dinner drinks come from. The Italians use a liqueur called Amaro. The French have a very old recipe that is still made by monks called Chartreuse. The Germans have many different digestive liqueurs because of their higher fat meals of sausage and fried foods. The most commonly found German after dinner liqueur is Jagermeister. If you can find Underberg or Kummerling you will find that it may work better.
On a laughing note, people tend to like the taste of these liqueurs based on their ethnic background. The Amaro is just wonderful to drink (thank you Paulette, Bob, Rae, and Andre) but I found my German friends (Sherri, John, Nancy and Rob) loved the German liqueurs. My French friends (Marie and Jim) loved the French liqueurs. Yes, we had a taste test.
These products stimulate hydrochloric acid production to break down foods faster helping the pancreas and gallbladder not work so hard.
What to do in the middle of the night when you cannot sleep from indigestion? That is the real question. You can try the above liqueurs or apple cider vinegar. Apple cider vinegar is 10% hydrochloric acid. This is the stomach acid that breaks down foods. Mix this in water and sip on this. Another idea is Angostura Bitters, the same bitters you would make a cocktail, that uses an herb called Gentian. This is a stimulator of hydrochloric acid. Mix the bitters in water and sip on it.
Any type of indigestion that lasts more than a day would need more support for the gallbladder and pancreas depending on the symptoms.
Foods that help the gallbladder work better are artichokes, beets, beet tops, and apples. Both the pancreas and gallbladder are very sensitive to food allergies and dairy is number one. Staying away from all dairy for a couple days helps these organs recover.
The hangover is not so easily won. The less food colorings and preservatives in your alcohol the less work your liver has to do to detoxify. Be mindful of what you drink. To get rid of a hangover as fast as possible we want to speed the detoxification of the liver. Coenzyme Q 10 and Magnesium stimulates energy production speeding up the liver’s detoxification. Magnesium also relaxes the arteries in the brain helping with the headache. Finally, Milk Thistle is an antioxidant aiding the liver in the detoxification process.
TIPS ON SNOW SHOVELING
A. Move to Florida
B. Please take your time. The small loads will protect your low back. If we do get a good dumping of snow and it is quite heavy stand like a football player. The legs shoulder width apart with the knees bent. This stance loads your weight into your legs and buttocks protecting the low back.
C. A curious thing about snow shoveling is that more and more people have snow blowers and these machines are heavy causing serious injuries. Be careful moving these machines around when they get stuck.
Happy Holidays
Thanks for reading and thanks to all my friends who enjoyed the herbal liqueurs taste test.
Dr. McGuckin