In this article I would like to share my thoughts and experiences of how to deal with Migraine without using any medicines.

A migraine is a condition in which the victim experiences terrible headache that tends to recur and is often accompanied by a feeling of nausea. The pain is usually felt on one side of the head but can be felt on both sides too. One may experience flashing lights, zigzag lines, bright spots, partial loss of vision, numbness or tingling in the hand, tongue, or face. . Moving around makes the headache worse; while no medical tests confirm migraine, the diagnosis is based mainly on the above mentioned symptoms.

Many scientists think migraine is a vascular disorder caused by a tightening (constriction) and sudden opening (dilation) of the blood vessels in the head, neck, or scalp. Others believe that an abnormal release of neuro-chemicals in the brain, such as serotonin or noradrenaline may cause the throbbing pain of migraine. In Ayurveda, two conditions, known as Ardhaavabheda (meaning literally the unilateral pain) and Anantavaata resemble the classical migraine.

Let us look at the causes of migraine.

Causes

The following conditions can trigger a migraine attack in most individuals.

• Stress and time pressure
• Major hassles, major losses, anger, frustration, depression and conflict
• Excessive relaxation and positive feelings such as excitement
• Smells and fumes, tobacco smoke, light glare or dazzle
• Weather changes and high altitude 
• Onset of puberty in girls, monthly period, birth control pills, pregnancy, delivery
• Oestrogen therapy and menopause 
• Motion and travel
• Too much, too little or interrupted sleep
• Hunger or fasting
• Excessive activity (especially if you are not in good health)

The following food if consumed can also trigger a migraine attack in an individual.

• Wine and hot liquor
• Excessive consumption of beverages containing caffeine such as tea, coffee, over the counter medicines
• Dairy products such as, curd, cheese, butter, ice-cream, milk, curd, cheese, milk cream
• Fermented foods such as, dosa and pickled food
• Fruits such as, grapes, lemons, banana, figs, and raisins
• Processed meat
• Chinese food, containing MSG (monosodium glutamate) salt popularly known as Chinese salt
• Saccharin in diet or diet drinks
• Onions and beans
• Yeast containing products such as, fresh breads
• Nuts and peanuts

Treatment

How can you treat this condition without taking any medicine?

• Spread your workload evenly during the day to avoid getting stressed out at at personal level and at a professional level 
• Do not sleep excessively, especially during Sunday mornings and holidays. 
• Do not overtire yourself
• Take your meals at regular times 
• Do not skip meals
• Make a note of things that possibly trigger your migraine attack, try to avoid those things as far as possible
• Limit the amount of tea, coffee consumption
• Avoid taking painkillers on a regular basis
• Do not slouch while sitting, keep your neck straight
• Keep your muscles relaxed when you are not physically active
• Try not to frown or tighten your jaw
• Restrict your physical activities in hot weather
• Avoid bright or flickering lights, loud noises or strong smells if they trigger headaches
• Follow moderation in all things

However, if still migraines keep coming back, step back and see if it is due to too much dependency on pain killers. Mind you a pain killer can provide you with pain relief but for a short period of time. For long term benefits, stop pain killers. Stop or avoid items, things, activities that trigger migraines. Preventive treatment pays dividends in the end but can seem to be difficult in the beginning. Here, observing things that trigger migraine by maintaining a dairy helps. At times, you may notice having chocolate triggers this condition, but at a different time nothing happens. 

Ayurvedic medicines can help to lessen the migraine. But it is best to resort to Ayurvedic remedies rather than taking medicines of any kind. Here is a list of remedies that can go a long way in keeping the migraines attack under a limit.

• Place and rub an ice-pack on to your temples and forehead, this helps to reduce the pain.
• Lie down in a quiet and dark room, no noise and no light lessens the pain.
• Apply a paste made of black pepper and rice on your forehead or you can also apply a paste of sandal wood, which is readily available.
• Drop some ghee and mix it with saffron and inhale the same, it reduces the pain caused due to migraine.
• Avoid listening to loud music at all costs. This is a major cause of migraine attack.

Well, we have come to the end of this article; hope this helps you in some way to deal with migraine attack. Do share any tips and suggestions and home remedies if you have any.

• Written by Mousumi Ghosh.
• In category Diseases.
• 10 years ago.

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