Tackling Migraine with Ayurveda

The only time when you probably wish not to use your ‘head’ is while having a headache. You may feel like banging your head against the wall can provide you some relief. One such extremely painful form of headache is migraine.

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.

Read on to know how Ayurveda helps in eliminating the migraine symptoms from the root –

Ayurvedic view of migraine

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

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 byproduct generated due to indigestion) production gets controlled. As a result, patients get long-term relief from migraine pain.

Role of Panchakarma therapies in treating migraine

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 ama and balances the doshas.

Simple home remedies to alleviate migraine pain

Besides treatment, there exist simple ayurvedic home remedies for migraine that can bring some relief to your pain:

1. Apply a paste of clay or sandalwood powder mixed with rose water on the forehead.
2. Apply a 1/4th teaspoon of clove powder mixed with 1 teaspoon of cinnamon oil for 20-30 minutes on the affected area.
3. Take a teaspoon of coriander seed or dhania powder and soak it in water overnight. Drink this water the next morning on an empty stomach. This will help relieve headaches and migraine-related symptoms.

5 lifestyle tips to overcome migraine

1. Set your sleep schedule and stick to it. Get sleep for at least 6-8 hours every day, in a dark room.
2. Do not skip meals and avoid stimulants like alcohol and caffeine.
3. Practice deep-breathing exercises and yoga to keep your mind and body stress-free and healthy. Yoga asanas like Paschimottanasana, Uttanasana, Urdhva Mukha Svanasana, and Savasana are especially known to reduce migraine pain.
4. Self-massage your head or behind the neck. It will promote the easy flow of blood and soothe the muscles and nerves.
5. You can use warm or cool packs, whatever makes you feel better and reduce the pain.

While these tips and home remedies for migraine are effective in reducing the mild symptoms, should the condition persist or become unbearable, you must consult an Ayurvedic doctor immediately or take ayurvedic medicines for neurological disorders. Don’t wait too long or subside the pain by taking painkiller medicines. Get it treated from the root-cause for long-term relief.

To know more about Ayurvedic treatment of migraine, you can reach out to us at 0129-4040404 and book a consultation with one of our experienced Ayurvedic doctors.