All About Migraine And Its Ayurvedic Management
ABSTRACT
Migraine is a common disorder which was prevalent in ancient times also and nowadays it is common amongst all age groups. Migraine is a genetic disorder. It spreads from parents to progeny if both parents are suffering from migraine. Hence we can say that Migraine headache is a combination of these three factors genetic, environmental and lifestyle. Due to increase level of competition in student life, personal life or working life, people are more prone to migraine attack. People are unaware about migraine and hence they suffer a lot during their lifetime. The reasons are simple as they are not aware about migraine. Moreover they don’t think to visit or consult a doctor. In this article we are going to discuss Migraine, its management and herbal remedies provided by Planet Ayurveda to cure migraine safely without any side effects.
INTRODUCTION
A migraine headache is throbbing moderate to severe pain, usually on one side of the head. It lasts for hours and even days. It is worsened by physical activity, light, sounds or smells. It is generally associated with nausea and vomiting. Ancient ayurvedic science coined the term Ardhawabhedaka for Migraine. Ardha means the half side of the head.. Avahabhedaka means penetrating, splitting, breaking pain.
Causes of Migraine According to Ayurveda
Ayurvedic science believes the three energies that are Vata, Pita, and kapha for the balance and disbalance of the human body functional system. In migraine patient’s hectic lifestyle lead to aggravation of three doshas. Acharya charak, writer of charak samhita which generally focuses on the causes and treatment of various disorders in human body. He clearly mentioned following are the causes of migraine.
- When a person consumes excessive intake of dry food.
- When a person is getting regular exposure of fog and breeze
- When a person is excessively indulged in physical activities,exercise.
- Most of the people are unaware that withholding of natural urges (urine,stool,yawning etc) lead to migraine pain
- When a person is excessively indulged in sex,
- When a person is excessively exhausted due to a heavy work schedule.
Symptoms According to Modern Science
- Throbbing type of pain which is typically felt on one side of the headache
- The migraine attack is classified in three stages. Prodrome, an aura, and a postdrome.
- Prodrome Stage of migraine.- It is the first stage and here the patient generally feels a change in mood or behavior. People may become depressed , elated, irritable or restless.
- Aura Stage – About 20% of people experience an aura.Here people see jagged, flashing lights or develop a blind spot with flickering edges.The aura occurs within an hour before the migraine and ends as the migraine begins.
- Post drome Stage- About 25% of people experience a post drome symptom which involves changes in mood and behaviour after the migraine.
- Migraine attacks may occur frequently for a long period of time but then may disappear for many weeks, months or even years.
Symptoms According to Ayurveda Science
- Vata (Vayu) : The patient experiences the following symptoms due to aggravation of vata such as anxiety, dry skin, constipation and extreme pain.
- Pitta: The patient experiences the following symptoms due to aggravation of pitta such as burning sensation, Anger, Redness in eyes, irritability, and nose bleeds. Liver and blood disorders are involved with pitta dosha.
- Kapha: The patient experiences the following symptoms due to aggravation of Kapha such as heaviness, nausea, fatigue,white or clear phlegm, dull headache, vomiting, excess salivation. Respiratory disorders are involved with these symptoms.
What are the Triggers and Risk factors for Migraine
Common migraine risk factors include the following:
- Family history: Commonly amongst those people suffer from migraines if one or both of their parents had migraines.
- Sex: Women are more likely than men to have migraines. If we compare male to female population, the ratio is 1:3 that is female patients are experiencing more during menstruation
- Age: Most people experience their first attack of migraine in adolescence but it can occur at any age before 40 years.
- Foods that may trigger migraines
- Aged, canned, cured, or processed meat
- Aged cheese
- Alcoholic beverages (especially red wine)
- Avocados
- Beans (including pole, broad, Italian, lima, pinto,navy and garbanzo)
- Brewer’s yeast
- Caffeine (in excess)
- Canned soup
- Chocolate, cocoa,
- Cultured dairy products (such as buttermilk and sour cream)
- Figs
- Lentils
- Nuts and peanut butter
- Onions (except small amounts for flavoring)
- Papaya
- Pea pods
- Pickled, preserved or marinated foods (such as olives and pickles, and some snack foods)
- Raisins
What Actually Happens in a Migraine
According to modern science there are changes in the brainstem and its interactions with the trigeminal nerve as it is a major pain pathway. Serotonin also plays an important role in the pain management of the nervous system. Due to its imbalance, people experience migraine. Normally in migraine serotonin level decreases which ultimately triggers the trigeminal nerve to release neuropeptides and hence result in throbbing or pulsating pain.
Do you ever think about the complications of taking allopathic medicine for a long period of time?
The title clarifies the pros and cons of allopathic medicine. But we should be aware about disadvantages of allopathic medicine also.
- Abdominal pain: It is generally found amongst those patients who have a history of taking pain killers for a long time. Major complications are abdominal pain, ulcer, bleeding occur in patients.
- Overuse of Headache medication: Excessive intake of headache medication for a long period of time may lead to severe complications.
- Serotonin Syndrome: The cause of this syndrome generally occurs amongst those people who take antimigraine medication for a long period of time. It is a life threatening syndrome known as serotonin syndrome.
DIAGNOSIS
Migraine can be diagnosed by your doctor from your family history, previous medical history along with these medical tests:
- Blood test: It is used to tell about the infections which are present in the spinal cord and brain.
- Computerised tomography (CT): It helps to diagnose the tumors, brain damage, infections, bleeding and other complications which can lead to migraine attacks.
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI): It is a powerful magnetic field and radio waves which gives images of the brain and blood vessels to detect whether there is tumor or multiple sclerosis irritating the trigeminal nerve.
Ayurvedic References on Ardhavbhedhak
Sushrut uttar tantra 25/15
The above mentioned shloka has been taken from sushruta samhita uttara tantra chapter 25 The shloka explains about the throbbing,pricking pain experienced by a man in the half headache due to aggravation of three doshas that are Vasta,Pitta and Kapha.This symptom generally occurs after 15 or 10 days .
Ashtanga hridaya uttaratantra 23/8
The above-mentioned shloka has been taken from Ashtang hridaya uttaratantra chapter 23.The shloka explains about throbbing pain in the half head and is known as Ardhva bhedhaka. The pain generally occurs after 15 days or 1 month and subside after sometime.If it will get worse the patient may experience loss of sensation in eyes and ears.
TREATMENT OF MIGRAINE
As we have already discussed about modern treatment for migraine. Due to prolonged use of triptans, analgesic, and other anti symptomatic drugs may lead to complication. Our Ancestors believed in ayurvedic herbs to cure migraine. This may lead to healthy lifestyle with a proper diet plan. Planet ayurveda provides herbal remedies to cure migraines.
HERBAL REMEDIES FOR MIGRAINE BY PLANET AYURVEDA
Planet ayurveda offers the best combination of herbal drugs for complete cure of migraine Migraine care pack is one such herbal remedy given by planet ayurveda. All our medicines do not contain any preservatives, chemicals or additives so they are safe to use without any side effects.
- Ashwagandha Capsules
- Medhya Churna
- Arogyavardhini Vati
- Pitta Balance
- Brahmi Capsules
PRODUCTS DESCRIPTION
1. Ashwagandha Capsules
These capsules are the standardised extract of the Ashwagandha herb (Withania Somniferum). Ashwagandha is an anti-inflammatory action against migraine and triggers factors which produce inflammation. It is vata kapha shamak.
Dosage: 1 capsule twice daily with warm milk after meals.
2. Medhya Churna
It is an herbal formulation which consists of various herb such as roots of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), roots of Vacha (Acorus Calamus), seeds of Ajmoda (Carum roxburghianum), seeds of Shweta jeerak (Cuminum Cyminum), seeds of Krishna jeeraka (Carum carvi), rhizome of Sonth (Zingiber officinale) etc. To rejuvenate the nervous system to improve memory, increasing the concentration span, helps to lower down anxieties, and uplift confidence. It is a formulation inspired from classical ayurvedic formulation Saraswat Churna.
Dosage: 1/4 teaspoon once daily with 1 spoon of Cow Ghee (Clarified Butter).
3. Arogyavardhini Vati
It is the best herbal formulation for removing the toxins from the liver or fatty liver.It also improves immune system of our body ,so it is good for infections also.Planet ayurveda provides a combination of various herbs such as Haritaki (Terminalia chebula), Bibhitaki (Terminalia bellerica), Amalki (Embilica officinalis), Chitrak moola (Plumbago zeylanica) etc .Triphala acts as purgative in migraine due to vata and chitrak mool helps in digestion.
Dosage: 2 tablets twice daily with warm water.
4. Pitta Balance
It is a natural balancer of fire elements (Pitta ) in our body.These capsules contain various herbs such as Praval pishti (Coral) compound, Akik pishti (Agate) compound, Kamdudha ras etc to help in balancing of pitta aggravation in body.
Dosage: 1 capsule twice daily with warm water after meals.
5. Brahmi Capsules
Brahmi Capsules are 100% vegetarian and natural. Planet ayurveda give this herbal remedy for improving retention ability. It also increases the short and long term memory. It contains Bacopa monnieri in extract form. It contains alkaloids like Bacopasides which are the reason for action of Brahmi to increase memory.
Dosage: 2 capsules twice daily with warm water.
CONCLUSION
Migraine is a common disorder affecting all the ages groups. It occurs more in female due to hormonal changes during their reproductive period of life. Many children are genetically suffering from it as they carry it from their parents. Today man is advanced in science but unable to cure migraine completely as he or she depends on modern medicines with so many side effects. Ayurveda is known as an Ancient science which was given by our forefathers to present generation. According to ayurveda migraine is Tridosha (Vata, Pitta, Kapha). Herbs such as Ashwagandha, Brahmi, Haritaki, Bibhitaki, Amalaki etc cure migraine with its specific action against Migraine. It is a responsibility of people to avoid all those factors which may trigger migraine. Many educated patients ignore migraine symptoms as well as taking painkillers, triptans for a long period of time. This may lead to side effects. Hence, it is concluded that Ayurveda herbal remedies provided by Planet Ayurveda is non preservative, non toxic for Migraine patients without any side effect. In case of any query kindly visit www.PlanetAyurveda.com
