Ask Dr. H: What's the cause of 'brain freeze'?
Question: What causes me to get a headache when eating ice cream? Answer: Ice cream headaches, also known as a "brain freeze," are very common and short in duration. What happens when you eat or drink something really cold is that tiny sensory nerves embedded in the roof of your mouth send a signal to the brain of a very cold temperature.
Question:
What causes me to get a headache when eating ice cream?
Answer: Ice cream headaches, also known as a "brain freeze," are very common and short in duration. What happens when you eat or drink something really cold is that tiny sensory nerves embedded in the roof of your mouth send a signal to the brain of a very cold temperature.
These nerves help to control how much blood flows through the brain. Cold thus causes the blood vessels in the brain to expand to increase their blood flow and heat the brain.
The nerves have sent a signal to the brain, in error, that it's cold outside. After a period of time lasting from a few seconds to a few minutes, the brain realizes that the signal was a false alarm, and the headache goes away as the blood vessels reduce their dilation. It seems that the greatest risk of getting these headaches is on a hot day. Folks who suffer from migraine headaches are more prone to ice cream headaches.
To prevent them, avoid cold substances in prolonged contact with the roof of your mouth.
Ice cream headache usually last only a few minutes, so pain pills are a waste of time. Warming the roof of your mouth is what works best. Try pressing your thumb firmly against the roof of your mouth. Or drink a warm liquid (at least room temperature) to signal the brain that it can reduce blood flow because freezing is not imminent.
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Link between diabetes and poor dental health
Q:
I've heard about a possible connection between poor dental health and heart disease, but have you heard of any connection between dental health and diabetes?
A: There does seem to be an association between poor dental health and an increased risk of heart disease. It appears to be due to the effects that chronic inflammation and bacterial infection with cavities and periodontal gum disease have on the endothelial cells that line blood vessels.
We've known for some time that poor diabetic control is a risk factor for periodontal gum disease. Now, there's research showing that periodontal disease may lead to adult-onset diabetes. Researchers looked at 9,296 men and women ages 25-74 without diabetes and noted their incidence of diabetes over 20 years of follow-up in relation to the incidence of gingivitis and periodontal disease.
The odds of developing diabetes were increased 40 percent in folks with gingivitis and 50 percent in folks with periodontal disease in relation to folks with good dental health.
In addition, other diseases that are linked to severe gum disease include: osteoporosis; pregnancy problems (pregnant women who have periodontal disease are seven times more likely to have a premature birth or a low-birth-weight baby); an increased risk of pneumonia or worsening an existing chronic lung condition; and endometriosis risk.