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Americans are in a world of hurt. Use of store-bought painkillers primarily for headaches increased by nearly 90% between 1997 and 2005 according to statistics provided by the Department of Drug Enforcement.
What’s worse, frequent use of over the counter painkillers can cause withdrawal headaches causing the sufferer to use an ever-increasing dose to treat symptoms and a cycle of overuse.
It’s no secret that recurring and sometimes debilitating headaches are a primary reason for the abuse of over the counter pain meds. Unfortunately, most folks popping pills to rid themselves of headaches have absolutely no idea what is causing them. Neither do most people know about natural ways to relieve headaches.
What if I told you that completely eliminating a single food additive would rid you of many, if not the majority of headaches that you suffer from?
That additive is none other than the ubiquitous monosodium glutamate, better known as MSG.
MSG is the mirror image of the naturally occurring glutamic acid in the human body. In a nutshell, MSG is glutamic acid gone bad.
MSG is a Neurotoxin and a Primary Cause of Headaches
MSG is a potent neurotoxin, according to neurologist Dr. Russell Blaylock MD, author of Excitotoxins: The Taste that Kills. When consumed as an additive in processed foods, it hammers the hypothalamus, part of the brain stem, and shrivels and kills brain cells.
The hypothalamus is the Master Gland of the endocrine system. It controls body temperature, hunger, thirst, fatigue, and sleep.
Rats fed or injected with MSG get morbidly obese, possibly because the MSG causes the pancreas to increase the amount of insulin it secrets which can rapidly lead to insulin resistance and Metabolic Syndrome.
Ok, so we now know that MSG can contribute to weight issues and other metabolic problems.
But did you also know that MSG is a primary cause of headaches and migraines?
Most people fail to make the connection between MSG and their headache problems because the headache doesn’t always immediately happen after eating a MSG laced fast food meal, for example.
In some cases, the headache won’t take hold for a full 24 or even 72 hours later, long after that brief, dietary lapse has faded from memory.
The good news is that you can eliminate this additive from your life once and for all, and with it, your headaches and dependence on over the counter pain meds!
This is especially important for children. For example, even infrequent Tylenol use increases asthma risk tremendously.
Remove Processed Foods from Your Life
To accomplish this goal, you must basically swear off most, if not all, processed foods. Earlier in this post, I referred to MSG as ubiquitous because it is everywhere. MSG is the dominant additive in the food supply occurring in approximately 95% of all processed foods!
Restaurants use MSG-laden ingredients too. Most soups and sauces in restaurants come from some sort of “flavor” package. This innocent looking packet or bouillon cubes are loaded with MSG.
Steaks are frequently brushed with MSG before grilling to make them tastier for the consumer. This also disguises poor quality or old meat.
Beware also of restaurants that claim that they do not use MSG! What they are really telling you is that they don’t add any MSG.
MSG is still very much present in the flavor mixes, soup starters, and bottled sauces that they buy and use to prepare the food. They don’t make that stuff from scratch, I can assure you!
Beware also of products that have on the label “No MSG Added”.
The picture above is of a package of beef sausage bites my husband bought for our kids thinking it was MSG-free. Is it? Absolutely not! The ingredients list includes “natural spices” which is an MSG-alias.
Again, the manufacturer can get away with the “No MSG added” label because none of the listed ingredients contain more than 50% MSG.
Games, games, and more labeling games. Bottom line? If you think a product may contain MSG, it most likely does considering that 95% of processed foods have it added somewhere.
Once you decide to get off MSG and avoid it like the plague like I do, you will be delighted to see that headaches become a distant memory in your life story.
I can’t remember the last time I actually took ibuprofen or any over the counter pain med for anything, let alone a headache!
There is much benefit to be gained from slaying the Processed Food Giant in your home! Start by eliminating MSG from your life and experience the wonder of headache-free days that ensue from a happy hypothalamus!
References
(1) Department of Drug Enforcement
(2) When Headaches Come Off the Rebound
More Information
Chicken Broth: “No MSG” Labels are False!
Bone Broth and MSG: What You Need to Know
Healthy and Easy Bouillon Cubes Recipe
Stock or Broth? Are You Confused?
Hi, soy sauce marinated chicken or other meats using soy sauce for flavoring has been giving me most terrible restless leg pains. I have to get up at night to drink a glass of OJ and take 1000 mg of Tylenol Tabs to be able to get back to sleep. What is it in Soy Sauce that causes this kind of mercy less restless leg pain and also joint pains?
After drinking a lot of fluids the next day and just consuming some whole wheat toast and chamomile tea and fruits and vegetables I get back to normal again. I am also just using Pure Himalayan ancient Pink Sea Salt any more, because of regular salt sensitivities. Thank you for any answers on this.
Gudrun
Histamin can also be the culprit (sometimes a histamin-overproducing gutflora).
Thanks – I’ll try Phenergan. Usually I end up completely flattened an in pain for two days if I inadvertently take in MSG. Sometimes I end up at the ER – with a hefty bill for pethidine shots. I agree that MSG should be banned. I have to attend a lot of meetings, training etc where meals are provided, adn it’s impossible to establish whether there is MSG in the food.
My migraines are triggered by my gut, but they’re serious, I can’t even speak, possibly they are hemiplegic migraines since half of my body stops functioning and I can’t talk. I actually use Phenergan as a rescue medicine, which means I don’t get to keep functioning, I have to lie down and sleep for a few hours, but when I wake up, it’s gone. Thankfully I only get one every few months. I was a regular visitor at the ER before Phenergan, so it’s better this way. I also take 3 preventatives. Migraines dominate my life and I most certainly already avoid all processed foods.
My diet has been Paleo-keto for about 3 years. It helped a whole lot, reduced the frequency of problems and my general pain level. I feel almost normal, though I still feel the echoes of the trauma of having been in constant pain for over a decade before. The people who play funny games with food additives that make us sick should be flayed alive. No, they should have to suffer what I suffered before I figured out how to avoid their poisons.
To the author, thank you for providing a warning to those whose lives haven’t been destroyed yet. I hope people will listen to you. To the readers, I know it’s hard to follow these warnings. I know there is a doubter in everyone thinking, maybe this is just rumors and marketing. But ask yourself… what’s most likely to be healthy? Additives, or real food?