How to avoid holiday headaches, part 1

December 9, 2009

Holiday headaches are quite avoidable, but to avoid them you have to have willpower. I know myself that it is hard to resist all the chocolate that surrounds you during the holidays. If you have a choice, pick milk chocolate over dark. There is no scientific proof, but in my case I find that the higher the cocoa content the more likely I will get a headache. Of course I, like many other chocoholics do not consider milk chocolate real chocolate and don’t bother eating it. For the most part I stay away from chocolate altogether because it is addictive – once you start eating it, it is hard to stop. My headaches do respond to medication and when I do eat chocolate I make sure to have it handy. Another way to avoid headaches from chocolate, or for that matter any other trigger, is to avoid having more than one trigger at a time. That is if you want to have some chocolate do not also drink wine or do not eat chocolate if you did not get enough sleep.

Written by
Alexander Mauskop, MD
Continue reading
July 3, 2026
Alternative Therapies
Essential Oils Can Change Your Brain
The science of essential oils and the brain is still young, but the findings so far are more compelling than many people realize. Brain imaging studies show that common scents like rose, lavender, peppermint, and lemon produce measurable changes in brain structure, brain activity, and pain processing. These studies are small and preliminary, and essential oils are not a substitute for medical treatment. But the evidence suggests that what we smell can influence the brain in real, physical ways
Read article
June 30, 2026
Alternative Therapies
Why I Ask You to Breathe Out When I Inject Botox
Incorporating slow, prolonged exhalation into procedures such as Botox injections offers a practical, evidence‑informed way to reduce discomfort and anxiety. By aligning the injection with the out‑breath, we engage parasympathetic and attentional mechanisms that help the brain process pain signals less intensely. This simple breathing cue does not replace careful technique or other comfort measures, but it complements them and gives patients an active role in their own pain control. As research on breathing and pain continues to grow, integrating this kind of mind–body strategy into migraine care becomes an increasingly important part of modern neurology.
Read article
June 29, 2026
Migraine status
Intravenous treatment for severe migraine
When you need intravenous drugs, in an ER or our office
Read article
Insights from Dr. Alexander Mauskop on headaches and migraines
Subscribe to the Blog.
Subscribe
Subscribe