Pounding headache post-bender? Heavy drinkers might cure their hangover headache with a cup of joe and a painkiller, and now there is new research to prove it works.

A new study published on December 31 in the peer-reviewed online science journal PLoS One revealed that common treatments for hangover headache, such as caffeine and over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drugs, block the effects of acetate, which is blamed for causing headaches after over-imbibing. Best solution: drink coffee about four hours after drinking, when acetate levels begin to spike.

A study published last May in PLoS One found alcohol (or "hair of the dog") to be a poor hangover remedy as it causes greater alcohol dependence and affects the brain.

Unfortunately a bad hangover can include a range of other symptoms, including dehydration, nausea, and flu-like symptoms. According to various blogs and sites, including RUpissed? and HubPages, any of the following may do the trick to quell nausea and headaches, cleanse toxins, and to get the good stuff back in you.

Nausea relief: Coke, coffee, ginseng, Vegemite on toast, cold pizza, bananas, peanut butter, honey and banana sandwich, chocolate milk

Sweat it out: hot bath

Rehydration and balancing sugar and minerals levels: ginseng, orange juice, tomato, a 600mg vitamin C tablet, multi-vitamin, chocolate milk, sauerkraut, pickle juice, eggs (raw is best), passion fruit juice

Headache relief: aspirin or the like (natural willow barks can also be chewed), bananas, and according to the latest research, coffee

Fuel up: crackers and honey, eggs, cold pizza

There are also various products that claim to block hangovers like Gtox, a new detox shot with Glucarate, a "patented ingredient for Phase-II liver detoxification." Gtox claims it works best taken before sleeping. A pack of four 4-ounce bottles of Gtox costs $11.99 (€9.42).

Here are some other tips to prevent a hangover other than the obvious -- don't drink: drink no more than one alcoholic beverage per hour and remember to hydrate with water; if you are feeling drunk, lay off the cocktails and load up on water; avoid bubbly and very sweet drinks.

To access the latest study, click here .

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