Migraine And Best Ayurvedic Treatment In Kerala

Introduction

Migraine is a neurological condition that leads to throbbing head pain on either side of the head. People with all age groups have chances to get affected by migraine.

Migraine is the 3rd most prevalent illness in the world. Approximately 12% of people in the world suffer from Migraine. Migraine can be moderate or severe. Migraine restricts a person from doing his daily routine properly.

According to Ayurveda, migraine is caused by an imbalance of Vata, pitta, and Kapha. The imbalances of Tridosha affect the proper functioning of the nervous system that leads to the poor performance of the brain. Ayurveda describes migraine as “Ardheshirsha Vedana”, meaning pain in half the region of the head.

Migraine is a neurological condition caused due to the imbalances of Vata, Pitta, and Kapha.

Phases Of Migraine

Migraine can occur at different stages. They are Prodrome, Aura, Attack, Resolution, and Postdrome. Let's learn about the stages in detail.

• Prodrome

  The stage is A day or a few hours before a headache. At the prodrome stage, certain physical as well as mental changes can happen. General symptoms in the Prodrome stage are fatigue, mood swings, thirsty, cravings for certain foods, etc.

• Aura

  During the aura stage, people tend to suffer various neurological issues. Generally, 5 to 60minutes is the duration of the Aura stage. Common symptoms are changes in vision like dark spots, colored spots, hallucinations, disturbances in hearing, etc.

• Attack

  Severe head pain is the symptom of the attack stage. People tend to feel severe pain usually on one side of the head. Other symptoms are vomiting, nausea, sensitivity to light, sound, etc. The pain may last from 4 hours to 3 days.

• Resolution

  Sometimes migraines can be controlled after a sound sleep by adults and children.

• Postdrome stage

  Postdrome stage lasts for the day after the headache. General symptoms of postdrome stage are fatigue, inactivity, food cravings or loss of appetite, etc.

Different stages of migraine are prodrome, aura, attack, resolution, and postdrome.

Causes Of Migraine In Ayurveda

According to Ayurveda, migraine is caused due to the imbalances of Tridosha like Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. Here is the list of certain factors that cause migraine.

• Environmental factors

  Environmental factors that lead to migraine are bright lights, strong smells, loud noise, smoking, etc.

• Emotional factors

  Depression, anxiety, stress, tension, excitement, etc causes migraine.

• Diet factors

  Alcohol consumption, irregular meals, foods contain tyramine, caffeine products, etc.

• Medication factors

  Consumption of contraceptive pills, some sleeping pills, etc leads to a migraine.

• Physical factors

  Inactivity, fatigue, poor posture, low blood sugar, etc are physical causes of Migraine.

Various factors that lead to migraine are environmental, physical, medication, emotional, diet factors, etc.

Types Of Migraine

According to t Ayurveda, different types of Migraines are:

• Classical Migraines

  Classical migraine is also known as Migraine with aura. Classic migraine is recurring and strikes at the same time sensory changes happen. The symptoms of classical migraine are sensitivity to lights, temporary loss of vision, etc.

• Common Migraines

  Common migraine is also known as Migraine without aura. At Common migraine, people tend to suffer pain on one side of the head, nausea, vomiting, etc. Common Migraines last for 72 hours if not treated the condition properly.

Migraines can be classified into Migraine with aura and migraine without aura.

Ayurvedic Remedies For Migraine

Here are certain Ayurvedic tips to cure migraine to an extent through proper management of Ahar (diet), Vihar (lifestyle changes), and Kaya Virechana (Therapeutic purgation).

• Management of Ahar (Diet)

  Ayurveda suggests, include numerous vegetables like a bitter gourd, spinach, drumstick, etc and grains like moong dal (Mung Bean), old rice, etc in our diet. Try to avoid cold drinks, caffeine products, alcohol, etc to avoid the symptoms of migraines.

• Management of Vihar (Lifestyle changes)

  Migraine can be controlled through proper management of our lifestyle.
  
  a. Asanas: Certain asanas are found good in controlling migraine and they are Uttanapadasana, Janu shirsasana, and Vama pada pavana muktasana.
  
  b: Pranayama: Pranayama is another method to control migraine. They are Chandra Bhedana pranayama, and Suryabhedana pranayama.

• Kaya Virechana (Therapeutic purgation)

  Kaya Virechana or Therapeutic purgation is the method to remove toxins from your body through lower pathways. Kaya Virechana is a fine solution to treat Vata disorders.

Through proper management of Ahar, Vihar, and Oushadhi, we can reduce the intensity of migraines.

Home Remedies For Treating Migraine

Here are some home remedies which will reduce the intensity of migraine.

• Apply Nutmeg paste

  Nutmeg is a sleep-inducing spice. Massaging on your forehead with nutmeg paste helps to get relief from the headache.

• Peppermint

  Peppermint contains anti-inflammatory properties that soothe the nerves. Hence you will get relief from headaches very easily. You can either drink peppermint tea or massage your forehead with peppermint oil to get relief.

• Ginger Tea

  Drinking a glass of ginger tea helps to get relief from headaches. Ginger contains various anti-inflammatory and anti-viral properties. Ginger extracts are good in increasing serotonin, a chemical messenger, which will stop migraine by reducing inflammations and restricting blood vessels.

• Sesame Oil

  Sesame oil can be used as a nasal drop. Sesame oil relieves the gases that are causing headaches. You can apply 4 drops of sesame oil on your nostrils once a day to get relief from migraines.

• Yoga

  Yoga and meditations strive to bring a balance between your mind, body, and soul. While doing yoga, the Parasympathetic nerve system can slow down the heart rate and reduce the blood pressure also. So the situation leads to relief from headaches.

• Lavender Oil

  Inhaling lavender oil is a fine solution to control headaches. Lavender Oil can be commonly used as a mood stabilizer. Lavender contains calming properties which will help to get relief from migraine.

• Acupressure

  Studies show that acupressure has relieving effects from chronic headaches. How we do acupressure is to apply pressure with the fingers and hands to some specific points to get relief from headaches.

• Stress management

  Stress is a root cause of various diseases nowadays. Practicing exercises, meditation, music therapy, etc is the way to reduce stress levels and can control headaches.

• Biofeedback Therapy

  Biofeedback therapy is another technique that helps to understand the muscle tensing where sensors placed on the muscles feed into a small machine that gives real-time feedback.

• Massages

  Neck and shoulder massages are very effective in reducing tension, offer sound sleep, reduce anxiety, and all these leads to overcome migraines.

Various natural remedies are found effective in managing migraines. They are massages, biofeedback therapy, yoga, drinking ginger tea, sesame oil massage, etc.

Conclusion

Always take the advice of an Ayurvedic practitioner before beginning the above-mentioned herbal remedies to cure migraines.