From Lawrence D'Oliveiro
In your article on hangover cures, you mention that water on its own did
little good
(27 November, p 35).
This is not surprising, even if dehydration
were a major factor in hangovers, since the body is not very efficient at
absorbing pure water.
This was well-known in the case of cholera victims, where the main cause of
death is dehydration, yet it seemed impossible to give them enough water to
drink to prevent this. That is, until it was discovered that dissolving a small
amount of salt and sugar mixture in the water made a dramatic improvement in the
body’s ability to absorb it.
So I suggest that the same technique should be useful even in situations
which are not quite of such a life-and-death nature. Instead of drinking pure
water, try water with a bit of salt and sugar dissolved in it. Or better still,
try drinking fruit juice, which has a range of tasty things dissolved in it.
Hamilton, New Zealand
