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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?
I have become VERY sensitive to MSG. When you have to eat out and are fearful of MSG headaches, try drinking Calcium Bentonite Clay Water (Natures Cleansing Clay or Living Clay Co.). I use about a tablespoon shaken up in 8 -12 oz of water and drink throught the meal. This helps….for when you just can’t avoid it. I think it probably absorbs much of the MSG. The clay is also good for food poisioning for the same reason.
Thank you Martha! I really tried to make it sleek and simple. I hope I achieved that! 🙂
I really, really like the new look, especially the search field right at the top. I use it often! Great job!!!
Produce is also frequently sprayed with MSG. Auxigro is 29% free glutamic acid (MSG). Organic produce is not sprayed with this as far as I know.
This says that over 50% of Utah’s onions were treated with that stuff in 2000! Wow.
See pg2, 3rd to last paragraph.
Thanks Sarah,
It took me until just recently when I thought that I wasn’t eating any MSG to realize that any poultry injected with a “solution” has MSG in it. One day in the grocery store, it just kind of hit me that if is has something injected into it must have MSG in it and it does. I was finally able to find MSG-free turkey and chicken at Walmart of all places! The chicken is antibiotic free, free range, hormone-free, etc and very reasonably priced.
Also, thank God for the Internet; I have been able to find recipes for msg-free “Montreal Style” steak seasoning, Fajita Seasoning, etc. Sea salt packs a lot of flavor and so we can still enjoy the flavors of the seasonings my family loves.
In addition, I believe that all the seasonings/spice mixes that are sold in Indian Grocery Stores are MSG free. Most of them say all natural, no MSG or sugar added. I guess Indians didn’t get hoodwinked like the rest of Asia into believing that food wouldn’t taste good without MSG!
thanks, Joyce
Hi Joy, that is the most difficult part of being a Real Foodie .. how to mingle and socialize like a normal person without getting sick from all the low quality, processed food being served. What I do is stick to meats, veggies and fruit and skip the bread (which is not ever traditionally prepared). Skip the desserts to as they will be full of white sugar and refined flour. Even if th meats and veggies are not organic, stick with these types of foods and you won’t at least be getting a daily headache and be exhausted and lethargic from all the sugar and carbs!
Hi, my husband and I both work for a caterer, and my husband is severly alergic to MSG. It used to be he would just get a bad headache a day or so later. But one time he was working an event and thought the meat would be the safest thing for him to eat. He knew some of the salads, etc, had flavorings in them that had MSG. So he ate quite a bit of grilled chicken and pork. That night I had to rush him to the ER. By the time we got there, he was delirious and having trouble breathing. They started giving him benedryl. When he went to work after he recovered, he asked a coworker what they put on the meat. It was some new seasoning they had found and used a lot of. And they usually try to avoid it where they can because of him. So even though the meat was seemingly the healthiest choice, he ended up really sick. The symptoms have developed from a headache, to a severe allergy reaction. Driving a loved one to the hospital and trying to keep them concious through a rural area is a scary adventure I’d rather not repeat. The doctors advise: keep the disolvable benedryl strips with you at all times. I like to avoid meds, but that one could literally save his life.
Love the new blog design! You’re really coming up in the world! 🙂
I have a question that I actually think would be a very useful blog topic. How do you eat out, especially when it comes to holidays? Most of the time when we eat out we can choose restaurants that have a healthy emphasis, but for Thanksgiving we spent 10 days visiting family. We went to numerous catered events and family dinners. Basically, I just gave up and ate what was set before me. Any advice? Reccomendations?
Hi WordVixen, kombu should be fine. It would contain glutamic acid, but in the proper form for the body to handle it. MSG is not the same as naturally occurring glutamic acid.
I have to say as much anti-MSG buzz as there was years ago it amazes me that it’s still in everything. Sadly, I have to blame consumers as much as the label-game playing producers. It seems once the news outlets stopped doing stories on the evils of MSG people stopped caring. As long as their favorite Chinese takeout says “no MSG added” they seem content that they’ve done their due diligence. It’s very sad. I can say not only does it cause headaches, but I’ve noticed in my toddler if he’s eaten anything with it his sleep is messed up for a week.
The change eliminating MSG will be worth it, Nicole. Be very careful of migraine meds. I have a friend who unknowingly got addicted to them and had to go into rehab for a couple weeks to get off of them! Don’t take the pills! Eliminating the MSG is a much better approach for your health.