NEW YORK, May 09 (Reuters) -- You're in ecstasy, devouring a pint of your favorite ice cream, when a piercing headache sets in. Sound familiar? Never fear -- scientists are searching for the secrets to 'brain freeze'.
"The pain begins a few seconds after the rapid ingestion of cold foods or beverages and peaks in 30 to 60 seconds," writes Dr. Joseph Hulihan, a neurologist and assistant professor at Temple University Health Center, Philadelphia, in a letter to the British Medical Journal. He describes the pain as "a stabbing or aching kind of pain that recedes 10 to 20 seconds after its onset."
The ache usually occurs in the mid-frontal areas of the head, but can occur in the temples or behind the eyes. Despite being nicknamed 'brain freeze', the pain does not reside in the brain (which is without pain sensors).
Just what causes ice cream headaches is still under investigation. In 1968, British neurologist Dr. R. O. Smith repeatedly applied crushed ice to the roof of his mouth, in an effort to discover the exact stimulus. All he got for his trouble (besides numerous headaches) was the knowledge that such methods could produce headaches in warm -- but not cold -- climates.
A 1941 study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation may have uncovered some answers. Cold-induced pain in the hand was found to be a cause of blood flow constriction. Pain sometimes occurred as blood vessels in the hand returned to normal dilation.
A similar mechanism is thought by some researchers to be behind the onset of migraines, and Hulihan speculates that "it would be of interest to determine whether antimigraine drugs... have any effect on ice cream headache."
Of course using those drugs might be a case of overkill, since Hulihan points out that ice-cream headaches are self-limiting and "no treatment is usually required."
Prevention may be even easier. Hulihan says that since the back of the palate is the area most associated with ice cream headache, cold dessert lovers should simply try and remember to savor their rocky road in the front part of their mouths.
In any case, Hulihan advises, do indulge yourself. "Ice cream abstinence is not indicated," he says.
SOURCE: British Medical Journal (1997,314:1365)
