Give up chomping and you could say goodbye to annoying tension headaches, too
Your pounding head may be from a minty mouth: Chewing too much gum may bring on tension headaches, reports a study from Meir Medical Center in Tel Aviv.
When researchers asked gum-chewing headache sufferers to give up their minty sticks for one month, 86 percent saw significant improvements in their throbbing noggins, many finding permanent relief. And when the improved participants went back to chewing gum, every single one saw an immediate relapse of their symptoms.
What’s so bad about the breath freshener? Gum may have two issues, explains Robert Cowan, M.D., F.A.A.N., director for Stanford University’s Headache Clinic. The aspartame found in many brands may trigger the pounding, and the act of chewing could also aggravate the joint that connects your jaw to the skull. Pressure here causes muscle tension and fatigue, leading to tension headaches, he explains.
While Dr. Cowan warns gum is probably not the trigger for everyone’s headaches, it's simple to test: all you have to do is kick the habit to see if it’s your culprit. Trade the pack for aspartame-free mints for a month, and see if your symptoms improve, suggests Dr. Cowan.
When researchers asked gum-chewing headache sufferers to give up their minty sticks for one month, 86 percent saw significant improvements in their throbbing noggins, many finding permanent relief. And when the improved participants went back to chewing gum, every single one saw an immediate relapse of their symptoms.
What’s so bad about the breath freshener? Gum may have two issues, explains Robert Cowan, M.D., F.A.A.N., director for Stanford University’s Headache Clinic. The aspartame found in many brands may trigger the pounding, and the act of chewing could also aggravate the joint that connects your jaw to the skull. Pressure here causes muscle tension and fatigue, leading to tension headaches, he explains.
While Dr. Cowan warns gum is probably not the trigger for everyone’s headaches, it's simple to test: all you have to do is kick the habit to see if it’s your culprit. Trade the pack for aspartame-free mints for a month, and see if your symptoms improve, suggests Dr. Cowan.
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