Also, you may want to consider moving house. Alternatively, start drinking Earl Grey, because the acidity of bergamot rinds in the blend has the same effect.ĭone. Well, you could add a drop of lemon juice to your tea, since this was discovered to produce a thinner film of scum. Scientists have discovered ways to mitigate the forming of the film. Unless you are an intolerable aesthete, you have nothing to worry about.īut I am an intolerable aesthete! It’s still not the end of the world. The worst thing it does is slightly hinder the tea’s aroma. The film is flavourless and harmless to consume. And when this happens, a film tends to appear at the surface of the tea cup. These have a habit of bonding with calcium carbonate in tap water. Scientists at the Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health in Zurich, discovered that tea leaves contain compounds called polyphenols. Really? Clearly you don’t read the scientific journal the Physics of Fluids, because that’s all anyone there can talk about.įine then, talk me through it. Your partner may hate you, but it has been revealed that tea scum is caused by a simple chemical process. I always put that down to my partner stirring my tea with a dirty spoon because they hate me. What actual thing? You make a cup of tea and let it sit for a few minutes, only to be confronted by a grotesque waxy film on the surface when you bring it up to your mouth. Although “tea scum” may sound like something that a violent coffee enthusiast may spray paint on the front door of someone who prefers PG Tips, we’re talking about the actual thing. Is this some sort of horrible slur? No, not at all. Sources: Andrew Charles, M.D., University of California at Los Angeles Robert Cowan, M.D., Stanford University Peter Goadsby, M.D.Appearance: A grotty, cuppa-topping oil slick. Luckily, in the short term, adrenaline and cortisol can have anti-pain properties. You're also now awash in cortisol, a stress hormone. The pain has prompted an adrenaline surge, which can lead to rapid heartbeat, dilated pupils, and sweating. (Don't worry, there's no permanent damage.) Your brain is now too busy fending off those faux attackers to think straight. What is that?! This is how your brain is now processing, well, everything. On the (equally unpleasant) flip side, anything already in your tract might morph into diarrhea. Whatever you swallow now-including pain pills-could sit undigested in your stomach, prompting nausea or even vomiting.
Your digestive system has also taken a hit. It's your meninges, a thin sheath around your brain, that's on fire. Though it could feel as if your brain is being stabbed with an ice pick, the organ can't actually feel pain. If it's searing and on one side, you may have a more intense kind that could hit your.Īn area of the brain stem called the "migraine generator" switches on the nerve responsible for face sensation. If the hurt is mild to moderate on both sides of your head, you likely have a tension headache. Many theories (e.g., tense muscles lead to tension pounders) have been debunked new ideas center around brain chemistry gone wild. If your ache is more intense, pop some OTC ibuprofen and ask your doc about other treatments.ĭespite being so common, headaches remain somewhat of a medical mystery. Research shows distraction (watching a video, taking a walk) could work much better. If you slip up, you may be able to keep a splitter from snowballing by drinking four eight-ounce glasses of H2O or doing some deep breathing for several minutes.Īlready in pain? Most docs do not recommend meds for tension headaches. Sticking to a daily routine and ID'ing your particular triggers are key. The best way to nix a headache: Prevent it from happening.