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Health Watch: Philadelphia Researchers Find Hangover Cure

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Curing hangovers. Philadelphia researchers say they've discovered the solution, and it's not what you may think it is.

Most hangovers aren't as bad as what was in the movie "The Hangover." But over imbibing can leave you feeling lousy the next day, and people have all sorts of hangover remedies.

"Some people say lemon and hot water. I hear lay on your left side and all kinds of crazy things," said Tiffanie Gorham, from Philadelphia.

Some of the more popular hangover cures include guzzling water, eating bananas or a greasy breakfast, or having a Bloody Mary.

"I try to drink Gatorade the night before and then I'll drink a protein shake in the morning," said Tim Downey.

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Now, a researcher at Thomas Jefferson University says he has discovered the scientific cure for a hangover headache. Dr. Michael Oshinsky led the ground breaking research project on headaches and alcohol in rats. Yes, humans and rats have a lot of similarities.

"Rats would get headaches similar to humans because they have a similar physiology even though they look very different," said Dr. Oshinsky. But how do you tell if a rat has a headache? They get super sensitive around the eyes.

"We developed sensory tests on the face and around the eyes of a rat where we can determine when the rat is having a headache," said Dr. Oshinsky.

And so after they were given alcohol and tested positive for a headache, researchers were able to debunk a popular theory that hangover headaches are caused by dehydration. It's actually a by-product of the alcohol that makes your head hurt. And the Jefferson research showed the best remedy was a combination of caffeine and an anti-inflammatory, like ibuprofen or aspirin.

"So if a person uses alcohol, a significant amount, and they expect to get a headache they should take that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug soon after finishing drinking, and then they should definitely have a Coke or a coffee the next morning," said Dr. Oshinsky.

The researchers didn't set out to find a hangover cure. They're actually trying to better understand what triggers headaches, in hopes of developing targeted treatments.

Reported By Stephanie Stahl, CBS 3

RELATED LINK:

Hangover Cure Study

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