Contents:
- Medical Video: Dr. Oz Explains How to Avoid Tension Headaches
- Spicy foods can overcome headaches and migraines, is that right?
- Eating spicy foods can improve your immune system
- Capsaicin in spicy foods can reduce pain
Medical Video: Dr. Oz Explains How to Avoid Tension Headaches
Do you like spicy food? For some people who like to eat spicy foods, these foods are considered to cure some health symptoms, such as headaches, migraines, or flu. Then is it true that spicy food can free you from headaches or migraine attacks? How does the body respond to the spicy taste that is felt until the pain is gone?
Spicy foods can overcome headaches and migraines, is that right?
Maybe you already know that the spicy taste you feel is actually the pain and heat that is felt by your tongue due to the substance capsaicin contained in chili. The capsaicin substance stimulates the feeling of 'pain' and heat, so that your tongue feels a taste called spicy taste. Although not part of the four basic flavors - sweet, bitter, salty, and sour - spicy taste is favored by many people.
Even spicy food is used as a mainstay menu when they are attacked by migraines or headaches. And believe it or not it has been proven in several studies. One study published in the Journal of Headache and Pain, showed that consuming spicy and hot soup can reduce pain and migraines that attack the head.
Eating spicy foods can improve your immune system
In a journal Nature Chemical Biology, explained how the body responds to the spicy taste obtained from food. The journal states that eating spicy foods will cause the same response when the body experiences wounds, inflammation, or bacterial infections.So, the body will naturally release all its "weapons" to cure and overcome the inflammation or infection that occurs.
Then, your immune system will increase shortly after eating spicy, because what your body knows is just how to suppress pain - which you call spicy - with the immune system it has.
Capsaicin in spicy foods can reduce pain
Mentioned in the Journal of Headache and Pain, when eating foods with a spicy taste, the tongue nerve will give it a spicy taste signal - in the form of pain and heat - to the brain. Then the one receiving the spicy taste signal is called the transient receptor potencial (TRP). This part of the brain plays a role in stimulating various sensations, such as heat, pain, cold and warm sensations.
With this part of the brain, your body can know the surrounding temperature and various flavors. Meanwhile, when the pain strikes, like a migraine, the active TRP will suppress the pain that arises, so that your pain decreases.
But that does not mean you can continue to eat spicy to deal with your headaches. Eating too much spicy food is also not good for your stomach and intestines. If indeed you always feel pain and migraines, it's good to see a doctor and ensure your health condition.
