Sore ears

February 1, 2007 6:08 PM

You know when you think something that happens to you is normal and then you find out it's not??? I've given up asking my circle of friends about this as they all seem to think I've lost the plot. After I have peppermints or peppermint chewing gum...I can't drink water as it makes excrutiating pain happen in my ears. Not the outer pinna, obviously but inside... Anyone else have this happen??? More imporatantly anyone know why this happens?
posted by Civa to health & fitness (10 comments total)

Don't know why it happens, but you're not alone, same thing happens to me.
posted by Persimmon at 6:18 PM on February 1, 2007

The hinges of my jaw hurt whenever I drink beer.

I think bodies are just weird.
posted by Faint of Butt at 6:44 PM on February 1, 2007

Water after mint is more a jaw thing for me.
posted by krisjohn at 6:48 PM on February 1, 2007

I can't seem to find the right key words to search on, but I think someone asked recently why this happens. Rest assured, it does happen to lots of people. But I don't know why.
posted by Airhen at 7:42 PM on February 1, 2007

Man, there was just a discussion (I think here on MeFi) about mint / menthol and what it does to the body, but I can't seem to get the search terms right to find it.
posted by altcountryman at 7:44 PM on February 1, 2007

It happens to me - it's like brainfreeze, but in my jaw and ears.
posted by Cat Pie Hurts at 9:32 PM on February 1, 2007

Man, there was just a discussion (I think here on MeFi) about mint / menthol and what it does to the body, but I can't seem to get the search terms right to find it.

This may be the discussion Airhen is referring to.
posted by vespertine at 12:49 AM on February 2, 2007

Whoops, sorry -- that should have read "...may be the discussion altcountryman is referring to" (although Airhen may have been thinking of the same thread as well). Oy.
posted by vespertine at 12:52 AM on February 2, 2007

Glad to see I'm not alone with this. For me, it sometimes happens when I drink certain alcohols like vodka or wine. Definitely a jaw thing.
posted by DefendBrooklyn at 5:08 AM on February 2, 2007

I think this happens because an effect of peppermint causes considerably more suction on your eardrums when you drink a quantity of water.

According to a Wikipedia article:

Peppermint relaxes the gastro-oesophageal sphincter...

This is the sphincter at the bottom of the tube which goes from your mouth to your stomach, and there is also a tube connecting each middle ear to your throat, the eustachian tube.

When you drink water after having peppermint, the water rushes down into your stomach without hindrance because the peppermint has opened up the sphincter, and this generates a suction somewhat like pulling the plug in a full sink does, and this suction pulls sharply on your eardrums through your eustachian tubes. You could reduce the suction on your eardrums, but not eliminate it, by wearing airtight earplugs, but this could increase traction on other structures of the middle ear, and might feel even worse.
posted by jamjam at 12:42 PM on February 2, 2007