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Foods that could trigger a nasty headache
After retracing her day, Charlene realized that the three delicious tangerines were the culprit. She thought she was just enjoying a very tasty, healthy snack, but she was also triggering pain.
Some experts say that citrus and other foods may trigger headaches because the people consuming them may have an enzyme deficiency. The enzyme they are lacking is necessary for neutralizing amines in foods. Some foods have large quantities of amines, and without the enzyme, headaches (and even migraines) can be stimulated.
Still, gobbling up an orange (or three) might seem harmless. If you are one of the 28 million Americans who suffer from migraines, taking note of how foods affect your body could be critical in preventing future headaches. One new theory is that craving certain foods could also signal a coming migraine. These kinds of migraines are also made more unpredictable because eating the food may not trigger pain every single time, and because food could team up with other triggers (like bright lights or stress) to induce a migraine.
Some other foods and beverages thought to trigger headaches include:
- Aged cheese and those cheeses containing tyramine, a natural substance that builds up as food ages. Tyramine in high levels has been shown to cause hypertension, which is a particular concern for people who take MAO inhibitor medication to treat migraines. Blue cheese, brie, cheddar, Stilton, feta, gorgonzola, mozzarella, muenster, Parmesan, Swiss, and processed cheeses often contain high levels of tyramine.
- Other salted, cured, processed, and canned foods that are high in tyramine. Take note of how your body reacts when you eat pickles, olives, and canned soups. Beans can also contain headache-triggering tyramine, especially fava, pinto, garbanzo, and lima beans.
- Alcohol, which could prompt headaches as it is metabolized in the body. Pay particular attention when you drink red wine, beer, whiskey, and champagne, which have been identified as triggers.
There is a long list of foods that headache and migraine sufferers say cause their pain. Some of them might surprise you, including:
- Peanuts and peanut butter
- Potato chips
- Pizza
- Fresh fruits like kiwi, plums, and raspberries
- Bread and crackers
Five Things You Didn't Know About: Headaches
When I have a headache, I have a checklist I immediately go through just before I dig through my purse for a lone ibuprofen with a half-a-fuzzy-Altoid chaser:
If I have not yet main-lined a caffeine source, am I at least on my way to the coffee maker for a cup?
Have I recently consumed eight glasses or whatever the amount of water the nice news lady reports is appropriate this week?
Is the child screaming/ vomiting/ Mommy!-Mommy!-Mommy-ing!/ home for some contrived preschool holiday?
If caffeine, hydration or a small child are not the reason for my headache, I can go ahead with the ibuprofen and move on with my day. But what about headaches that fall outside the boundaries of kids and coffee? What about the nastiness of recurring headaches or why your temples ache when you wear certain headbands or you feel awful whenever your co-worker meets the UPS guy wearing that one flirty perfume? What then?
Since we all get them at some point and since we've all likely had no reason why or experienced them for odd reasons, why not explore five little facts about headaches that might help us prevent or understand what's going on in our noggins:
1. Your perfumes, lotions and other highly-scented culprits can be a killer. According to this headache specialist, although you may like certain smells, they may also be activating nerve cells in your nose. In turn, crank up the nerve system responsible for head pain. If you are bothered by certain scents or feel bombarded (just walk through the detergent aisle for a sample of scent over-stimulation), try to go fragrance free in as much of your life as possible. Of course, you can't control the man on the bus who clearly bathed in Drakkar Noir, but you can clear your home, workspace, body and clothing of as many triggers as possible.
2. You're most likely having a tension headache. Sure, you can keep blaming your boss or your wonky Blackberry or even the spreadsheet you've been reading for seven hours straight. The reality is that the stress you are experiencing is not only responsible for bringing on the pain but for the accompanying contractions of the scalp, neck and facial muscles. Ninety percent of headaches are tension related and usually disappear when the stress goes away. Warm showers or compresses on the neck, shoulders and scalp are among the recommended treatments. However, since your (ahem) boss might not be keen on that during staff meetings, simple massage techniques or neck exercises might help alleviate the muscle contractions and pain. Tension headaches can be really problematic for some people -- including anxiety,pain doing daily things like holding the phone or chewing gum, or acute or chronic tension headaches -- and if you are among them, prescription medication, physical therapy, antidepressents or meeting with a counselor may help.
3. Your period's more than a pain in your...ummm, uterus. Hormone-related or menstrual migraines make all that bleeding, rifling for please-help-me-one-last-tampon in your gym bag and general crankiness all the more unfair and real when you have a period. This article says that women have migraines three times more often than men and of the females suffering from them, 70% are likely to have menstrual migraines. Fluctuating levels of estrogen and progesterone make women more apt to have a headache. One of the many treatments for migraines (check in with your doc to talk about what would work best for you) is acupuncture (hmmm, do you think that would work on the salty-sweet cravings too?).
4. Your pretty ponytail, chandelier earrings and workout headbands might be giving you a "cranial cramp." The connective tissue in your scalp could be irritated by any head gear that's too tight or earrings that are too heavy. These headaches might also be due to skin sensitivity related to migraines and might be a warning sign that a whopper is on its way. I know you'll choose relief over sassiness, and simply loosening or repositioning your ponytail, ditching the earrings or letting your locks free should help.
5. Your treatment option might not come in a pill. Some people find relief for headaches of all kinds in alternatives to drugs. Fresh peppermint, essential oil of oregano, rinsing the nose with a saline solution of salt and warm water, reflexology, massage and addressing stress and applying stress management techniques are all natural methods of coping with headaches. Be sure to keep your doctor updated on the alternative therapies you are interested in or are using. Wouldn't it be wonderful for you if relief was just a sniff or spa visit away?
Surprising Cures for Headaches
When a headache hits, the discomfort can be a real pain in the neck—not to mention the pounding pressure it imparts on your skull. For many people, medication is often the first line of defense, but did you know there are other ways to tame your pain? If you have persistent headaches, see your doctor for treatment, but in the meantime, here are some unexpected ways to ease your aches.
Botox
It may be best known for smoothing out wrinkles, but this wonder toxin also works magic on headache pain. “Botox relaxes the muscles that are contracted thanks to your headache,” says Traci Purath, MD, medical director of Comprehensive Headache Care at Wheaton Franciscan Medical Group in Franklin, Wisconsin. “It blocks sensory nerves that relay pain to the brain and eases tension in the forehead and the back of the neck,” she says. About eight injections, which feel like tiny pinpricks, are administered in the areas where the pain occurs. The effects start to kick in about eight to 10 days later. Treatments are recommended no more than every three months.
Acupuncture
A little alternative assistance can be the trick to treat your aching head. “Acupuncture works the mind-body connection to help patients be in tune with their pain,” says Dr. Purath. Needles are placed on specific pain sensory areas on the neck, forehead and cheeks to redirect the pain. “The body learns to readjust its level of pain and desensitize the pathways over time,” she adds. The needles are so tiny you can barely feel them. In fact, some patients report feeling an overall sense of relaxation, says Dr. Purath. Treatment may be needed for several months, but the benefits can last up to a year.
Sex
Fess up: How many times have you used the excuse of a headache to get out of a little lovin’ with your husband? Well, sorry to say, that free pass just won’t fly anymore, since sex can actually help relieve a headache. “Natural endorphins and other pain-relieving hormones are released during orgasm, which help you to relax and give you a sense of calm,” says Dr. Purath. The effects are fleeting, though, so be prepared with a backup pain blocker.
Exercise
If you experience headaches regularly and also need an incentive to trim that tush, exercise can help. “When you get moving, you improve your stamina, reduce stress and sleep more soundly,” says Jan Brandes, MD, assistant clinical professor of neurology at Vanderbilt University. “The more rigorous the exercise—jogging, fast walking, swimming—the more you’ll reduce pain associated with tension headaches,” she adds. However, if you are experiencing a migraine, regular exercise can actually make it worse, so be sure to take it easy!
Water
Here’s another reason to get your eight glasses of H2O each and every day: Dehydration is one of the biggest causes of headaches. “When the body isn’t getting enough water, it begins to preserve the fluid it’s already storing and looks for ways to signal that it’s out of whack (i.e., by way of headaches or migraines),” says Dr. Purath. The good news is, drinking up can immediately cure the discomfort. To keep your body in balance, drink eight to 10 8-ounce glasses of water a day. But don’t overdo it; overloading on liquids can diminish your electrolytes and sodium levels.
Snacking
You’re finally home from a long day at the office; your head is pounding, and you suddenly realize why: It’s been hours since you’ve last eaten! When you go too long without food, your blood sugar levels plummet, causing a hypoglycemic headache, says Dr. Purath. It’s the body’s way of saying, “Feed me, I’m hungry!” Grabbing a good-for-you munchie like an apple will get rid of your ache immediately and help bring your blood sugar levels back to normal. Resist the temptation to grab a candy bar for a sugar fix; it’ll spike your blood sugar and you’ll end up crashing later on, says Dr. Purath. Here’s a bit of food for thought: Though healthy, bananas have actually been known to trigger headaches!
Caffeine
Besides waking you up from a sleep-induced stupor, that morning cup of joe may have an unexpected benefit: Limited amounts of caffeine can help control headache pain, says Dr. Brandes. Plus, caffeine can help the body better absorb migraine medication through the stomach lining. And it can also curb pain at the onset of a headache by constricting blood vessels. For some people, though, caffeine causes headaches, so consume with caution.
Sleep
These days, getting that elusive eight hours of shut-eye seems harder than ever, but if you suffer from headaches, too little (or even too much) sleep can cause one. Your body needs at least seven hours of uninterrupted sleep to refresh and replenish itself in order for the headache to disappear, says Dr. Purath. Try to stick to a regular schedule of going to bed and getting up at the same time each day. Over- or under-sleeping, by even just an hour or two, can trigger a migraine.
Journaling
Your fourth-grade self had the right idea by keeping track of all your crushes. Take a page out of her book by getting a diary to record your daily food and beverage intake. You’ll be able to pinpoint any triggers that may be causing your headaches. For example, if you notice that you only seem to get headaches around barbecues, the culprit could be hot dogs. “For some people, the nitrates in hot dogs can cause headaches,” says Dr. Brandes. You can also identify what’s not causing your headache. You may be blaming chocolate for your migraines, but in the initial stages of a migraine, some people experience food cravings. So, if you’re hankering for a hunk of chocolate, it’s the migraine, not the chocolate that’s to blame.
Biofeedback
It may sound (and look) like something out of a sci-fi flick, but for some sufferers, managing headache pain is all about mind over matter. Like classical conditioning (think Pavlov’s dog), biofeedback involves monitoring your body’s response to pain and being able to control the sensation so that it’s manageable, says Dr. Purath. Electrodes are connected to your forehead, forearm and neck—the areas that tense up the most during a headache—and hooked up to a monitor, so you can see the muscles actually tightening. Over time, your brain will remember seeing your muscles contract and will learn to relax them. About six to eight sessions are needed for results.
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