Whenever my boyfriend and I go out drinking, it seems by the time he’s half a beer or a quarter of a mixed drink in, he’s red and beginning to experience a headache.
I can remember being in his dorm freshmen year of college when he first began drinking, tucking him into bed and applying a cool cloth to his forehead as he struggled to figure out why he was red, sweating, and nauseous after only one drink, not yet feeling drunk at all.
He eventually began bringing Tums and Advil out with him which helped alleviate the symptoms a little bit, but he didn’t enjoy the idea of constantly mixing pills and alcohol.
Photo after one beer, no Redee Patch
The “Asian Flush” or “Asian Glow” he experiences is a reaction to alcohol he experiences because of an enzyme deficiency, which allows his body to accumulate acetaldehyde faster than his liver can get rid of it – causing uncomfortable symptoms like redness, headache and nausea.
(The nickname the “Asian Flush” hints that many of the people who experience this enzyme deficiency are Asian, however, non-Asians can lack productive versions of this enzyme, too.)
Lucky for him, prior to our going away for Spring Break, he learned of a new product called Redee Patch, still in its early phases, that combined vitamins, antioxidants and plant extracts in a patch he could wear on his skin while he drank. With low expectations, he ordered just three patches, received them a couple of weeks before our trip, and packed them away until our arrival in New Orleans.
Our first night after we landed, we immediately went out for Hurricanes at Pat O’Brien’s. Ordinarily, he would never be able to finish a drink like this, and knowing that, he usually just takes a sip or two of what I order. But, feeling emboldened by the patch, he ordered one.
Together with friends, we talked and laughed, and I balked as I looked over and saw his glass half empty. While that sounds like nothing (though let me tell you, Hurricanes have their kick), I have seen him turn in with a stomachache after letting a sip or two of a drink settle in. I asked how he felt and his face lit up. He hadn’t realized how far he’d gotten either or that he wasn’t experiencing any of his normal side effects.
Photo after several drinks throughout the night, with Redee Patch
The way Redee Patch works is by allowing the vitamins and antioxidants to go directly into the bloodstream through a patch instead of a pill, and then the vitamins and antioxidants bind with the acetaldehyde to help the liver get rid of it faster.
He used the patch the next two nights, and while on one of the two he did notice a little redness, he only observed that after drinking far more than he would normally be able to before feeling sick, and the redness didn’t come with the usual headache and nausea.
Taken on a different night using Redee Patch
He plans to continue using Redee Patch, which will also allow him to stop mixing Tums or Pepcid and pain relievers with alcohol.
If anyone else is interested in learning more about Redee Patch, their website is redeepatch.com.
Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4 author’s own