Migraine Management

Migraine pains can be sudden and very painful. It can handicap you for a brief moment. With the increasingly busy lifestyle, stress, lack of sleep, and unhealthy eating habits, migraine is becoming a growing concern even in young adults. The usual coping mechanism to deal with migraine headaches is by applying a balm or taking a painkiller to get quick relief from the pain. But, is this the right way of treating migraine? Do you get a permanent solution for your pain?

Taking a painkiller will only suppress the problem and the pain can rebound. Long-term dependency on the medicines can even decrease the body’s natural pain relief mechanism and damage the kidneys, liver and other vital organs of the body. Therefore, the right approach to treat migraine is to correct it from the root cause and the solution lies in Ayurveda. Ayurveda, the world’s oldest system of medicine, provides holistic healing in the severest cases of Migraine by offering root-cause based personalized treatment and medicines.

A systematic and scientific approach of integrating various medical systems and functionally through diagnosing the root cause and symptoms helps in balancing your hormones. Yoga and breathing exercise helps correcting the sleep cycle if hampered, in addition to balancing the metabolism and hormones. Balancing your hormones: by doing yoga and breathing and correcting the sleep cycle

Probiotics will have positive effects on strengthening gut and brain function by decreasing the inflammatory mediators in the bloodstream. Inflammatory mediators like cytokines and tumor necrosis factor are known to be predominant in migraine patients.

Nutraceuticals - A variety of natural supplements such as vitamins, supplements like riboflavin, coenzyme Q10, magnesium, and alpha-lipoic acid and herbal preparations can offer an alternative source of therapy for migraine sufferers and its usage have been promoted as having efficacy in migraine prophylaxis

Oil therapy - traditional ayurveda treatments, is an effective and safe treatment modality in the acute management of migraine headaches.. 

Diet therapy - eliminating certain food allergens that are IgG based, and consuming foods that are gluten-free and rich in magnesium, and vitamin, etc. are some dietary recommendations for migraine management

Migraine is a neurological condition that can cause multiple symptoms, characterized by intense, debilitating headaches which may include nausea, vomiting, difficulty speaking, numbness or tingling, and sensitivity to light and sound.

Causes:
The exact cause of migraines is unknown but they're thought to be the result of 

• An underlying central nervous disorder may set off a migraine episode when triggered.
• Irregularities in the brain’s blood vessel system or vascular system may cause migraines.
• A genetic predisposition may cause migraines
• Abnormalities of brain chemicals and nerve pathways may cause migraine episodes.

Migraine triggers:

• Hormonal changes
• Emotional triggers: stress, anxiety, tension, shock, depression, excitement
• Physical triggers: tiredness, poor-quality sleep, shift work, poor posture, neck or shoulder, tension, jet lag, low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia), strenuous exercise, if you're not used to it
• Dietary triggers: missed, delayed or irregular meals, dehydration, alcohol, caffeine products, such as tea and coffee, specific foods, such as chocolate and citrus fruit, foods containing the substance tyramine, which include cured meats, yeast extracts, pickled herrings, smoked fish (like smoked salmon), and certain cheeses (such as cheddar, stilton and camembert) Also, foods that have been stored at room temperature, rather than being refrigerated or frozen, can have rising levels of tyramine.
• Environmental triggers: bright lights, flickering screens, such as a television or computer screen, smoking (or smoky rooms), loud noises, changes in climate, such as changes in humidity or very cold temperatures, strong smells, a stuffy atmosphere
• Medicines: some types of sleeping tablets, the combined contraceptive pill, hormonal replacement Therapy (HRT) which is sometimes used to relieve symptoms associated with the menopause

Symptoms:

Complications:

• Stroke
• Heart Disease
• High Blood Pressure
• Seizures
• Hearing Problems
• Fibromyalgia
• Fibromyalgia
• PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder)
• Pre-Term Birth

Conventional approach of Migraine:
Migraine treatment is aimed at stopping symptoms and preventing future attacks

In Ayurveda, migraine is described as Ardhavabhedhaka (Ardha means half part and Bhedhaka means piercing or breaking), which means a piercing or bursting headache in half part of the head. The problem begins with symptoms like nausea and vomiting, severe headache, fatigue, irritability, mood changes, loss of appetite, stiff neck, and indigestion and they may last for a few minutes to several hours. According to Ayurveda, there are different causes of migraine that can be summed up in three common types:

Vataja Migraine: (Imbalanced Vata Dosha) - Headaches are usually severe in intensity and might be associated with stiffness in the neck, constipation, gas, and irregular cycles in females. The headaches get worse on exposure to dry and windy weather, traveling, incomplete sleep, fear, tension, overt sexual activity, sadness, and trauma.

Pittaja Migraine: (Imbalanced Pitta Dosha) – Headaches are usually experienced in the temple region of the head and might be strongly connected to your digestive system. Associated complains could be hyperacidity, IBS, loose stools, and excessive heat in the body. Anger or irritability could play a big role in such type of headache. Exposure to sun, heating foods, skipping meals, staying awake at night are some common aggravating factors.

Kaphaja Migraine: (Imbalanced Kapha Dosha) – This type of headaches is usually experienced with dull pain and heaviness in the head. The headache might be associated with sinusitis, indigestion, low appetite, chest congestion, etc. Such headaches aggravate with over-eating, excessive sleeping, cold weather, and seasonal allergies.

Ayurvedic approach to treat migraine headaches

Various lifestyle tips in Ayurveda are given to patients on sleep schedule, food schedule and science behind the food (dinacharya), breathing exercise for managing stress and pain management tips. The goal of Ayurvedic treatment for migraine is to pacify the vitiated doshas and restore the digestive function of your body with a combination of therapies and treatment that enhance the ojas (vitality), relaxes the mind and strengthens the nervous system. Patients are given herbal medicines as well as customized diet and lifestyle plans in accordance with their body constitution and the root cause of migraine. When the body's digestion is enhanced, ama (toxic by product generated due to indigestion) production gets controlled. As a result, patients get long-term relief from migraine pain.

A very significant reason why Ayurvedic treatment for Migraine is effective is that it includes Panchakarma therapies along with medicines. Migraine pain, nausea and irritability are caused by the presence of ama in the Manovaha Srota (channels of the mind). This has to be cleansed first for the medicines to take effect and to prevent recurrence of migraine pain in the long-term. Panchakarma therapies cleanse the body of toxic materials (ama), purifies the tissues at a very deep level, eliminates the harmful toxins and balances the imbalance (of doshas).