Q: Hi D! I am living with a curse since the past 4 years– these recurring headaches. My head thumps and pounds, and I even feel nausea at times. This is the migraine type right? I am tired of taking painkillers, always fearing their dreaded side effects. I am earnestly seeking a natural and effective way of dealing with this condition. Thanks in advance for your expert advice. – Ananda Mathur, age 34.
A. Hi Ananda! Headaches are indeed the silent epidemic in the current era, claiming more and more individual health, as modern lifestyle get more erratic, stressful and out of rhythm with nature. Headaches can be of many types, with different causes and hence different remedies. Yours is the Vata-type headache (using Ayurvedic jargon here), where your air element is in chaos and needs to be pacified. This is characterized with a thumping sensation. And I am willing to bet the ache get worse before, during or immediately after your periods each month. Here are some measures to reduce the frequency and severity of the heacdaches. Of course, it is always better to seek a personal consultation so that the remedies can be fine-tuned to your individual metabolic type for faster results. Nevertheless, the following suggestions should help. I suffered a similar condition some years ago, but today, I have healed myself naturally of recurring migraine attacks by applying most of these measures.
When the headache is coming on, have a cup of really warm water. Adding a slice of ginger and some fennel-cardamom to this helps. Alternatively, consume one (or two) mint capsule (pudina hara) with warm water.
Lie down and sleep – it is very therapeutic. Discontinue activities like reading, computer, TV watching, even talking. Rub your hands together until warm and cover your eyes. Rub hands again and cover your ears. Repeat a few times. Massage the temples, press-release. Alternatively, tap with your fingers on the third eye, temples, mid eye-brow and mid-collar bone a few times
Allow yourself to yawn a few times. Don’t suppress any urge to pass wind and/or belch. You have to allow more oxygen into your system, and throw out the toxic air.
Consume a ripe banana. It helps bring down your elevated blood pressure during an attack. Too much blood rushing to the brain is what causes the thumping feeling.
Soak your feet in warm water to which a fistful of seasalt crystals have been added. This again would help to lower blood pressure and relax you a little
Inhaling a mint aroma also helps dilate air passages, allowing more oxygen to come through.
A few preventive measures:
Start the day with warm, nourishing whole breakfast. Avoid processed and instant food early morning. Wholewheat paratha or bread, or warm milk/ tea with herbs like saunf (fennel), elaichi (cardamom), pinch of ginger would be great. Soaked almonds and raisins should also be consumed.
Have regular meals and regular intervals. Meals should be warm and whole.
Regular breathing (Pranayama) and yoga stretches have a beneficial impact on your hormone system, and greatly reduces the frequency of headaches. The key is to expand breathing capacity to get in more oxygen into your lungs.
Avoid ice-cold water, radish, uncooked vegetables, chips and dry crackers on a daily basis. Stay away from watermelon, cucumbers and coconut before, during and after your periods! Rest as much as possible during this period.