What's with orange juice?

[Guest Anonymous]

Well, from what I learned in my Intro to Behavioral Neuroscience class over the summer the concentration of Calcium ions in the neurons helps control the amount of neurotransmitters released when the neuron fires. Maybe the Calcium thing I mentioned earlier ties into that? I'm really not sure, but it would make SOME sense.

 

You took Behavioral Neuroscience? Wow, I am impressed. I would have never linked orange juice to neurons ever. I wonder why would tulpa forcing deplete calcium in the brain? Silly tulpas.

[Einulf]

 

You took Behavioral Neuroscience? Wow, I am impressed. I would have never linked orange juice to neurons ever. I wonder why would tulpa forcing deplete calcium in the brain? Silly tulpas.

 

Not sure, but if we use the theory about parallel processing from a while ago then maybe having two or more consciousnesses active at the same time creates more neural activity. Everything we could come up with right now is theoretical, but that makes the most sense to me.

[Yakumo]

I think the whole orange juice thing is mainly a meme.

 

From a physiological point of view there is no evidence (at least as far as I know) that orange juice is effective against headaches. On the contrary, some studies and reports made by people in migraine-related online communities indicate that the consumption of oranges may in some cases even trigger migraine attacks.

This factsheet made by the Australian Department of Health advises against drinking coffee, tea or orange juice when acutely suffering from migraine.

Now forcing-related headaches might function differently than migraine and some people report it helps but my best guess is that none of this is beyond a placebo effect.

 

Let's take a look at some nutritional facts regarding oranges.:

Both calcium and magnesium were mentioned earlier.

While magnesium deficiency appears to be linked to migraine-related headaches, the exact mechanisms are still poorly understood. See comment at the end of the article as caveat.

So magnesium supplements could help, especially if you are prone to migraine. However the doses found to be effective are very high and should not be taken without medical supervision.

 

Regarding calcium, there seems to be no significant correlation between Ca-levels and headaches.

Furthermore, oranges are a poor source of either Mg or Ca. Look up the source tables in the links.

 

There is evidence that peppermint oil and ginger are effective against tension-type headaches / migraine, might be worth a try.

Please note that even herbal products like ginger should not be used without consulting your doctor first, as they can be potentially harmful to persons with certain medical conditions, if overdosed, or may interact with other medication you receive. The study used 250mg powdered ginger which is a low dose though. You ingest much more with a typical ginger-flavored meal.

 

TL;DR

The relation between food and headaches is complicated and still poorly understood.

If you ask me, the best method to prevent headaches would be lots of fresh air, sufficient hydration and plenty of physical activity before and after forcing.

But in the end you'll have to find what works best for you. Try the orange juice method and see if it helps, it sure will be better for your health than soft drinks or coffee. But water will probably do the same trick.

[glitchthe3rd]

The brain primarily uses calcium, potassium, sodium and especially glucose to do its job, among a few other compounds that are replenished by eating foods rich in these things. Tulpaforcing depletes these resources relatively quickly, so there's at least a kernel of truth to the whole orange juice thing. As others have mentioned though, you can substitute orange juice for anything that's rich in sugars and electrolytes and get a similar effect.

[Bambi]

Not only have I never heard of this . . . I've never even gotten a "tulpa headache." I feel like I'm missing out. o.O

 

But if I had to guess, then I'd say the same thing a few others have already said: orange juice has water, calcium, vitamins, etc., etc., etc., and all that junk's supposed to be good for headaches.

[sushi]

Not only have I never heard of this . . . I've never even gotten a "tulpa headache." I feel like I'm missing out. o.O

 

Me too. After two years, never a single headache or headpressure that I felt resulted from forcing.

 

Personally I'm not fond of orange juice because it has a lot of sugar, but loses a lot of the nutritional value of the whole oranges.

 

Recently I made fruit kvass from oranges, mangoes, and pineapple. After three days of fermenting, I strained the fruit out and blended it into smoothies. I had to use bananas to cut down on the tart in the smoothies, but they were good and had all the nutritional value that orange juice or kvass alone would have lost.

[Yakumo]

Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for you if this method helps you but as Jean-Luc asked about the 'how' we need to clarify a few things. There's a lot of hearsay and assumptions but most of them appear to be pretty baseless.

 

Ions like Ca or Mg do not get depleted during neurological processes. Where are they supposed to go?

The body quickly recycles them and tightly controls the absorption and excretion of these elements so a healthy person is unlikely to experience any deficiencies. And if you do due to certain diseases or malnutrition, headaches during forcing will be your least problem. This is especially true for Ca, see calcium metabolism. A normal diet leads to an about 5-fold intake of what the body actually absorbs to compensate losses. Furthermore, the body stores enormous amounts of calcium in the bones that can be quickly released if needed. So there is no point to take up extra calcium for forcing. As said, oranges would be a very poor source anyway. Dairy product would be far better. On top of that, as said above there is no evidence that calcium plays a significant role in headaches.

 

Things are a bit different for magnesium as it does seem to play a role in migraines and a poor diet may lead to inadequate uptake, however the kidneys normally are highly efficient in resorbing Mg so deficiencies usually only occur due to certain diseases, drug abuse or medication. Again, oranges are a poor source for magnesium. Spinach, legumes, whole-grain products and nuts are a far better choice.

 

Same goes for vitamins, except for D a healthy diet will provide you with sufficient amounts, so far most supplements have failed to show any significant effects.

 

And about sugar, our diet already contains far too much of that. The body can get the glucose the brain needs to function from complex carbohydrates in your diet, this ways is much healthier than ingesting free sugars. A sugar-rich diet may even inhibit cognitive functions.

 

My point is - the body is a wonderful system and, as long as it is kept healthy and provided with a balanced and diverse diet, does not need questionable supplements to function. Otherwise we'd long become extinct.

[ThreeSevens]

There is truth in all of this. With the high levels of mental activity going on I would assume our brains are running red hot! As with any muscle, the brain needs a wide variety of nutrients and minerals in order to opperate to its fullest.

 

Orange juice has high levels of sugars that wont break down as instantly as refined sugars and offers it to the body in a form more readily metabolized. That and all its nutrients.

 

However a regular and steady diet of high nutrient dense foods will keep your reserves high making you less likely to experience the symptoms that accompany severe depletion. I suggest eating lots of fruit, deep green veggies (kale, broccoli, etc.), and raw nuts. It is about balance. I think orange juice is just advised because it is obsorbed really fast, delivering a quick shot to the brain so to speak.

 

^ All opinion and observation

[Leaf]

From what I found citrus fruit juices can lead to an increase in catecholamine, which elicits increased blood pressure, migraine headaches and atrial fibrillation in some susceptible individuals. Migraines are not the same as headaches per se, but there isn't much on the matter. Sleep and plenty of hydration are the best in my opinion.

 

Sources:

http://www.omicsonline.org/open-access/food-supplements-and-drugs-pharmacokinetics-interactions-and-their-implications-jbb.10000e51.pdf

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0278691512001871