I hate you, Jack Daniel.

Got a health question? Don’t trust those “Doctors” at the University Health Center? Are you scared of Web M.D. because it always tells you you’re gonna die? Ask a real doctor, our friend Dr. Lissa Rankin. She’s here every Thursday to answer whatever you throw at her – yes, even that – so ask away. Leave your question in the comments or send it over to us. Don’t be shy; she’s waiting for ya!

Q: I don’t know if you’ll know this but I was wondering if you had any advice for curing a hangover? I always feel super crappy for days after a long night out and I don’t know what I can do to feel better. I drink a lot of water and try to get a lot of sleep but nothing helps!

You know bodies – do you have any ideas?

A: Oh, I hear you. We’ve all been there. Unfortunately, there is no magic home remedy (although I can tell you that hungover medical students have been known to hook themselves up to bags of IV fluid, which I’ve been told works wonders!).  To some degree, a hangover is just par for the course – one of those lessons the Universe likes to teach us to keep us out of trouble. But assuming the deed is done, what can you do to minimize your suffering? Here are a few tips:

1. If you’re conscious enough in the midst of your drinking binge, make sure to alternate your alcoholic beverages with non-alcoholic ones to help your body stay hydrated in the presence of such a strong dehydrator.
2. After you’ve thrown up in the cab and rid yourself of any strays who might have followed you home, down a very large glass of Gatorade, which can help replace the electrolytes you’ve lost. If you can keep it down, chug two or three glasses.
3. Avoid caffeine. Coffee will not help sober you up. It will just make you a jittery, nervous drunk. Because it also dehydrates you, it will only worsen your hangover.
4. Although people may tell you to take two aspirin or a dose of Tylenol before you hit the hay, both can cause more harm than good. Aspirin can irritate the stomach and make you more likely to wind up praying to the porcelain gods. And Tylenol can be toxic to the liver, which is likely busy trying to break down alcohol. Try some extra B vitamins instead.
5. Sleep in.  Call in sick if you must. Your body needs rest to repair itself.
6. Forget the hair-of-the-dog advice. Unless you’re an alcoholic in the midst of withdrawing (in which case you’ve got bigger problems and need help), a little nip of alcohol in the morning is likely to just prolong the agony.  Try a virgin Bloody Mary instead.
7. Get something into your stomach in the morning, even if you don’t feel like eating. Your stomach gets pretty beat up when you’re binging, and food helps to coat it.
8. Take ibuprofen or naproxen in the morning to fight off your headache. You tummy will likely have settled down by then and can handle the medication. Take it with food so it doesn’t sit on an empty stomach.
9. Take a shower. It’s likely to perk you up and get the stink off you.
10. If you can stand it, get outside and move your body. It gets your blood flowing and provides welcome endorphins to help you fight the after-effects of too much booze.

Keep in mind that hangovers are our body’s way of responding to an overdose. Because our livers can’t keep up with the alcohol we put in, the whole body rebels. Do your body a favor and stave off hangovers the best way – prevention.

–Dr. Lissa Rankin’s book, What’s Up Down There? Questions You’d Only Ask Your Gynecologist If She Was Your Best Friend, will be published by St. Martin’s Press in Fall 2010. She invites you to join her Pink online community (www.owningpink.com/forum) or read more of her writing at Owning Pink (www.owningpink.com).

After reading his book UltraMetabolism, Dr. Hyman had me convinced to follow his 3 week detox. It seemed impossible, but I figured if Britney could make a successful comeback when all odds were stacked against her, then surely I could follow this seemingly impossible feat for 3 weeks, no sweat. No dairy, no gluten, nothing artificial, nothing processed, no simple sugars, no peanuts, no eggs. No CAFFEINE. What?!

It’s been a challenge and while I’ve had a few slip ups here and there, this chick right here who was going to Starbucks twice a day is now sipping… decaf. I’m not bloated, my skin does not look like I belong in 7th grade and I wake up in the morning with energy. Such a weird concept, I know. I urge you to read this interview then pick up UltraMetabolism and his newest book, The UltraMind Solution and give it a try.

And even if you don’t, at least promise me you will give up the Splenda and 100 calorie packs.

The Five Questions We Ask Everyone

1. What are five things you can’t live without?
My Family, exercise (I’m kind of addicted to that – I like to play tennis, basketball, cross-country skiing), my friends, enough sleep, really good food.

2) What is the most trouble you ever got into in college or your best college memory?
I never really got into trouble in college.  Although I could have gotten in trouble since I was getting stoned in the line for graduation when we were going by all the professors and we were just passing a joint along the line.

3) What is your motto or the advice that you live by?
There’s actually four things.  It’s four rules for a healthy culture, and healthy relationships.  One is “show up,” two is “be present,” three is “tell the truth [without pain of] judgment,” and the fourth is “be open to the outcome.”

4) What is your favorite song to sing in the car, or at karaoke, in the shower, at the bar, or wherever?
I really like “Crazy Love” by Van Morrison.

5) 10 Years from now, you will be…
I will be giving away my time to create, to educate and research, and to help change medicine so that everybody can get access to what I think is the most powerful discovery since the theory of evolution or the discovery of relativity theory: that the medicine that we have now really has the capacity to create health for everybody, that as soon as we understand it and apply it, it will really transform the healthcare system and our health in general.

5 Questions for Dr. Mark Hyman (and this was difficult seeing as he’s just full of really great information!)

1) Why are 100 Calorie Packs so bad for us? It seems like a great way to portion control, but you say otherwise? Can you suggest some snack alternatives?
Why are they bad? It’s very simple: because they’re not real foods, and they don’t give you real energy or real health.  They simply are chemicals put in a nice package, they taste good because they’re full of sugar and fat, and they actually do the opposite of what you want: they make you more tired and fatter, rather than give you more energy and make you thinner.

I think the calorie thing isn’t so much the issue as the quality of the food. Quality, not calories, so when you focus on the quality, the calories don’t matter so much because your body knows what to do with it all. I suggest things like whole food bars, for people looking for a quick snack. Lara bars are great, because they’re basically nuts and dried fruit – they’re just real food.  Nuts and fruit are a great snack, and I think those are real easy to get.

(Click here to check out his segment on the Today show exclusively on 100 Calorie Packs)

2) Okay so once and for all – why do we need to STOP with the artificial sweeteners we put in our coffee, in every ‘low cal food’ and the cans of Diet Coke we consume? (You know aside from all the chemicals!)
There’s actually very good studies on this.  Aside from the fact that aspartame actually has effects on your brain that aren’t great—it can cause headaches, and other problems—the main reason is that it actually makes you eat more, it makes your body confused and think food’s coming, so it gets ready by producing insulin, which actually drives your appetite, and you actually gain weight, and slow your metabolism.  You basically are hungrier, and you gain more weight, and you slow your metabolism, and you gain more fat.

3) If you could recommend five things that our readers could start doing RIGHT now, even before they have a chance to go buy your book, what would you recommend?
• Eating breakfast, and having protein for breakfast; I think choosing quality food – basically, real food – when you can.
• Cutting down on the amount of sugar and sweets, breads and muffins that people eat—flour and sugar should be eaten as a treat, not as a staple.
• I think in terms of managing weight and everything, it’s important to make sure you don’t eat too late.  If you want to look like a sumo wrestler, you should have dinner and go right to bed, because basically your body stores food instead of burns it. Stop eating 2 to 3 hours before bed.
• Exercise
• Start taking a multivitamin, Vitamin D, and Fish Oil daily

4) Is it bad to eat the same foods every day?  I read your body gets used to what you’re eating, and then it stops working and plateaus. Are there some things we should actually be eating on a daily basis?
That’s not exactly it.  We need a diversity of foods.  There are a lot of different nutrients in different foods, so if you eat the same thing every day, you might not be getting all the right vitamins and minerals, all the right nutrients. You really want to be getting a variety.

5) As college students we live on: Coffee, Alchohol, and sweets – do we need to swear these off?
Coffee: Genetically, we’re all different. Some people really aren’t as affected as much by it because they can metabolize it; some people are crawling up the walls, so you have to look at your own response to coffee.  But in small amounts, a cup a day, it’s really not going to be a problem for most people.  The problem is if you use it to give you energy, you’re actually getting false energy, because you slowly will find that you’re actually depleted and you get more tired in the afternoon, and then you feel worse, and then you need more coffee in the afternoon, and it’s a vicious cycle.  If you actually stop caffeine, you’ll actually end up having more energy in the long run.

Alchohol: I drink!  I like tequila.  I think it’s important to realize that it’s about balance, and that if you’re drinking six beers a day, or even two beers a day, then that might not be the greatest thing for you, but if you’re enjoying it on a regular basis and you’re not abusing it, then that’s ok. Beer is probably not the best because it’s very high in sugar.  Red wine is good. Tequila is also good.

Sugar: I like dark chocolate.  I think dark chocolate’s great, provided that you don’t eat a whole giant bar.

Got Questions for Dr. Hyman? Leave them below and we will see if we can get them answered! In the meantime, go pick up his books. They will really change your life and the way you feel.