Getting Rid of Migraines with Ayurveda

There are Two Types of Migraines

The palace of our body's empire is our brain and it is the king of our mind. The mind feels emotions like happiness, enthusiasm, depression, insecurity, impulsive behavior, sorrow, anxiety, anger, fear and phobias.

Severe pain, hammering, aching, throbbing, pricking in the head, along with nausea and vomiting are often the signs of migraine. A person suffering from migraine does not want to speak, hear, read, talk, or even eat. He/she probably wants to tie a band tightly around the forehead and lie in a dark room.

Although a variety of painkillers are available off-the- shelf to treat the migraine, they may not always work because the remedy lies in the cause of the migraine. Besides, painkillers only suppress the pain but the problem persists in the body. They also have side effects like depression, anorexia, high blood pressure, giddiness, ulcer, and hyperacidity.

Excess Vata Migraines

Reasons
Increases in cold, dry, and rainy season; Intensity increases due to exertion, stress, over fasting, late nights, insufficient sleep, excess in sexual activity, worry, sadness, hunger, fear and trauma.

Symptoms
Throbbing pain, unable to move head without feeling the unbearable pain.

Remedy
Hot oil massage; eat vata reducing and nutritive diet like rice, wheat, sesame, warm milk, butter, ghee, onion, sweet fruits, coriander, asafoetida, cumin, cardamom, garlic, saffron, goat meat, jaggery, and green gram (also known as mung beans) and rice.

Avoid
Cold and dry weather as well as emotions that increases vata.

Home Remedies
Take 1 tsp castor oil at bedtime with warm water; Massage your head with warm oil or have shirodhara*, shirobasti*, and enema treatments from panchakarma (or detoxifying sessions).

Migraines Due to Excess Pitta

Health History
A young clerk was suffering from severe migraines because of excess pitta. He would sit inside his shop all day, and to avoid feeling tired and sleepy, he would smoke and drink 5 to 6 cups of tea. He was fond of spicy, fried foods and, to top it all, would hang around in bars at night, drink and eat heavy food.

Very soon, he started feeling lethargic, with headache, tiredness, frustration, severe acidity, and burning in the stomach. He took many painkillers for migraine, but the problem only persisted and increased because the chemicals in the drugs were increasing the pitta (heat).

He went to a neurologist, an ENT specialist, psychiatrists, and all types of specialists. Even after a range of investigations like X-Ray, CT Scan, and MRI, there was no diagnosis. Finally, his friend, who had experienced success by my advice for his arthritis, referred him to me.

Symptoms
Migraine increases in the afternoon. The head feels very hot and burns, and headaches increases with acidity.

Reasons
Excessive exposure to sun and heat, working near fire and heat, hot weather, too much spicy and fermented foods (which increase pitta), too many antibiotics and drugs, and hypertension.

Recommendations
His pulse revealed aam (toxins), pitta (heat), and low circulation. I put him on cooling herbs like guduchi, shatavari, yastimadhu, and black raisins. He was also advised to take 2 teaspoons cow ghee in the morning with milk (organic), more sweet fruits and cooling spices like cumin, coriander, and fennel. In grains, he was asked to eat rice, mung bean and millet.

He was also advised virechan treatment. Within three months his migraine was 80 percent better. Now, he has occasional bouts of migraine for which I have advised him to take 3 teaspoons cow ghee with milk, which relieves his headaches immediately!

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