blood sugar? hmmmmm

i notice alot of people drink diet coke or pepsi, diet rockstars to abort theyre cluster, want the caffiene but no sugar

if i eat a candy bar = ch
hostess cupcake = ch

and today i cut the grass sat back and grabbed a can of pepsi . . . = ch

there is a ton of sugar in these items

dont get me wrong i put a decent sized spoon ful of sugar in my 14oz coffee mug in the morning (made with french press to get 98% of that natural caffiene) its florida crystals organic carbon free sugar, so what i piut in my coffee is far different from these sugars in the above items that trigger for me

needless to say i was feelin dam great all day till i drank that pepsi, well had a few sips and the ch came on, i keep kickin it back with the o2, the more water i drink lengthens the interval between the attacks as if im purifying my blood of the unecessary sugar  . . . .

just a thought, an observation

or just some wacky story i thought of while trying to understand this problem we have, maybe thats my problem and not yours as far as ch goes but some thing else to ponder, as if we dont have enough already

hummm. We all rack our brains trying to figure out this damn CH. I have noticed that artifical sweetners(sweet N low) give me a hit. I also read that preservitives give some people hits. I wonder if the preservitives affect you?? Just something more for ya to ponder man.   sorry.  ;)  ;D

. . .and for a lot of people, it's a beer.  "Alcohol can cause hypoglycemia shortly after drinking and for 8-12 hours after drinking."  (START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGE) And hypoglycemia is an abnormally low blood sugar usually resulting from excessive insulin or a poor diet.  So, maybe triggers could be hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia. It would be interesting to research if some CH sufferers are diabetic as well and how that plays into triggers. . . you bring up an interesting point.  And until the answers are found, we really need to look at all the triggers.

Hi AO,

Some weird stuff this ch...huh?

Myself, I drink the full sugar energy drinks because I believe 1) the sugar is helpful (low blood sugar?) and 2) the artificials (especially aspartame) are "triggers".

Preservatives?..dunno. Artificial dyes?...maybe.

...and I feel compelled to comment on a misleading advertising ploy that I'm seeing more often. If you are eating sugar, any sugar, you are eating carbon...and lots of it. Florida Crystals "carbonfree" refers to "carbon neutral"...meaning the carbon resources used to produce their product balance out with what is produced. I have my doubts on that too...but that's what they mean.

Best,

Jon

It is more of a way our bodies act to different chemicals.

Coca cola, pepsi, mountain dew does not trigger ch for me.

Although salted crackers, sometimes mustard, this one chocolate with waffer in it trigger ch for me.

So many stuff it is weird I also have very sensitive gums around my teeth and sometimes freezing cold on them triggers ch accidentaly and I smack myself for "doh" to myself as in 15 minutes my CH will be full blown one so I sit on O2 kill pain and continue what I was doing.

It must be something with alergens etc the way our bodies react to different stuff.

just an observation

maybe its the high fructose syrups and hydrogenated oils

the foods we consume and are almost obligated to buy are truly mostly garbage and it isnt helping anyone any way

i know ya cant avoid it all but hey maybe it will make someone think and stop a hit even if its just one its progress to me and im sure to most

thanks for the replies and the info on the sugar i did not truly understand the carbon free deal but im sure its properties are different

the more triggers we identify while they are different for everyone some the same and not the better chance we have

its funny u mention diabetic because my doctor told me i was close to being borderline diabetic

always try to eat better and cut oiut the crap when i can but its hard sometimes, cant say much since i smoke but its become our nature . . . damn idiot boxes(tvs) yea i watch one too lol brainwash us, they got us when were kids - bastards

you would think this would be figured out by now

its truly only a battle for the strongest ;)

Speaking of smoking, my husband is trying to quit, but he is very addicted.  Smoking lowers oxygen levels in the blood.  I am thinking that for him, the low oxygen levels are causing hits.  Why else would breathing low level oxygen continuously all night prevent hits all night for him? Has anyone found out how many CH sufferers are smokers?  There seems to be quite a few as I read through this board.  I'm not into demonizing smoking, I think it's a personal choice (not a good one, but still a choice), but if it is determined to be something that triggers CH's, then we really need to own that piece of information and address it.   

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Has anyone found out how many CH sufferers are smokers?

It's more than double the rate of the general population.

There is a theory, however, that the connection may not be one of cause and effect. The theory is this: our defective hypothalamus causes CH, and there are other bodily functions that are regulated by that same gland which are also messed up. The hypothalamus is also the pain/pleasure center of the brain, and many feel it is intimately involved in addictions. Thus, CH'ers tend toward becoming uber-addicted to nicotine.

In other words, it's much more difficult for a CH'er to quit smoking or kick other physical addictions. Or so the theory goes.

A recent survey of CH sufferers says 48% don't smoke.

From what I've read, some say quiting smoking helps their CH, but just as many say it made no difference.

Good luck, Don

Brew wrote on Jun 20^th, 2010 at 10:58pm:

Quote: Has anyone found out how many CH sufferers are smokers? It's more than double the rate of the general population. There is a theory, however, that the connection may not be one of cause and effect. The theory is this: our defective hypothalamus causes CH, and there are other bodily functions that are regulated by that same gland which are also messed up. The hypothalamus is also the pain/pleasure center of the brain, and many feel it is intimately involved in addictions. Thus, CH'ers tend toward becoming uber-addicted to nicotine. In other words, it's much more difficult for a CH'er to quit smoking or kick other physical addictions. Or so the theory goes.

Interesting theory.

If it is correct then there should also be a similar increase in the participation in other addictive behaviours, such as gambling, drinking, substance abuse plus things like excessive computer gaming, etc.

I also wonder if there is any difference in the addictive behaviours for episodic CH suffers between cycles when presumably the hypothalamus is working closer to "normal".

Even if the smoking rate is twice that of the general population, the comparison really needs to be done against an equivalent population. One of the best ways to compare would be where you have a reasonably large (i.e. statistically significant) number of identical twins where one has CH and the other doesn't. However given the relative low numbers of CH identical twins, there is unlikely to be enough to produce statistically significant results.

This could be a pretty good research project.

When I was first diagnosed with CH I was hypoglycemic.  Over the years I became diabetic.  I've used a lot of sugar, and I've used a lot of artificial sweetners, but I've found blood sugar to have little to no effect on CH. 

I will say though that Aspartame is a trigger for me if used more than just sporadically.  I can handle a couple of Diet Cokes or aspartame in coffee, but if I go beyond that I'll get hit.  The more I use the harder I get hit.  Splenda and Saccharine don't bother me at all.

Jerry

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If it is correct then there should also be a similar increase in the participation in other addictive behaviours, such as gambling, drinking, substance abuse plus things like excessive computer gaming, etc.

Just go to an OUCH convention!  It's all there.

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If it is correct then there should also be a similar increase in the participation in other addictive behaviours, such as gambling, drinking, substance abuse plus things like excessive computer gaming, etc.

Respectfully, no, the reasoning is faulty. You are implying a necessary connection between one addiction and another, rather than the generalized connection which exists between the body, the brain, our neurology and addiction.

Addiction is a complex set of behaviors coupled with cyclic cognitiions and physiological reactions. In other words, just like the CH triggers, we are all different. What tempts me may or may not tempt you. And the way I react to the temptation will not necessarily be the way you react.

There is a difference between addiction and behavioral preference. Addiction, whether to a process or substance, bears some general similarities one to another, but process addictions in particular (those behaviors which effect the production of serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine for example) tend to be peculiar to the individual.

Having said that, there is something recognizable as an "addictive personality." It describes the kinds of behaviors that almost always, although not necessarily, lead to addictions. Things like all or nothing thinking, poor impulse control, obsessive cognitives, etc. The function of addiction is to medicate whatever we are feeling as a substitute for other more productive behaviors, such as intimacy.

Interestingly enough, the same elements noted above are also linked to clinical depression. Since the hypothalmus is involved in all of this, there is no surprise we find CH dudes and dudettes displaying addictive and depressive symptoms.