A headache of varying intensity(mild to severe), often accompanied by vomiting, nausea and sensitivity to light and sound. Migraine headaches can cause throbbing in one part of the head that can vary in intensity.
It is a neurological condition that can cause multiple symptoms. It’s mainly characterized by intense, debilitating headaches. Symptoms may include nausea, vomiting, numbness or tingling, difficulty speaking, and sensitivity to light and sound.
Migraines often run in families and affect all generations. Migraine attacks can last for a few hours to days, and the pain can be so severe that it interferes with your day to day activities. Pain-relieving and Preventive medication can help manage migraine headaches. Triggers include hormonal changes, certain food, and drink, exercise, and stress.
Migraine headaches are preceded by warning signs and symptoms. For some patients, a warning symptom known as an AURA occurs before or with a headache. An AURA can include visual disturbances, such as blind spots or flashes of light, difficulty in speaking, or other disturbances, such as tingling on one side of the face or in an arm.
Medications can help prevent some migraines symptoms and make them less painful. The correct medicines, combined with self-help remedies and lifestyle changes, might help.
Symptoms
Migraines, which often begin in childhood, early childhood, or adolescence, can progress through four stages: prodromal, aura, attack, and post-drome. Not every patient who has migraines goes through all stages.
Prodrome
One or two days before a migraine, you might notice subtle changes that warn you of an upcoming migraine, including:
- Constipation
- Mood changes, from depression to euphoria
- Food cravings
- Neck stiffness
- Increased thirst and urination
- Frequent yawning
Aura
For some people, aura might occur during or before migraines. Auras are reversible symptoms of the nervous system. These symptoms most of the time are usually visual, but can also include other disturbances. Each symptom begins gradually, builds up over several minutes, and lasts for 20 to 60 minutes.
Examples of migraine aura include:
- Visual phenomena, such as seeing various shapes, flashes of light or bright or dark spots
- Vision loss or blueness
- Pins and needles sensations(pricking pain) in an arm or leg
- Weakness or numbness in the face or one side of the body
- Difficulty speaking
- Hearing noises or music
- Uncontrollable jerking or other movements
Attack
A migraine usually lasts from four to 48-72 hours if untreated. How often migraines occur varies from one person to another person. Migraines might occur rarely or strike many times a month.
- During a migraine, you might have:
- Pain mostly occur on one side of your head, but often on both sides
- Pain that throbs or pulses
- Sensitivity to sound, light, and sometimes smell and touch
- Nausea and vomiting
Post-drome
After a migraine attack, you might feel drained, confused, and washed out for up to a day. Some people report feeling elated. A sudden movement of the head might bring on the pain again briefly.
Causes
Though migraine causes aren’t fully understood, environmental and genetic factors appear to play a role.
Changes in the brainstem and its connection with the trigeminal nerve, a major pain pathway, might be involved. So there 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 also play a role in the pain of migraines, including calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP).
Migraine triggers
There are a number of migraine triggers, including:
- Hormonal changes in women.Changes in estrogen, such as before or during menstrual periods, pregnancy, and menopause, seem to trigger headaches in many women.
- Hormonal medications, such as hormone replacement therapy or oral contraceptives, also can worsen migraines.
- beverages.These include alcohol, especially wine, and too much caffeine, tea such as coffee.
- Stress.Stress at home or work (office) can cause migraines.
- Sensory stimuli.Sun glare and Bright lights can induce migraines, as can loud sounds. Strong smells — including paint thinner, perfume, secondhand smoke, and others — trigger migraines in some people.
- Sleep changes. Jet lag, Missing sleep, or getting too much sleep can trigger migraines in some people.
- Physical factors.Intense physical exertion, such as gym, heavy weighting including sexual activity, might provoke migraines.
- Weather changes.A change of climate or weather or barometric pressure can prompt a migraine.
- Medications.Oral contraceptives and vasodilators, such as nitroglycerin, can aggravate migraines.
- Foods.Old cheeses and salty and processed foods might trigger migraines. So might skipping meals or fasting.
- FoodThese include the sweetener aspartame and the preservative monosodium glutamate (MSG), found in many foods.
Ayurvedic view and treatment of migraine
A migraine is defined as a primary headache disorder characterized by recurrent headaches that are moderate to severe. Commonly, the headaches affect one half of the head, are pulsating in nature, and last from a few hours to 3 days. Commonly people are affected by the age of 15-55 years. Associated symptoms may include vomiting, nausea, sensitivity to light, sound, or smell. Cause of migraine is suspected that they result from abnormal activity in the brain. Women can experience this condition during hormonal changes, especially during menstruation. Other triggers that cause this condition are – depression, stress, anxiety, shock, etc.
In modern medicines, there are numerous pain-relieving pills, anti-nausea drugs, which give temporary effects and further leads to many side-effects on the body. But, in Ayurveda, many herbal medicines are there which can cure this condition naturally and also provide strength to the muscles.
Chandigarh Ayurved Centre manufactures a kit that is purely natural and is free from any side effects. We made ‘’Migraine – Go Kit’’, that is proven to be very effective to cure the migraine in a quick way and without occurring any side effects. The kit contains a total of 5 products – Trikatu tablet, Giloy capsule, Brodley syrup, Panchasakar churna, Sheetdhara syrup.
All Products Description in Detail
1. Trikatu Tablet
Trikatu tablet is an Ayurvedic blend of equal parts of Black pepper, Long pepper, and rhizomes of Ginger. It is very beneficial in circulating the normal functions and supports the functions of gastric juices. The tablet helps to normalize the aggravated vata and reduces the sensation of nausea, vomiting, dizziness, relieves from severe headache, discomfort, etc.
Recommended Dosage – Take 1 tablet twice daily with normal water.
2. Giloy Capsule
Giloy is proven as the best anti-inflammatory, anti-arthritic, anti-pyretic, and an excellent blood purifier. Giloy capsule is made up of pure herbal extract that is obtained from herb (Tinospora cordifolia). It is very beneficial in reducing the stress, anxiety, removes the toxins from the body and boosts the immunity naturally.
Recommended Dosage – Take 1 capsule twice daily with normal water.
3. Brodley Syrup
It is a herbal syrup made up of natural ingredients like Shankhpushpi (Convolvulus pluricularis), Yashtimadhu (Glycyrrhiza glabra), Jatamasi (Nardostachys jatamansi), Dhania (Coriandrum sativum), Shatavari (Asparagus racemosus), Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), etc. This syrup is very useful to increase the memory power and provide strength to the brain. It decreases the pain, discomfort, irritability, and other associated symptoms of migraine.
Recommended Dosage – Take 2 teaspoonfuls twice daily.
4. Panchasakar Churna
This churna is specially made to remove the toxins from the body on a regular basis. This herbal remedy is made up of ingredients such as Haritaki (Terminalia chebula), Swarna patri (Cassia angustifolia), Shatapushpa (Foeniculum vulgare), Shunthi (Zingiber officinale), and Saindhavan lavana (Rock salt). It balances all the doshas and reduces the symptoms of associated diseases.
Recommended Dosage – Take 1 tablespoon with Lukewarm water at bedtime.
5. Sheet Dhara Syrup
This is the best herbal remedy that balances the aggravated Vata and Pitta dosha naturally. Sheet Dhara Syrup is made up of ingredients like Mushak kapoor, Peppermint, and Ajwain satav. It relieves the acidity naturally thus beneficial in relieving nausea, vomiting, headache, dizziness, abdominal pain, etc.
Recommended Dosage – Mix 1 teaspoon in 30 ml of water and take early in the morning on an empty stomach.
6. Digestion cure tablet
This tablet is unique blend of best digestive herbs like kutaz chal, bilav, dhania, mustak, shankh bhasm, piper mint, and dadim that maintain natural Ph balance in the stomach and aid digestion of all types of food. The herbs present in this control acidity, gas, flatulence and constipation. These all complex problems are root cause of all diseases. If digestive system is proper it leads to proper assimilation of the nutrients in the body.
As per Ayurveda digestive disorders are due to imbalance of Pitta doshas. The Ama formation leads to digestive disorders.
Dosage – 1 tablet twice daily with plain water.
7. Stress care tablet
It is an amazing combination of natural herbs like Sarpgandha, Brahmi, Tagar, jatamansi. It helps to relieve stress conditions. They help to pacify the nervous system and also helps to increase the mental and physical performance. In Ayurveda when there is an imbalance of three energies i.e. vata, pitta and Kapha, it leads to disease. Vata has a sub dosha named prana doshas which regulates the sensory perception, brain, and mind. Tarpak Kapha subtype of kapha, governs cerebrospinal fluid, sadhak pitta subtype of pitta doshas governs emotions and their impact on the heart. So any vitiation of these doshas leads to stress. It helps for maintain stress level, Provide strength to the nervous system, good in neurological problems, works in anxiety, loneliness, Insomnia, sleep, Negative emotions, Memory loss, Palpitations
Dosage– 1 tab twice daily with plain water.
What is the Panchakarma Treatment of Migraine?
Panchakarma plays an important role in the management of migraine in any stage. The procedures done in the panchakarma provide relaxation to the whole body by removing the excess amount of toxins from the body. Chandigarh Ayurved Centre performed the best therapies to cure the migraine of its root cause by experienced staff under the guidance of Doctors. The details of therapies are given below –
- Nasya – Nasya karma is considered as foremost therapy as Acharya Vagbhatta explained ‘’Nasa as a Shiro Dwara’’ and medicines instilled through the nose, through Shrungataka marma it spreads to siramukhas of murdha, netra, shrotra, kantha etc. and extracts only vaikariki doshas from urdhavajatru without causing any harm to delicate structures of the brain.
- Shirodhara – Shirodhara is beneficial in stress reduction and treating mental fatigue. Initiating a soothing effect on the brain cells, the treatment requires a calm flow of medicated oil through peripheral nerves of the skin of the forehead. With the uninterrupted flow of soothing oil, Shirodhara helps in tranquilizing and stabilizing the mind, healing problems like anxiety, insomnia, vertigo, etc.
- Shiro Abhyanga – Shiro Abhyanga is a gentle massage on the forehead, head, neck, and shoulders so the oil formulation on these parts of the body takes effect. This therapy gives a calmative effect to the patient and provides relaxation on the whole body.
Healthy Diet and Lifestyle
The patient having migraine should follow the given measures. By adopting some changes in diet and lifestyle the person will surely ease their symptoms. Some of the healthy tips are given below –
- Simple yoga practices can go a long way in rectifying the imbalances that cause the onset of migraine attacks. By following specific yoga practices one can alleviate tension, increase oxygen supply to the brain, and reduce the chances of migraine attacks.
- Getting enough and good sleep is vital for good migraine control. Deprivation in sleep is closely linked to the frequency and severity of migraine attacks in some patients.
- Increase the diet primarily on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, and healthy fats (and limiting foods that trigger an attack) is a good way to prevent migraines and/or headaches. Also, don’t skip meals. Regular skipping meals make you hungry, which can trigger a migraine.
- Poor posture and a sedentary lifestyle can strain your head, neck, and shoulder muscles, leading to a migraine or headache. By making some changes to your posture, it may help reduce the frequency of migraines and tension headaches.
- Limit the intake of alcohol, chocolate, aged cheeses, and other foods that can trigger a tension headache or migraine.
- Simple yoga practices can go a long way in rectifying the imbalances that cause the onset of migraine attacks. By following specific yoga practices one can alleviate tension, increase oxygen supply to the brain, and reduce the chances of migraine attacks. The main yoga and asanas are – Hastapadasana, Setu bandhasana, Adho mukha svanasana, Padmasana, Shishuasana, Shavasana, etc.
