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Migraine Headache :
Migraine is an ancient and formidable malady. It bothered such
distinguished persons as Caesarand Freud. It has assumed alarming
proportions under modern conditions of livingand is now
believed to afflict about 10 per cent of the worlds
population.
Migraine can be defined as a paroxysmal affection, accompanied
by severe headache, generallyon one side of the head and associated
with disorders of the digestion, the liver and the vision.
Itusually occurs when a person is under great mental tension or has
suddenly got over that state.Migraine is also known as "sick
headache" because nausea and vomiting occasionallyaccompany the
excruciating pain which lasts for as long as three days.
Migraineusually giveswarning before it strikes : black spots or a
brilliant zig-zag line appears before the eyes or the
patient has blurring of vision or has part of his vision blanked
out. When the headache occurs,the patient may feel tingling,
numbness, or weakness in an arm or leg.Migraine sufferers have what
is known as a "migrainous personality ". They are compulsiveworkers
and perfectionists, who feel that they have to do everything right
away.When they
complete a task, they are suddenly laid down from a state of
temporary tension to a feeling ofutmost relief. Then comes the
migraine. It is a purely physiological process. The head and
neckmuscles, reacting to continuous stress, become overworked. The
tightened musclessqueeze
the arteries and reduce blood flow. When a person relaxes
suddenly, the constricted musclesexpand, stretching the walls of
the blood-vessel. With every heart beat, the blood being
pushedthrough this vessels expands them further and causes
incredible pain.When a headache strikes, one should stay on ones
feet in the daytime and do simple choreswhich do not require too
much concentration or walk, move around and get some fresh air.The
best remedy to prevent headaches is to build up physical resistance
throughpropernutrition, exercise and constructive thinking. As a
first step, the patient shou
ld undertake a shortfast. During the fast, citrus fruit juices,
diluted with water may be taken sixtimes daily. By takingthe load
of digestion, the patient will at once save nervous energy which
can beutilised for more
important purposes. The blood and lymph will also be relieved of
a great burden.After a short
fast, the diet should be fixed in such a way as to put the least
possible strainon the digestion.
Breakfast should consist of fruits, both fresh and dried. Lunch
should consist largely of proteinfoods. Starchy foods such as whole
wheat bread, cereals, rice or potatoes shouldbe taken at
dinner along with raw salads. Spices, tomatoes, sour buttermilk
and oily foodstuffs should beavoided. Drinking a glass of water (
warm water in winter and cool water in summ
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er) mixed witha teaspoonful of honey the first thing in the
morning, is also a good remedy.Water TreatmentThere are certain
water applications which help relieve headaches. Copious drinking
of watercan help , as do the cleansing enema with water temperature
at 98.6 o F, the hotfoot bath, a
cold throat pack, frequent applications of towels wrung out from
very hot waterto the back of theneck, a cold compress at 40 o to
60o F applied to the head and face or an alternate spinalcompress.
Hot fomentations over the abdominal region just before retiring
relieve headachesdue to stomach and liver upsets.Yogic kriyas like
jalneti and kunjal, pranayamas like anuloma-viloma, shitali and
sitkari andasanas such as uttanapadasana, sarvangasana,
paschimottanasana, halasana and shavasanaare useful in the
treatment of headaches.
