Many substances can cause headaches, and these include chemical solvents, gas appliances, alcohol, certain foods, additives and preservatives, car fumes and drugs, both prescribed and over-the-counter varieties. Sometimes the headaches are caused by the sudden withdrawal of a substance to which you’re addicted -such as caffeine; a food to which you’re allergic; or one of the addictive drugs. In each case, the treatment is obvious – identify the problem, and then permanently eliminate the offending substance.
Some of the reactions we get to chemicals are caused by a direct effect of the chemical on the body. The effect may be related to the dose we receive – a pharmacological response. In other cases the reaction is allergic. This works by a completely different pathway, with the offending substance triggering off the body’s immune system. In this case you get a maximum response for anything other that the tiniest dose.
Let’s look at some of the more common sources of chemicals that can cause headaches.
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