I am a very food-minded person. To me, it’s among the top pleasurable activities we partake in. I know I over indulge and I know that I comfort myself with food, which aren’t always healthy practices. I’m also aware of how much my mood can be affected by what I’ve had to eat or if I’m hungry. Case in point: just last week I had a meltdown about my vacation from my (day job) work being over. I knew I was getting hungry, and I even thought to myself “you’re going to start feeling worse emotionally if you keep waiting to eat.” But instead of listening to that voice I went for a full on tantrum (which was just crying aloud to my dog, who, she would like it noted, was also very hungry at the time). So, my curiosity was piqued by this headline that a doctor suggests eating sour candy when you find yourself having a panic attack. Please continue, doctor:

Dr. Jason Singh, a physician who uses social media to share his advice on everything from “when to clean your bedsheets” to masking on airplanes, took to his socials to explain how sour candy can help stop anxiety in its tracks.

Noting the trend making its rounds online that advocates for the use of sour candy in this way, Singh notes, “As a doctor, I can tell you this actually works really well.”

“I’ve shared it with a lot of my patients,” he continued, specifically noting the use of sour Warheads. “The act of consuming something intensely sour diverts the attention away from the panic attack, then engaging the taste buds and focusing on the sensory experience disrupts the anxiety cycle.”

Singh added that “the sour face expression” made when eating a sour food actually helps to “release tension.”

“Then, as you all know, sour Warheads are sweet at the end,” he added. “This creates a pleasurable experience, signaling the brain to release dopamine and that creates a positive, rewarding association with overcoming the panic attack.”

Singh is not the only one who’s vouching for this trend. In 2023, mental health counselor John Delony told Health that “a piece of sour candy may be enough to jerk someone from the mindless looping of anxiety and bring them back to the present.”

Delony added that in addition to tasting the candy, intentionally focusing on the sensations being experienced can be even more helpful — a strategy that can be utilized with other methods like smelling essential oils.

Along with any other mild shocks, it is useful for pulling people from their catastrophic, spiraling thoughts and back into the present.”

While reaching for the treat can be a useful tool in the moment, Dr. Toya Roberson-Moore told Health it’s important to be wary as, “primarily using sugary foods like candy to reduce panic symptoms can develop into a maladaptive coping mechanism.”

[From People]

What do we think, folks? On the one hand, I definitely understand how the sharp, tart taste can pull you out of your head and into the present moment. I love those sour flavors precisely for that reason, the jolt they give you. Eating a sour candy sounds like the more appealing version of someone smacking you across the face to snap out of it. On the other hand, it’s so simplistic. Just eat candy, you’ll be fine! Is Dr. Singh being paid by Warheads?! And the other doctor, Dr. Roberson-Moore, is absolutely right that you run the risk of becoming dependent on the candy. Can we suck on a lemon slice instead? Between this doc and the one who told Brooke Shields to eat more potato chips, what’s going on in med schools today?! Anyway, experience is the greatest teacher, so I’ll keep some SweetTarts handy and report back after my next emotional crisis (it’s a when, not if situation).