When I start this blog by saying, “I have this friend…” you have to know that I am seriously not talking about myself. I really do have this friend who the blog is about. I will not give out her name, however, so that she will maintain some semblance of privacy.

So, I have this friend who has been having some health problems. Most of them had previously been diagnosed, but one especially troublesome issue had not.

She was experiencing headaches. Lots of them. SEVERE headaches; you know, the kind that make it difficult to function without tearing someone’s head off and spitting down their neck?

I can’t tell you the number of doctors she had seen pertaining to these headaches, yet none of them could find the cause.

Those of us close to her were starting to seriously worry about her and what was going on with her. I mean, who wouldn’t? We’ve known her forever, she’s like family to us, and when one of our own is in trouble, we pull together in that dysfunctional way we have, to support whomever needs it.

Not to long ago, our friend went to see a specialist about said issue. We were all kind of on pins and needles, you know…hoping for the absolute best, but still kind of fearing the worst. (Human nature at its finest, right?)

She returned from her appointment with a sheepish look on her face, and came in and told me about her diagnosis. It seemed that my dear friend is suffering from an addiction.

What could she be addicted to that was causing those kinds of headaches, you may be asking.

Here, dear readers, is the culprit:

Damn you, Double Bubble, and all your sweet, chewy goodness…

Yes. Bubble gum. Specifically Double Bubble 1928. No, really!! The bubble gum was the culprit. I swear, it was almost like being at our very own Gum-aholics Anonymous meeting. Our girl was putting away three boxes of this stuff per week. And when I say boxes, I mean please refer to the image above. THREE of those per week. In case you are wondering, there are twenty-four bars in each of these boxes. From the Old Time Candy web site: “This Big Bar of Dubble Bubble Gum (1928 flavor) is over 9 inches long and 3/4 of an inch in diameter. Chop it up into pieces and share them with your friends.” Only she wasn’t sharing it with friends. She wasn’t sharing it with anyone.

As a result, she was diagnosed with TMJ (temporomandibular disorder), and this is what was causing the headaches.

Who would have thought that something as innocuous as bubble gum could cause something so painful?

It just goes to show you that too much of anything, even a good thing, is not good for you.

I am happy, however, to share with you that our favorite gum-aholic is down to one box per week and appears to be on the road to recovery.