Headache is one of the most common pathologies among human beings. It affects all social layers, both sexes - even children - and it is rare, if not impossible, that no one has suffered at least once in lifetime. Headaches can be symptoms of a serious health problem or of various circumstantial disorders that, even so, we should not ignore if they are disabling or recur with a certain frequency. Fortunately, the cause of most headaches are benign pathologies, although no less annoying for that reason.
Some types of headaches are so strong that they prevent people from developing their personal and work life normally: they are called migraines. There is no cure for this disease, although in recent years various surgical and therapeutic solutions have been proposed that seem to give positive results. At least partially.
There are many reasons why a headache can be triggered. The most common are the externalization of a health problem (hypertension, eye disorders ...), stress, poor head or neck position, long periods without consuming food, too hot or too cold enviroments, noisy places...many, indeed.
Food can be both a trigger for a headache and help to alleviate it, although by itself they are not usually enough for a quick relief of symptoms. If you have a tendency to suffer from headaches, it would be good if you knew how to differentiate both types of food and thus avoid the intake of the bad ones. If the pain has already been triggered, it is unlikely that any of the "good" foods will help you to relieve you immediately, but if you are reluctant to use pain relievers they may be the solution in the medium to long term.
The most common reason the food causes headache is for the ingestion of a certain food is because they cause the contraction and expansion of the veins that run through the scalp.
Water: although water is not a food in itself since it does not contribute any calories to the body, it is vital for our subsistence and the direct effect of its lack is dehydration. Although dehydration have been mild, it causes the blood to flow thicker and this can cause a headache. In this way we must drink water or take food that contains it in abundance. If we have done strong physical exercise with great sweating, water alone is not enough. We have lost minerals and they must be replaced. Eating a whole cooked potato - with the skin on - provides a large amount of potassium which helps to replace the lost electrolytes. Therefore this is a food that could relieve the pain.
Cherries: cherries not only provide water but also contain certain substances that are converted into nitric oxide in the blood. Nitric oxide regulates blood pressure by dilating the arteries and this results in a decrease in headach
Magnesium: magnesium is a mineral that helps to relax blood pressure and therefore relieves headaches. It also serves for a multitude of biochemical reactions in our body. We must be careful with its lack, not only to avoid headaches, since although it is found in abundance in certain foods (pumpkin seeds, almonds) these are not common in our diet. This can cause muscle aches, fatigue and other symptoms that, although they may not seem like it, are caused by the same reason that causes a headache.
Coffee, tea and mate: if the headache disappears when you take any of the three infusions, you can say that you are already addicted to caffeine, theine and mateine. These substances, by a mechanism that is not yet known, relax the walls of the veins and therefore facilitate the flow of blood. When the "dose" is missing, the veins constrict and pain appears. I have been hesitant to put these three substances in the category of "good" for headaches. Logically analyzing them, it is clear that if they had not been consumed previously, it would not be necessary to replace them. When the brain gets used to a substance is because 1) it relieves it of generating its own opiates such as endorphins and 2) it generates well-being, thus it is difficult to subtract it from that element. In any case, if you are already addicted, it is best to have a well-loaded cup and try to keep your intakes to a minimum. If you can go 6 hours without drinking coffee again, much better than if the interval is only 3 or 4 hours.
Vitamin B2: it is a vitamin that does not accumulate in our body - it is water soluble - so we tend to be deficient. Its lack, among other symptoms, triggers episodes of headache. It is found in milk, meat, cheese, green leafy vegetables, and whole grains. For reasons that we will see later, it is preferable to consume B2 through green leafy vegetables and especially whole grains.
Hot peppers: if you live in Mexico or another country where spicy is common, you're in luck. Capsaicin, the element that provides the heat to peppers, is also capable of desensitizing the areas that suffer from pain by suppressing a chemical messenger of the same. There are capsaicin patches that are applied locally to alleviate low back pain, and for severe migraines sprays are supplied that, when inhaled, relieve pain. Unlike other foods, capsaicin is toxic in large quantities and any application should always be consulted with the doctor.
We have already looked at foods that are considered positive for relieving symptoms or preventing headaches. On the other side of the scale we find those that can trigger a headache or that, if consumed while suffering, aggravate it.
Cheese: surely you know someone from your environment who just smelling the cheese causes a headache. It is not a mania, if not something scientifically proven. Cheese contains tyramine, a vasoactive substance. Therefore, it can cause severe headaches. If you cannot live without cheese, it is better to avoid the most cured ones (for example, in the fresh ricotta type, it is almost non-existent). Tyramine is also present in chicken liver and herring, so be careful. The plant world is also not tyramine-free. Banana and avocado - and of course the guacamole derived from the latter - can cause big headaches.
Sweeteners: this is such a controversial ingredient that I only mention it because many people have associated the intake of aspartame and other sweeteners, which have replaced sugar in many soft drinks, with the appearance of headaches. There are both studies in favor and against, although the food authorities of the most advanced countries have not found this association as true. In some cases it is suggested that the cause of the headache is actually sugar addiction: the brain understands that by ingesting a soft drink it is going to take its "dose" of sugar and not receiving it is when the headache is generated. In this case we would be talking about something similar to what happened with coffee, tea and yerba mate. So much so, that some manufacturers of cola soft drinks, who have changed sugar for sweetener, have greatly increased the caffeine content to compensate for this effect. Although it has nothing to do with the subject we are dealing with, it is known that some sweeteners such as Sorbitol, ingested in high quantities, have a laxative effect.
Wine and alcohol: surely more than one, absentmindedly reading the label of a wine, has seen the warning "contains sulphites". Sulfites are substances that wine generates naturally, although an extra amount of them is added so that it reaches the consumer with good quality. In other words, it is a totally harmless preservative for human health in the usual amounts that rarely exceed 10 mg / liter. However, these sulfites, derived from sulfur, seem to be able to trigger episodes of headache in people sensitive to sulfur, which are rare, but there are. And if it is not triggered by sulfites, it is triggered by the alcohol of wine or any other beverage. Alcohol inhibits the anti-diuretic hormone that normally sends fluids into cells and shifts them into the bladder. Therefore it dehydrates us ... and this leads us to the need to drink water to replace what curiously drinking alcohol takes away from us.
Monosodium glutamate (MSG): surely if you regularly suffer from headaches associated with food, you will look closely at the label to see if it contains MSG. MSG is a flavor enhancer that can cause adverse reactions, mainly headaches and nausea. When GMS is added directly, the manufacturer must indicate it, but when it appears as a by-product of hydrolyzed protein, almost no label indicates it. Plant protein that has been chemically broken down into amino acids can generate free glutamate. If this glutamate binds to free sodium in our body, MSG is then generated. So there is no use avoiding products that claim to contain MSG if it can be generated from ingested free glutamate. It is best to avoid processed or precooked foods if we want to avoid "headaches." Soy sauce is also often "seasoned" with MSG, which together with its high sodium content - dehydrating - makes it a potential source of headaches.
Bacon and other cured meats: in this case it is the presence of nitrites to preserve the meat that causes problems. These nitrates and nitrites dilate the veins creating the transition necessary to start a headache.
Chocolate: the theobromine it contains, with effects similar to caffeine, causes addiction and, as we have seen previously, it is capable of initiating pain when we do not take our "dose". That is, if we drink chocolate, the pain disappears. Why haven't we included it before with the coffee, tea or yerba mate? Because chocolate also contains tyramine, just like cheese. Thus, it is double dangerous.
Histamines: present in large quantities in not very fresh blue fish, they can cause major headaches, often accompanied by vomiting and hives. So now you know, blue fish such as mackerel, sardine or horse mackerel, are always eaten very fresh!
All of the above is valid for both common headaches and migraines. However, the last is so disabling for the person who suffers from it that they require an extra treatment that for a few years has been possible through botox or minor interventions. At least there is a little hope at the end of the tunnel.
