When I was 23 I learned that I
could no longer drink red wine as it began giving me debilitating (what doctors
call “complex”) migraines. I used to LOVE red wine, in fact cabernet sauvignon
was my drink of choice before I discovered my first migraine. And if it was just a harsh headache, I’d
treat myself now and then to a glass and pop some Advil, but nope, when I drink
red wine half of my body goes numb, I lose vision and can’t speak. So, at least
for now the migraines win and there is no future that includes me and red wine
consumption, that is at least until doctors get a handle on the causes of
migraine headaches, which surprisingly given how many people suffer from them,
we know very little about.
Allow me to elaborate. Even though
doctors helped me figure out that red wine (and a number of other migraine
inducing foods) were in fact causing my migraines (via a system of elimination)
they really can’t explain what exactly it is in red wines that causes my body
to react the way it does. There are
hypotheses that it is the tannins in the wine and others who say the histamines
are to blame but they do not know for sure which component causes what reaction
in each individual.
So, if you ever happen to get a
crazy headache after drinking too much vino (not to be confused with a
hangover, trust me you will know the difference) try taking a break from red wine
and seeing if you like the other 37 million US migraine sufferers are sensitive
to a migraine inducing food/drink. Don’t worry if you are one of these people –
luckily white wine exists and causes none of the migraine effects.
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