Brain freeze!

This morning's smoothie froze my brain!

I gulped it way too quickly, then spent the next five minutes staggering around my kitchen, clawing at my forehead, and muttering "Oh ow ow ow, make it stop, make it stop."

I had another brain freeze experience a few days ago while sampling a passion-fruit shake in Chinatown. The two head-numbing experiences so close together made me wonder: What is brain freeze, anyway? Why does eating extremely cold things sometimes gives us that excruciating, distinctive headache?

The (semi)trusty Internet reveals quite a lot of literature on the subject. In 2006, Dr. Lionel Dibden, a pediatrician and faculty member at University of Alberta, offered a concise explanation.

Essentially, he said, an ice cream headache is a referred pain: one experienced away from the site of what caused it.

He writes:

"The pain is not really in the brain. The cold temperature of the roof of the mouth is transmitted into some nerves in that area called the sphenopalatine ganglion -- a ganglion is a collection of nerves.

"We're dealing with something that's not precisely known, but it appears as though it then triggers a cycle of blood vessel contraction with subsequent dilation of the blood vessels that causes the stabbing, severe pain that occurs usually in the front part of the head or to one side or behind the eye."

The website KidsHealth explains even more clearly (with helpful pronunciation tips):

"When you eat or drink, food or liquid touches your palate (say: pal-it) before you swallow. Your palate is also known as the roof of your mouth. You can feel your palate with your tongue.

"When something very cold touches the center of the palate, the cold temperature can set off certain nerves that control how much blood flows to your head. The nerves respond by causing the blood vessels in the head to swell up. This quick swelling of the blood vessels is what causes your head to pound and hurt. Some people call this a 'brain freeze,' even though nothing is really happening in the brain -- it's all in the blood vessels of the head."

In a 1997 editorial in the BMJ, which is published by the British Medical Association, a Temple University assistant prof in neurology offered his opinion on the matter, discussing connections between migraines and brain freeze. Joseph Hulihan wrote:

"No treatment is usually required, and sufferers rarely seek medical attention. Since the posterior aspect of the palate is most likely to produce the referred pain of ice cream headache, avoiding contact of the cold food with this area can effectively eliminate the symptoms. Most people arrive at such preventive measures without the advice of doctors. Ice cream abstinence is not indicated."

That's a relief.

Here's a 2002 study published on the subject, also in the BMJ (which is apparently staffed by ice cream-loving editors). It was conducted by a grade 8 student. Who funded it? "This work was supported by an unrestricted grant from mum and dad."

Other things worth knowing about brain freeze:

* 7-Eleven, maker of the massive-headache-inducing Slurpee, has trademarked the term "brainfreeze." (In the past it was also registered by one Joutras, Frank E, of Lincoln, Neb., to be applied to "Safety Helmets containing a reuseable cooling device to keep the user's head cool when worn.")

* It was the name of a live 1999 album by DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist.

* There's a gourmet ice cream place in Spokane, Wash., called Brain Freeze Creamery. (It sounds great!)

* You've heard of the Twinkie defense. Apparently there's also a Brain Freeze defense. In June, a Kansas man who crashed his car into a house blamed it on brain freeze. He had just consumed a frozen drink from Sonic.

* Merriam-Webster includes a definition of brain freeze, added in 1991.

* Wikipedia offers these handy synonyms: "cold headache, shakeache, frigid face, freezie, Frozen Brain Syndrome, cold-stimulus headache, or its given scientific name, sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia."

* The Farmers' Almanac offers potential remedies: "For instant relief, simply press either your tongue or your thumb firmly to the roof of your mouth. Taking a couple sips of a warm beverage may also help stop the pain. To prevent further ice cream headaches, remember to slow down and savor every delectable spoonful or sip."

For a very amusing video of people chugging Slurpees and giving themselves brain freeze, click here.