Top hangover remedies: What works and what doesn't

Just in time for St. Patrick's Day, a new study from Health Magazine explores the top 10 hangover "cures," and debunks the myths that don't help at all.

But before we launch into our favorite hangover remedies, it's important to remember, don't get your hopes up! The only proven way to avoid a hangover is to avoid alcohol, or drink in moderation, alternating with water or other non-alcoholic beverages.  However, if you do drink a tad too much and are feeling the effects the next day, check out this list to see what will make you feel better and what to avoid that will only make the hangover worse.

Hair of the Dog: Even though another drink may seem like all you need, avoid alcohol the morning after, it will only put off your hangover until later, not get rid of it "The worst thing to do is to have another drink," says Charles Cutler, MD, an internist in Norristown, Pa., and the chair of the American College of Physicians' board of governors. Although the alcohol may temporarily help your symptoms it will hurt you in the long run. "Hangovers make you feel horrible because alcohol is toxic," Dr. Cutler explains, "and you need to give your body a chance to recover."

Greasy breakfast: You know that morning after when you wake up craving a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich? Resist the urge! Although there is no official evidence that greasy food will ease hangover pain, people swear by this hangover cure.  "Greasy food is just going to give you heartburn," says Dr. Cutler, who recommends sticking with easy-to-digest foods such as toast or cereal. "You want to get calories right back into your system."

Exercise: Hitting the gym is a great way to get yourself feeling back to normal but that really depends on if you have the energy to make that happen. "Remember: If you've been drinking heavily, you could be a little dehydrated, you could be metabolically behind on your nutrition, and exercise is going to require hydration and nutrition," Dr. Cutler says.

Alka-Seltzer: This famous fizzy drink has been used to treat hangovers and settle a queasy stomach. In 2001 the company even introduced a Morning Relief formulation for hangovers. Still, other ingredients, notably aspirin and citric acid, may irritate your stomach after a night of heavy drinking.

Hangover Pills: Some of the most popular hangover cures in a bottle, Chaser, PreToxx, and RU 21, claim to be effective, but very little evidence backs up these claims. "Hangover pills that have been studied are not effective, or only help against a few complaints…but not all," says Joris C. Verster, PhD, an assistant professor of psychopharmacology at Utrecht University in the Netherlands, who studies hangovers. Instead of a hangover pill, doctors suggest taking multivitamins to restore nutrients you may have lost from drinking.

Coffee: If you drink coffee every day, having a cup when you're hung over may or may not be a good choice. For instance, without a cup you may have a headache on top of your hangover from caffeine withdraw, but the effects of caffeine could make your hangover worse since caffeine narrows your blood vessels and boosts blood pressure. "If you drink coffee regularly, you might try a very small amount in the morning. Wait 30 to 60 minutes and see how you feel," says John Brick, PhD, an alcohol research scientist.

But the bottom line is: when you're drinking green beer at McGillian's this weekend, just keep in mind that moderation is the only real hangover prevention that's proven to work!

For the full list visit health.com.