The Chewing Game

Chewing gum has become part of a teen's routine. It's a necessity for us to have it wherever we go. We like to make our breath smell fresh and so our friends would stop being annoying. It's the main reason why we don't stuff our mouths with food everywhere we go. But lately, studies have shown that our fascination with gum is linked to a widespread of headaches. Is that the case? You're about to find out.

The Trial

• Dr. Watemberg of Tel Aviv University ran a test on daily gum chewers (30)
• He asked them to quit smoking for one month; all of them saw either a decrease in severe headaches or no headaches at all
• " To test the results, 26 of them agreed to resume gum chewing for two weeks. All of them reported a return of their symptoms within days"

The Blame

• There were previous studies that also linked gum chewing to headaches
• "One study suggested that gum chewing causes stress to the temporomandibular joint, or TMJ, the place where the jaw meets the skull"
• "People chew gum well after the taste is gone, putting a significant burden on the TMJ, which is already the most used joint in the body"

The Verdict

• Overchewing gum can lead to some very hurtful results. Next time thinking about opening a pack of gum in your next English class try to not chew it past it's past it's flavor point.

Work Cited

• (The Trial and The Blame) "Chewing gum is often culprit for migraine headaches in teens." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 19 Dec. 2013. Web. 21 Feb. 2017.