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Ayurveda
Hysteric about headache?
by Dr. Savitha Suri
Headaches are
one of the most common health grievances of students, adults and even
children, Headaches are very common and usually do not point to a
serious illness. But even a mild headache can disrupt your daily
activities
What actually happens in your body to
cause headache?
The skull bones and brain tissues do not have pain sensitive nerve
fibers. But muscles of face, mouth, throat, neck, scalp and blood
vessels on the surface and base of brain are sensitive to pain as they
contain pain sensitive nerve fibers.
The tip of these nerve fibers gets stimulated by various causes like
stress, muscle tension, lack of sleep etc. The stimulated nerve tip
sends message up the length of the nerve fiber to the related nerve
cells of Brain. Brain locates the region of stimulated nerve tip based
on these signals and we feel the pain or ache.
The headache may be mild, chronic or severe depending on the underlying
cause and pain bearing capacity of the individual.
Our body produces natural pain killing proteins called endorphins. One
of the theories suggests that people with low endorphin levels suffer
from severe headache and other chronic pains in comparison with people
having high endorphin levels.
What triggers headache?
-
Anger
-
Muscle
tension
-
Missed
meals
-
Vigorous
exercise
-
Sexual
excitement
-
Infections like Common cold, Flu, Fever, Ear infection, Tooth
infection, Sinus infection, Pneumonia, etc
-
Coughing
- too much coughing can cause a form of traction headache.
-
Lifestyle
causes: Hangover, Excessive alcohol, Stress, Fatigue, Tension,
Tiredness, Excessive smoking
-
Dyspepsia
-
Eye
conditions
-
Systemic
or metabolic conditions, Hypertension, Thyroid disease, Anemia,
Kidney failure, Uremia
-
Brain or
head conditions Meningitis, Encephalitis, Head injury, Heatstroke,
Sunstroke
-
Before,
during, or after menstruation
-
Hunger
-
Medications (Many drugs designed to relieve pain can actually cause
headache when the drug is stopped after a period of prolonged use.)
-
Alcohol
and caffeine withdrawal
-
Not
getting enough sleep
-
Reading
for long periods of time or eyestrain
-
Doing
repetitive work
-
Staying
in one position for a long time, such as working at a computer.
The same
causes of headache have been explained in Ayurveda also. These causes
vitiate all the three doshas (vata, pitta and kapha). The vitiated
doshas cause tension, migraine, sinus and other head aches.
Few common
types of headache are Tension headache, Migraine headache and sinus
headache.
Tension headache
Tightening of muscles of face and neck cause tension headache. It is
characterized by a dull ache in forehead or back of head and pain in
neck and shoulders which travels to head. Causes like less sleep,
stress, reading for a long time, and working in front of a computer
for long hours can precipitate tension headache.
Migraine Headache
Migraine
headache is caused when blood vessels of head get too much dilated
or constricted. Females are more prone to this type of headache than
males and migraine tends to run in families. A person suffering from
migraine headache feels like vomiting becomes too sensitive to
light, sound and other activities. Few people experience spots or
flashes before headache. Few facts like menstruation in females,
caffeine, alcohol, aged cheese, cured meat, stress, change in
sleeping pattern, strenuous exercise trigger migraine headache.
Sinus Headaches
A sinus
headache surfaces when fluids in the nose are not able to drain well
and pressure builds up in sinuses. A cold, dust allergies, dirty or
polluted water air travel may cause this type of headache. Sinus
headache causes pain in forehead, cheek bones, nose and stuffy nose.
The headache increases when face is bent or touched. The symptoms
are worse in the morning.
Although
headaches are very common, It is recommended to consult a doctor about
your headache. Go to an emergency department if any of the following
symptoms occur:
Pain that
develops very rapidly
A change in concentration or ability to think
A change in level of alertness
Altered speech
Weakness, numbness, or difficulty in walking
Changes in vision
Headache with a stiff neck or neck pain, or if light hurts your eyes
If you feel that this the worst headache of your life
Headache with dizziness, or a feeling that you are falling to one
side
Headache from an injury or blow to the head
Headache with fever.
Home remedies for tension
headache
-
For
tension headaches massage few drops of peppermint oil or eucalyptus
oil on temples.
-
Massage
the scalp with slightly warmed sesame oil. This relieves tension
headache and induces sleep.
-
Regular
exercise, yoga and meditation reduce the stress levels and keep the
tension headache at bay.
-
Persons
of vata type can use hot water bags on aching parts and a hot shower
will be of good help.
-
Persons
of pitta type can use cold or ice packs on aching parts and wrap a
wet cold cloth around neck.
Home remedies for migraine
headache
-
Make a
note of facts which trigger the headache and also the foods. Try to
avoid these . Avoid spicy foods, coffee, tea, alcohol, onion and
garlic. Avoid citrus fruits except lemon.
-
Try
muscle relaxation exercises. Progressive muscle relaxation,
meditation and yoga are definitely going to help. Relax at least for
half an hour everyday by doing your favorite activities like
listening to music, gardening, taking hot water bath etc.
-
Stick to
you a regular sleep pattern and get enough sleep but don't
oversleep. Avoid sleeping during the afternoon.
-
Rest in a
dark, quiet room when you feel a headache coming on. Place an ice
pack wrapped in a cloth on the back of your neck and apply gentle
pressure to painful areas on your scalp.
Home remedies for sinus
headache
-
Breathe
in warm, moist air.
-
Moist the
nasal passages with the help of saline nasal spray. A saline spray
can be used up to six times per day.
-
Do not
smoke. If you smoke, quit.
-
Avoid
second-hand smoke and polluted air.
-
Avoid
exposure to anything that triggers allergy or sinus symptoms.
-
Wash your
hands frequently to avoid colds.
-
Seek
treatment for a persistent cold before sinusitis sets in.
-
Avoid
alcoholic drinks. Alcohol can cause swelling of nasal and sinus
tissues.
April 30,
2006
Disclaimer
The above article is educational in nature, and is not intended to
diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. If you have a medical
condition, please consult your physician.
Dr.SavithaSuri B.A.M.S is Chief Consultant physician at Chaitanya
Integrated Medical Center, Udayagiri, Mysore, Karnataka, India. She is
practicing Indian Systems of Medicines since 12 years. By arrangement
with
http://www.ayurhelp.com
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