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Even if you think it smells nice, just a little whiff can bring on head-splitting pain. In one study from the Headache Center of Atlanta, almost 50 percent of migraine sufferers attributed strong scents, such as perfume or household cleaners, to an attack. “Odors reach the center of your brain via direct nerve pathways from your nose,” explains Siddhartha Nadkarni, M.D., a neurologist at the New York University Medical Center. For scent-sensitive individuals, this causes a cascade of neurotransmitters that can initiate a migraine.

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