Free Sluprees FROM 7-11 ON 7-11

The famous Slurpee turned 44 years old in June. Actually it’s been around in other forms even longer, sometimes referred to as a slushy or some similar name.

But in 1965, 7-11 bought a machine that made frozen beverages from its inventor, Omar Knedlik and two years later began selling the concoction as the Slurpee. The name allegedly comes from the sound people made while drinking them.

To mark the anniversary, participating 7-11 stores will be giving away free Slurpees in 7.11 ounce cups between the hours of 8 a.m. and 11 p.m.

Some healthcare professionals say that people should keep in mind while enjoying cold treats to beware of “spenopalatine ganglioneuralgia.” The better-known term is, a “brain freeze.”

Here’s what that’s about, according to kidzworld.com: “When cold stuff (like popsicles, ice cream or slushies) touches the roof of your mouth it can set off a nerve reaction (in the spheno-palantine ganglion, to be precise), that causes the blood vessels in your brain to swell. When the blood vessels swell, you get a headache. The headache usually lasts less than a minute.

“How can you make the headache go away? The key is to warm the roof of your mouth back up, thereby constricting (narrowing) the blood vessels. The easiest thing to do is to press your tongue to the roof of your mouth. You can also try drinking warm water. In the future, try to eat your frozen treats slowly and give yourself breaks between bites to let your mouth warm up.”

(I think we can all relate to the "brain freeze")