Ancient Assyrians downed a mixture of ground bird beak and myrrh. And P.G. Wodehouse's Jeeves (in "Jeeves Takes Charge") served up a concoction of Worcestershire sauce, raw egg and red pepper.

Those remedies may sound pretty awful, but when you have a hangover, you want something to ease the nausea and headache.

Those symptoms hit when your blood alcohol level falls to near zero and all you're left with are the acute aftereffects of excess alcohol: It's associated with falling blood sugar levels, dilated blood vessels and body-wide inflammation. Plus, alcohol dehydrates you by upping urine production, and it irritates your stomach lining.

A new survey reveals that a lot of you have missed work because of a hangover.

Results range from a low of 11 percent of Alaskans to the high of 30 percent of locals in D.C. (Should Congress drink less or miss work more?)

But drinking hangover-safe, moderate amounts of wine, beer or liquor reduces all arterial aging, including heart disease.

So, it's one glass of wine or the equivalent a day for gals and two for guys. (Although studies show that any alcohol increases the risk for breast cancer.) Or enjoy peanuts, blueberries and cranberries; they contain the same heart-protecting polyphenols as red wine.

As for easing that hangover? Drink plenty of water, eat some protein, sleep, stay on your aspirin if you're taking a daily dose - and don't overdo it next time.

We find no solid evidence that anything other than these time-tested remedies shorten or reduce the pain of a hangover.

© 2014 Michael Roizen, M.D. and Mehmet Oz, M.D.
Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.