AguiLeon Health Tech

Allergy sufferers who react to chocolate might be shocked to learn their allergy could be linked to something other than the cocoa bean: an allergy to cockroach. An average of 8 insect parts are found in a chocolate bar and deemed safe, according to the FDA's guidelines. "Most foods have natural contaminants in them, but there are levels which the FDA deems safe," said allergist Dr. Morton M. Teich. "Anything more than 60 insect pieces per 100 grams of chocolate is rejected by the FDA. " Trace amounts of insect parts that are ground into the food and can affect people with allergies and asthma. Some side effects include migraines, cramps, itching or hives. Chocolate isn't the only food product to blame for contamination, other foods like peanut butter, macaroni, fruit, cheese, popcorn, wheat and some cheese also contain this material. Allergists can help patients with cockroach allergies by giving them allergy shots with small amounts of the inse

Stress accounts for 80 % of all migraines, according to a study in the journal Cephalalgia. That's because it causes fluctuations in cortisol and adrenaline - the fight-or-flight hormones - which can lead to pain and nausea, says Sheena K. Aurora, MD, medical director of the Headache Center at Swedish Medical Center in Seattle. Stress can also make you clench your jaw and neck muscles, causing neck pain that, in turn, can set off tension headaches. Trigger Tamer: Meditation, deep breathing, yoga, and massage can help. Or consider a mind-body technique called biofeedback - get more information from the Association for Psychophysiology and Biofeedback. By Winnie Yu Scherer