Your body needs selenium, a trace mineral, to function normally. Many plant foods contain selenium, but the amount of selenium in a plant depends on the amount of selenium in the soil. Headaches, including cluster, migraine and tension headaches, are typically a temporary health condition and present themselves as pain in your head or neck area. Sometimes selenium can cause headaches, and paradoxically some traditional medicinal plants rich in selenium are purported to be a headache remedy. Contact you doctor about chronic or severe headaches.
Selenium
Your body only requires small amounts of selenium to maintain good health. Selenium plays a part in regulating thyroid function and the immune system. It is also used in industrial processes. Inhaling or eating too much selenium can give you a headache. The recommended dietary allowance for selenium is 55 μg per day for men and women ages 14 and older. Foods rich in selenium include Brazil nuts, light meat turkey and enriched boiled noodles.
Skullcap
Skullcap, Scutellaria baicalensis, is an herb important in Chinese traditional medicine for treatment of headaches and other health conditions. It contains anti-inflammatory, antifungal and possibly antiviral properties. In the study, researchers examined skullcap leaves from both planted and wild plants and found both are about equally rich in selenium, according to a study from China Agricultural University in China and reported in the January 2009 issue of the Chinese medical journal “Guang Pu Xue Yu Guang Pu Fen Xi.”
Paradise Nuts
Eating too many paradise nuts can cause selenium poisoning, according to two case studies reported by Göttingen University and published in the May 2010 issue of the journal “Human and Experimental Toxicology.” In the case studies, two healthy women ill for several days with symptoms including headache, vomiting and dizziness experienced massive hair loss two weeks later and discolored fingernails. Both had toxic blood levels of selenium, which researchers say was related to the ingestion of paradise nuts.
Selenium Fumes and Dust
Industrial uses of selenium an expose workers to toxic amounts of fumes and dust. Workers inhaling high concentrations of selenium fumes for about two minutes in an industrial situation experienced frontal headaches and other malaise, according to the selenium toxic profile published by the Centers for Disease Control. The CDC goes on to report workers exposed to high concentrations of selenium dust for 14 days or less experienced headaches and other symptoms including stomach pain.
References
- U.S. Center's of Disease Control and Prevention; Toxic Profile: Selenium, Health Effects
- U.S. Center's of Disease Control and Prevention; Toxic Profile: Selenium, Relevance to Public Health
- “Guang Pu Xue Yu Guang Pu Fen Xi"; Comparative Study on Selenium and Amino Acids Content in Leaves of Planted and Wild Scutellaria Baicalensis; J.P. Sheng, et al.; China Agricultural University; January 2009
- Office of Dietary Supplements: Selenium
- Medline Plus; Headache; October 2010
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