TREATING MIGRAINE
By Dr. SUNEET AURORA
 

Migraine is a headache that can cause severe throbbing pain or a pulsing 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 your daily activities.

Ayurveda calls it Shir-shool (headache)/ Ardhavbhedhak (hemi-crania or half side headache)/ Suryavrat (headache that aggravates with sunlight).

Migraines, which affect children and teenagers as well as adults, can progress through four stages: prodrome, aura, attack and post-drome. Not everyone who has migraines goes through all stages.

Stage 1-Aura: For some people, an aura might occur before or during migraines. Auras are reversible symptoms of the nervous system. They're usually visual but can also include other disturbances. Each symptom usually begins gradually, builds up over several minutes and can last up to 60 minutes.

Examples of migraine auras include: Visual phenomena, such as seeing various shapes, bright spots or flashes of light, partial Vision loss, Pins and needles sensations in an arm or leg, Weakness or numbness in the face or one side of the body and Difficulty in speaking.

Stage 2-Attack: A migraine usually lasts from 4 to 72 hours if untreated. How often migraines occur varies from person to person. Migraines might occur rarely or strike several times a month.
During a migraine, you might have: Throbbing and pulsating pain usually on one side of your head, but often on both sides; Sensitivity to light, sound, and sometimes smell and touch, followed by nausea and vomiting.

Stage 3-Post-drome: After a migraine attack, you might feel drained, confused and washed out for up to a day. Some people report feeling elated. Sudden head movement might bring on the pain again briefly.

Though migraine causes aren't fully understood, genetics and environmental factors appear to play a role. Changes in the brainstem and its interactions with the trigeminal nerve, a major pain pathway, might be involved. So might imbalances in brain chemicals — including serotonin, which helps regulate pain in your nervous system. Researchers are studying the role of serotonin in migraines. Other neurotransmitters play a role in the pain of migraine, including calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP).

AYURVEDA considers aggravated VATA dosha causing spasm in arteries and headache. KAPHA dosha would add to heaviness in head and chronic sinusitis, Aggravated PITTA would cause burning sensation in head with a history of chronic AMLAPITTA (Systemic acidity).

Migraine triggers
There are a number of migraine triggers, including:

Hormonal changes in women.

• Drinks. These include alcohol, especially wine, and too much caffeine, such as coffee.
• Stress. Stress at work or home can cause migraines.
• Sensory stimuli. Bright or flashing lights can induce migraines, as can loud sounds. Strong smells — such as perfume, paint thinner, second hand smoke and others — trigger migraines in some people.
• Sleep changes. Missing sleep or getting too much sleep can trigger migraines in some people.
• Physical strain. Intense physical exertion, including sexual activity, might provoke migraines.
• Weather changes. A change of weather or barometric pressure can prompt a migraine.
• Medications. Oral contraceptives and vasodilators, such as nitroglycerin, can aggravate migraines.
• Foods. Aged cheeses and salty and processed foods might trigger migraines. So might skipping meals.
• Food additives. These include the sweetener aspartame and the preservative monosodium glutamate (MSG), found in many foods.

At KAYAKALP, we treat migraine after diagnosing the aggravating DOSHA (vata-pitta-kapha), AGNI (metabolism) and AAMA (systemic toxins). After naadi pariksha and detailed history, the following protocol is suggested to cure chronic migraine:

1. Diet & Life style changes
2. Panchkarma therapies like Shiro-abhyanga/ Sarvanga abhyanga / Shirodhara and Nasya
3. Ayurveda medicine like Kayakalp SHIRSHOOL HAR capsule, Kayakalp MEDHA KALP capsule, Kayakalp Nasya oils etc.
4. Counselling and Meditation

Note:
Medicine kit can be delivered to your doorstep after online consultation.

For online consultation, call 0161-5028269; Whatsapp +91 7589001373; e mail: [email protected]