Bel Marra Health supports a recent study that ties the "brain freeze" theory with a possible migraine treatment

(prHWY.com) May 22, 2012 - Pine Valley, PA -- Bel Marra Health, well known for offering high-quality, specially formulated vitamins and nutritional supplements, supports recent research that ties the "brain freeze" theory with a possible migraine treatment.

According to a new study led by Jorge Serrador of Harvard Medical School and the War Related Illness and Injury Study Center of the Veterans Affairs New Jersey Health Care, inducing brain freeze, may be the key to discovering what causes migraine pain and consequently, it may help scientists to produce an effective treatment for it.

The study involved 13 healthy adults, who were instructed to sip ice water with a straw pressed against their upper palate in order to bring on brain freeze. The study participants were instructed to raise their hands when they first experienced the sharp pain associated with brain freeze and then to raise their hands again when they experienced pain elimination.

The researchers monitored the participants throughout the process using a transcranial Doppler. Serrador and his colleagues found that the anterior cerebral artery (located in the middle of the brain behind the eyes), rapidly dilated and flooded the brain with blood at the moment that the participants first experienced the pain. Spokesperson for Bel Marra Health Dr. Victor Marchione says, "As the anterior cerebral artery constricted, the participants experienced simultaneous pain elimination."

Despite the universality of brain freeze, scientists have been unable to explain this phenomenon. Due to the fact that migraine sufferers are more prone to experiencing brain freeze then non-sufferers, scientists speculate that brain freeze may share a common mechanism or cause with migraines.

Previous studies on migraines have been limited because researchers and study participants can't wait around in a lab for a migraine to appear, so researchers were unable to study the crucial investigatory time period when the headache actual forms.

The most recent study however, was able to induce headaches inside the lab using a purposefully induced brain freeze. This ground-breaking technique finally allowed scientists to study the headache process from start to finish.

The researchers of this study hypothesize that the dilation and subsequent constriction of the artery may be a self-defense mechanism for the brain. "The brain is one of the relatively important organs in the body, and it needs to be working all the time," states Serrador. "It's fairly sensitive to temperature, so vasodilation might be moving warm blood inside tissue to make sure the brain stays warm." Serrador speculates that due to the closed structure of the brain, the rapid influx of blood may raise pressure and consequently, cause pain.

(SOURCE: "Huffington Post" 'Brain Freeze' Caused By Dilated Artery, Headache Study Shows, April 2012)

Bel Marra Health offers high-quality vitamins and nutritional supplements in formulations designed to address specific health concerns. All ingredients are backed with scientific evidence. Every product is tested for safety, quality, and purity at every stage of the manufacturing process. Furthermore, Bel Marra Health products are produced only in Health Canada approved facilities, going that extra mile to ensure our health conscious customers are getting top quality products. For more information on Bel Marra Nutritionals visit http://www.belmarrahealth.com or call 1-866-531-0466.

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