Migraine sufferers have finding relief as a top priority in life. Dwayne Goodwin performed some research on brain freeze (ice-cream headaches) at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, NC. He feels that understanding why and how this happens may provide clues as to why migraines and other headache conditions occur. Brain freeze is what happens when a person eats or drinks something very cold, and it cools the back of the pallet for a long period of time, causing pain in the head.
Why It Causes a Temporary Headache
The anterior cerebral artery and carotid artery both run close to the surface near the back of the pallet. Therefore, anything cold that stays in that area too long cools the blood that is flowing through these two arteries. These arteries deliver that blood directly to the brain, in turn, cooling it down. When this occurs, the vascular tissue in the brain starts to constrict. The meninges, the protective tissue between the skull and the brain, contracts. This causes it to be unable to do its job. The sensory neurons in this area cause the feeling of brain freeze.
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Godwin explains that the brain does not like change, and brain freeze is the way it tries to stop the person from doing what he is doing. The brain panics and over-reacts to extreme temperature changes to protect itself. A simple solution? Drink something warm or press your tongue on the roof of your mouth to counteract the effects.
Help for Migraines
Unfortunately, getting rid of migraines is nowhere near that simple. However, this knowledge may lead to better treatment of migraines in the future. What can be done to alleviate migraine pain now?
I have seen success in my practice in helping to relieve some pain of migraines through ensuring a healthy upper cervical spine. Misalignments here often constrict blood and cerebrospinal fluid flow, reducing oxygen flow and causing nerves to not work properly. By realigning the bones of the upper neck, many patients have seen fewer migraine symptoms.
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