What causes brain freeze and how can you avoid it

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- It's summer-time and that means more people are eating ice cream - which means more people may be wondering what causes so-called "brain-freeze" and how can you avoid it.

Doctors at the Mayo Clinic explain the condition. Medically it's called a cold-stimulus headache.

The pain can be very intense but it should only last a few seconds and it's not dangerous.

Doctors explain there are blood vessels inside the mouth and in the back of your throat. When they are rapidly exposed to something cold, they constrict and then become larger. When the blood vessels radpidly change in size it activates the pain receptors.

The best way to avoid it is to eat ice cream slower in smaller bites or with a cold drink use a smaller straw.

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