Headache  are common now a days seen from small  to big and in males and females. They come in all sizes. Head aching after bath or head aching in the evening or after an exposure to work and sunlight. Head aching always or once  in a long time or head aching on one  part of head or the aching whole head.

Migraine is one  such headache affecting one half of the head.  It lasts from about  2 hour to 72 hours. The nature of it is some time  continuous or pulsating.

Causes

• No exact cause, but actually triggered by a number of triggering factor related to diet, environment, psychological, medicines etc
• Related to genes: 2/3rd of migraine  cases run in families
• Related to mixture of environmental factors.

Triggering factors of migraine

Diet :               fruits containing citric acid, red wine, chocolates, irregular dietary habits

Environmental factors:     Subjected to dust and smoking environment

Smoky room

Air conditioners

Loud noises and strong aroma

Glazing light

Avoid exposure to direct light

Medicine:        intake of sleeping tablets, contraceptive tablets and other disease

related tablets

Psychological: Due  to depression, death of family member,  tiredness, worry,

anger and anxiety, stress etc.

Other factors: Dysmenorrhoea  (painful menstruation), menopause, long working hours,            keeping awake at night, sleep patterns altered due to work shift

Clinical features

• Usually affecting one half of the head
• Pulsating type of pain
• A patient feels an aura before the headache. A signal that indicates that head ache will soon occur
• It is associated with other symptoms like
  • Sensitivity to sound (loud & irritating)
  • Sensitivity to light (sunlight or any other glazing light)
  • Causes photophobia
  • Usually associated with rouser and vomiting
• Pain usually increases by physical activity and reduces by rest
• Studies have shown that this being a neurovascular disease may decrease during pregnancy and after child birth.

Ayurvedic study of Migraine

• Headaches are usually described as Shira-shools. Acharyas have described many types of headaches. Migraine as such can be considered as ardhava bedhaka, suryavarta, anahata vata etc.
• According to Ayurveda ignoring ardhava bedhaka (headache of half head) can lead to destruction of eyes and ears.
• When coming to clinical practice of migraine it can be classified with that caused by vata dosha, pitha dosha, kapha dosha or because of decrease of rakta dathu (blood).

Management and treatment

1. Nidana thyaga (According to causative factors)

This is a very important step in  curing migraine. A person having frequent    of migraine attack should know the factor that cause migraine to him (triggering factors). He / she should make it a point to not go anywhere near it.

2. Dietary habits to manage migraine

• Drink plenty of water
• Intake of fruits and vegetables
• Food that increases the blood quality, like dates, grapes, bananas etc.
• Food products containing vit. B12 – like cereals, mushrooms etc.
• Magnesium containing food especially for menstrual related migraines like potatoes, grains, spinach etc.

3. Meditation

Deep breathing & relaxation manages migraine well by helping reduce stress both physical and emotional, fatigue and tiredness, worry and anxiety.

4. Yoga

• Can reduce continuous migraine, and reduce the aura and attacks of migraine.
• Doing pranayama is the best.
• Also asanas like shavasana, shirshasana which relaxes body is good.

Aushadas

For this it is classified into vatika, Pittaha, kahphaja and rakthakshayaka.

1. Vatika – Pathyaksha dhathryadi kashayam

Yogaraja guggulu

Manasamitra vatakam

2. Pittaja – Indukantham  kashayam

Ashtavargam kashayam

Amrithotharam kashayam

Drakshadi kashayam

3. Kaphaja – Dasamoola katuthrayam kashayam

Pathyaksha dhathryadi kashayam

4. Rakthakshayaja (Due to decrease of blood)

Annabedi sinduram

Drakshadi kashayam

Draksharishtam

Panchakarmas

1. Shirodhara (Pouring liquids over forehead)
2. Takradhara (Medicated butter milk pouring over forhead)
3. Talapothichil
4. Abhyanga (massage) – whole body and head

Also padabhyanga (massage to feet)

Abhyanga to ear

5. Shirovasti (Holding oil on the head for a specific time period)
6. Nasyam (Instillation of medicines through nose)
7. With anutailam
8. Ksheerabala  101 avarti
9. Swarasam of dronapushti
10. Basti (medicated enema)

Snehavasti (oil enema)    –           using   1)  Sahacharadi anuvasana tailam

2)  Maharasnadi anuvasana tailam