Why Spitting it out could Stop Headache Pain

Another study is encouraging headache sufferers to spit it out.  Chewing gum, that is.

The study published this month in Pediatric Neurology followed thirty children and adolescents who chewed gum and head headaches.  Some chewed for less than an hour a day.  Others were serious gum-chewers – we’re talking Violet Beauregarde – who chewed more than 6 hours a day.

Some were diagnosed with migraine, others with tension-type headache.

Once they stopped chewing, the results were amazing:

Now, you’re wondering if the occasional chewers improved, or just the obsessive chewers.  The good news is that they all improved.  It didn’t make much different if they chewed a little, or a lot.

Why the difference?  Researchers aren’t sure.  It could be the artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, which are almost omnipresent in chewing gum these days.  It could be the stress on the joints of the jaw.  It could also be the strain on the jaw’s muscles.

But whatever the reason, it could be that many children and teens could see significant improvement by doing one simple thing – spitting out the gum.

It should be noted that many of the possible triggers from chewing gum could also be triggered by clenching and grinding teeth, whether during the day or while you sleep.  Relaxing the jaw could mean serious improvement for many headache patients.

For more information, see the study here:  The Influence of Excessive Chewing Gum Use on Headache Frequency and Severity Among Adolescents

via Chewing gum may cause headaches.