What we eat affects migraines. For example, diet sodas contain the sugar substitute aspartame. It's also in the sweeteners Equal and NutraSweet. The FDA has received thousands of complaints about aspartame-induced headaches - switch to Splenda. The flavor enhancer MSG constricts blood vessels in the brain. So does the amino acid phenylethylamine in dark chocolate - avoid both. Wine contains tyramine, sulfites and histamine - all can trigger migraines. The pigment in dark alcohols like bourbon and whiskey trigger inflammation - gin and vodka are safer choices. Watching what we eat helps take the "mi" out of migraines.
Watching what we use in gyms is helpful too. Gyms are germ infested. The 3 germiest things in gyms are showers, mats and exercise machines. If you don't wear shower shoes when you shower, you can get athlete's foot. You can get Follicultis - an infection resembling chest or back acne - from other peoples' sweat left on yoga mats. However, the presence of resident bacteria on exercise machines is the worst. All cuts and abrasions should be covered when using them. The fastest way to guard against gym infections is to shower immediately after working out - before going home - thus avoiding "homesickness".
Avoiding anxiety is impossible, but is anxiety genetic or environmental? In a study published in the journal Nature Wednesday, 238 related rhesus monkeys had PET scans. The anxiety-ridden monkeys had extra brain activity in the amygdala, a brain structure associated with processing emotions and in the anterior hippocampus, a brain area associated with memory. Researchers discovered that it's the anxiety in the hippocampus that's hereditary. How we process the environment emotionally has an important effect on anxiety. In monkeys only about 35% of anxiety risk is inherited. Early nurturing is more important. Thus we don't have to be so anxious about anxiety.
People who are anxious about sleep should know that the more spindles you have, the better you sleep. According to a study published in Current Biology, spindles are quick bursts of brain activity given off by the thalamus every 10-60 seconds while we're sleeping. The spindles block sounds or other sensory information, helping us stay asleep. At this time it's not known why some people generate more spindles. It could be due to genetics, diet or whether we grew up in a noisy home. However, as we age we all produce fewer spindles - which might also make it more difficult to "spin yarns".
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