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Headaches and migraine

Headaches and migraine

Headaches are unpleasant pains in your head that can cause pressure and aching. They usually occur on both sides of your head, and the pain can range from mild to severe. A migraine is a headache that can cause throbbing pain or a pulsating sensation usually on one side of the head. It is often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and extreme sensitivity to light and sound. Migraine attacks can last for hours to days, and the pain can be so bad that it interferes with the person’s daily activities.

There are four possible phases to a migraine, although not all the phases are necessarily experienced.

▪The prodrome, which occurs hours or day before the headache.

▪The    aura, which    immediately    precedes    the headache. Common symptoms are blurry vision, blind spots, increased sensitivity to touch, decreased sensation, difficulty speaking or finding words, muscle weakness, numbness and tingling.

▪The pain phase, also known as headache phase.

▪The postdrome, the effects experienced following the end of a migraine attack.

Headache & Migraine can be correlated to Shirasoola(shira means head and shoola means pain) and Ardhava bhedaka respectively in Ayurveda. Ardhava bhedaka is a psychosomatic condition which has the the vitiation of both physical and mental humors .According to Ayurveda classics emotional stress, anxiety, tension and other psychological elements all have a part in the pathogenesis of migraine headaches.

Causes of Migraine

·       Excessive consumption of dry/ununctuous substances

·       Exposure to cold

·       Inappropriate sexual activity

·       Withholding of natural urges

·       Exhaustion

·       Exercise

These factors lead to the vitiation of Vata dosha

·       Frequent intake of food before the digestion of a previous meal

·       Intake of heavy to digest food

·       Drinking excess cold water

This will contribute to Kapha vitiation and formation of ama (toxic materials/free radicals).

Due to the above etiological factors, Vata alone or along with Kapha affects the head and produces severe unilateral pain in the neck, eyebrows, temples, ear, eye, and forehead. Pain is acute, similar to a blow from sharp weapons, pricking, or splitting, and when severe, it impairs the functions of the eye and ear. Pain is paroxysmal, occurring once in ten days, twelve days, or daily.

In Migraine certain cleansing therapies like virecana, nasya and palliative medicines in the form of medicated ghee and poly herbal decoctions have been widely prescribed as effective intervention in the classics. A healthy diet to manage migraine with yoga and meditation are extremely useful  under expert yoga consultant. The key to treating headaches is to keep the digestive fire, or agni, at a healthy level. Even when you are experiencing pain in the head, there may be underlying causes in other body parts.