Dr. Yogesh Chavan

Suffering from Headache? You should know this.

(Ayurveda Tips to treat Headache)

Headache is pain & aches in the region of forehead, scalp, behind eyes, temple & neck, it can be mild, moderate to severe & can be acute or chronic in origin. Nature of the pain can be throbbing, squeezing, pulsating, constant, unrelenting, or intermittent. In ayurveda this is called as Shirashul. Primary reason of Shirashul is vitiated vata dosha, which gets combined with other vitiated doshas, accumulates in the region of head & causes pain. In ayurveda classic 11 types of primary headaches (Shirashul) are described. According to world health organization (WHO) headache is simple form of nervous disease & half of the population in the world suffers from headache at least once in a year.

There are many reasons & types of Headache but this is classified in 2 main types- Primary Headache & secondary headache.

Primary headache is due to pathology in the pain sensitive structure of head.  Secondary headache is symptom due to any other disease present in the body eg.-headache due to sinusitis or dental carries.

Most common reasons of primary headache are - Migraine, Cluster Headache & Tension Headache.

Migraine-

Migraine is excruciating or throbbing pain in the half of the head or all over the head. In ayurveda Migraine can be compared with Ardhavbhedak & Vata vitiated with pitta dosha is the main reason behind it. Modern science is unable to describe etiology (reasons) of this disease but in ayurveda classics some cause are mentioned like- excess alcohol & smoking, suppressing natural urges, late night sleeping, sleeping in a day, long time work in smoke & dust. Migraine comes in form of attack which can last for 45 minutes to 24 hours. After attack person feels very normal but during migraine attack pain is so severe that one cannot able to do any work. Ayurveda classics compare this pain like scorpion bite or someone hitting head with hammer. This pain can be followed by nausea & vomiting.  Migraine can be with aura or without aura. Aura is preliminary subjective symptoms before headache, like ringing in ears or weakness or visualization of special things in light. Headache is followed by aura in 30% population suffering from migraine. Photophobia, loss of concentration, tinnitus in ears etc. are some associated symptoms of Migraine.

Tension headache-

Tension headache is most common form of headache. Yearly many people suffer from this type of headache. This is continuous or constant type of pain in the scalp or forehead which can last for few minutes to one week. Stress, improper or less sleep in night, heavy work load, travel and emotional stress are some precipitating factors for tension headache. Though reasons are not known but in ayurveda Vata dosha prakopa is primary reason. Due to precipitating factors mentioned above muscle surrounding head becomes stiff & contracts which causes continuous pain in that region. Tension headache is totally harmless type of headache but quality of work & life may get affected due to this.

Cluster headache-

Cluster headache occurs in cluster pattern hence this name is given. This headache come in groups i.e. It occurs daily at same time for some weeks to month then there is symptom free period of 3 to 4 months, after this 3- 4 months same pattern occurs. In this type, headache is unilateral affecting one side of head, cheek, eyebrow & eye, also associated with redness of eye, watering of eye & jaw pain. Nature of pain is pulsating, intermittent & severity of pain is moderate to severe, which can be followed by nausea & vomiting. This type of headache is not associated with aura. Causes of cluster headache are unknown but some scholars believe that it may be due to a sudden release of the chemicals histamine and serotonin in the brain. Smoking, Alcohol, disturbed biological clock, stress are triggering factors for cluster headache.

Management of Shirashul/ Headache-

In moderns medicine some NSAID’s & antidepressants are used, also triptans & ergotamine class drugs are used to treat headache but due to their side effects & cost, these medicines are not advised to take for longer duration.

Ayurveda believes in treating root cause of disease so there is no any pain killer medication used. Main reason of headache (Shirashul) Vata & associated doshas are treated with the safe herbal medicines like bhringaraja(eclipta alba), rasona (allium saivum), vasa, Shirish, ardrak(Ginger).  If these doshas are accumulated in excess quantity in body then body purification with Panchkarma’s like Virechan, basti, Nasya, Shirodhara can be done. There are many medicines in ayurveda for shiroraga (diseases of head) which can be used according to person’s digestive capacity (agni), dosha prakopa, body constitution (prakruti) etc.

While treating Shirashul, Yogasana & Pranayama also works very well with the ayurveda treatment. Anumloma-Viloma Pranayama & Tratak is very helpful for relieving symptoms of Shirashul.

Tips to avoid Headache- (diet advice for headache)

-Stop eating food which aggravates vata dosha like- horse gram, dried food, packaged & refrigerated products, cold drinks, icecream etc.

- Do not eat spicy & heavy to digest foods like pickle, chillie products, sago etc.

-also avoid fermented food like bakery products- bread, Idli-dosa, cake.

- Avoid eating fast food like pizza, burger, vadapav, missal etc.

-Do not suppress natural urges like urination, defecation etc.

-Avoid cold breeze which comes from east side, especially while riding bike.

-Avoid excess alcohol, tobacco & smoking; also avoid late night parties or study.

- Avoid stress either physical or emotional. Avoid habit of sleeping in a day time.

-Follow Yoga practice & do regular Anuloam-viloam pranayama & Tratak to avoid & cure any kind of headache.

Ayurveda home remedies for Urticaria/Hives (Sheetapitta)

If your skin has raised, itchy rashes and pain in the areas like eyes, throat, cheeks, lips, hands then you may be the sufferer of "Urticaria" which is a very common skin disease. Urticaria rashes range in size, from a few millimeters to several inches in diameter. It isalso known as allergic skin reaction.

In Ayurveda this is called as ‘Sheetapitta’. According to Ayurveda, aggravation of kapha (water) and vata (air) occurs when people come in contact with cold air. It also causes the aggravation of pitta dosha (fire) which spread into the rakta dhatu (blood tissues). Rakta dhatu is vitiated due to excess of pitta. Then aggravated doshas relocate in skin, which causes the urticaria (Sheet pitta).

Causes of Sheetapitta( Urticaria) -

1. Excess intake of salty and pungent food

2. Eating large amounts of sour gruels

3. Excessive intake of mustard

4. Exposure to cold wind

5. Contact of cold substances

6. Day sleep

7. Improper emesis

8. Altered features in rainy and winter season

9. Insect bite

10. Contact of poisonous insects / bugs

Symptoms of Sheetapitta-

In urticaria, rashes occur on face, arms, trunk and legs.

Headache, Red rashes, Itching, Congestion of eyes is also a symptom of Sheetapitta.

There is a condition called as angioedema which occurs in urticaria. Angioedema results in the burning or pain around the areas like eyes, cheeks, lips, hands, genitals and feet may occur in the cases of urticaria

Tips to avoid & cure Urticaria-

-As far as possible, limit salt intake, and avoid sour food like yogurt, curd, and instead have bitter tasting food like bitter gourd.

-However, onion and garlic are considered to be good in this condition.

-Maintain a food diary so that the relationship between a food type and appearance of symptoms can be noted.

-Avoid all sweets including sugar, jaggery, and alcohol.

-Avoid incompatible foods, sour foods, and heavy foods that are difficult to digest.

-Have freshly prepared, easily digestible foods.

-Eat cooked split gram (split legumes), bitter gourd vegetable, and pomegranate.

-Use honey rather than sugar.

-Fast for one day or have very light foods like boiled rice, vegetable soup, etc.

-Avoid suppressing the urge to vomit.

-Stress accounts for worsening this health condition. You should practice techniques which relax your mind and soul, such as meditation, yoga, and deep breathing. These are effective in stress relief.  
 

-In case the above symptoms are accompanied by breathing difficulties, vomiting, variation in heart beat or blood pressure, the patient should be rushed to emergency care in a hospital.
 

Treatment in Ayurveda-

Ayurvedic herbs like Haridra (Curcuma longa), Neem (Azadirachta indica), Shirish (Albezzia lebbock), Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), Shirish (Albezzia lebbock), Vasa works very good in treatment of Urticaria.
Elimination of dosha & Purification of the body toxins with Ayurvedic medicines & Panchkarma procedures is essential to cure urticaria. Abhyanga (massage), svedana (fomentation), vaman (induced vomiting) and virechen (induced lose motion) are very effective in treating Urticaria.

Ayurveda Home Remedies for Urticaria -
 

1. Paste of Neem leaves / Guduchi leaves or aloevera pulp can consumed in 5 to 7 gm dose daily to reduce urticaria.

2.Take 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder with a glass of milk or water two to three times a day. It is an excellent treatment to increase the body’s immunity.

3.Massage the skin with mustard oil for 15 minutes, followed it with a bath with lukewarm water.

4. Mix black pepper powder ½ to one teaspoon and desi ghee ½ teaspoon and consume it in empty stomach every morning. Continue for up to three months for better results.