Migraine is a common problem of the nervous system. It is characterized by frequent headaches that are triggered by some particular factors. Migraine headaches are very much rampant in the modern world. Statistics reveal that there may be about 15% of the total world population suffering from some kind of migraine or the other, out of which about 5% are yet to be diagnosed.

Migraine is defined as a very severe and recurring attack of headache which is accompanied by a feeling of nausea. The frequency of migraine headaches varies from one person to another, and so does their severity. Also, there is a vast difference in the types of pains that are felt during attacks of migraine. Generally the headaches in migraine are felt only on one side of the head.

Migraine is a neurological disorder, i.e. it is caused in the nervous system of the body. There is yet research going on to ascertain the exact nature and cause of the malady. Due to this, migraine can never be diagnosed with conviction. The diagnosis is often a conjecture on the basis of the symptoms that are shown.

In Ayurveda, migraine is very similar to anantavaata, a vata dosha disorder. There is another condition described in Ayurveda, the ardhaavabheda. However, ardhaavabheda only refers to the one-sided headache and does not encompass migraine completely.

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The exact cause of migraine is not known. Meaning that, it is not known why some people are prone to migraine-related headaches and some others are not. In people with migraine complaints, it is observed that there are usually some triggering factors that bring on the migraine headache.

A list of the common triggering factors for migraine is given below:-

A. Causes Related to Lifestyle

Busy and hectic life, rife with lots of tensions and worries

Financial problems and major losses of money

Continuous and prolonged exposure to toxins and chemical pollutants, including smoke and fumes

Excessive smoking

Sudden changes of climate

Continuous exposure to loud sound

Watching too much television, especially those with lot of sound and visual effects

Improper sleep patterns – either too much, too little or interrupted

Pubertal changes in girls

Pregnancy in women

Starvation

Extreme excitation of either sorrow or happiness

B. Causes Related to Diet

Monosodium glutamate, i.e. ajinomoto in food

Too much of oily or spicy food

Fermented foods and foods containing too much yeast

Saccharin

Beverages such as tea, coffee and colas

Excessive consumption of dairy products

Flesh foods that are not fresh

Grapes and raisins

Dry fruits such as nuts and peanuts

All kinds of alcoholic drinks

C. Causes Related to Medication

Drugs that dilate the blood vessels, such as nitroglycerine

Too much painkillers

Withdrawal from painkillers

Birth control pills

Aminophylline, used by asthmatic patients

Reserpine, nifedipine and diuretics used by high blood pressure patients

According to Ayurvedic principles, migraine is a tridosha disorder, i.e. vitiation in any of the three doshas – vata, pitta or kapha – can cause migraines. Out of the three doshas, pittadosha is the most prominent factor. Pittadosha causes the dilation of the blood vessels, which causes the onset of a migraine attack.

From the external symptoms, it can be understood which of the three doshas is causing the attack. Refer to the following table to see what kind of migraine symptoms are shown by the doshas:-

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The onset of a migraine attack is not sudden. Sometimes there is a warning a few days in advance. The total attack of migraine can be divided into four distinct phases – prodrome, aura, pain and postdrome. Out of these, the pain is the only phase that is seen in all sufferers of migraine. Several migraine sufferers can have attacks without prodrome, aura and postdrome phases.

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Migraine or anantavaata is a chronic disorder in people, i.e. the condition of migraine lasts for several years within the body and cannot be treated completely at once. Due to this reasons, several of the smaller symptoms that are shown during the migraine attacks can exacerbate into serious ailments in the future. The following are some of the complications that can arise:-

(i) Photophobia – Constant sufferers of migraine can develop a condition called as photophobia. Photophobia means fear of light. During the pain phase of the migraine attack, the person wishes to seek out dark places as light affects the nervous system. This tendency to be in a dark place may aggravate with time, making the person permanently shun brightly lit places. In extreme cases, blindness could be caused.

(ii) Phonophobia – Similar to photophobia, phonophobia is the fear of sound. Chronic migraine sufferers will develop a dislike for loud sounds and always be seeking out for tranquil places.

(iii) Vertigo – Vertigo is the medical term for a constant feeling of lightheadedness. Persons suffering from vertigo suffer dizziness and have a continuous feeling of falling down. This is a common symptom during migraine attacks, but long-term migraine can cause permanent vertigo.

(iv) Stroke – It is seen that migraine left untreated for a long time in a person can increase the chances of having a heart stroke in the future.

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There is no question of migraine getting transmitted from one person to another. Migraine is a non-communicable disease. However, it runs in generations through hereditary lines.

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Migraine is a chronic condition, whose attacks are felt recurrently. These attacks are compounded by triggering factors, which are already listed above. Triggering factors differ from one person to another, and in almost all sufferers of migraine, there are a combination of triggering factors at work.

Consider an example. Ice-cream is a triggering factor of migraine in several cases. However, sometimes ice-cream causes migraine while other times it doesn’t. This is because ice-cream is not the only factor causing the migraine attack. There must be something else in the diet or the environmental conditions that may be triggering the migraine attack in conjunction with the ice-cream. Like, eating an ice-cream in the winter may cause a migraine attack, but eating an ice-cream in the summer may be harmless.

In order to prevent migraine attacks, several people maintain a migraine diary. In this diary, a detailed record is kept of the migraine attacks. The diet of the person on the day of the attack and the physical activities the person indulged in on that day are mentioned in the diary. This diary helps to make a quick survey of exacerbating conditions and preventing them in the future.

Migraine therapies should not be discontinued if there is some feeling of migraine relief. It is necessary to continue to treatment program till the end. In the case of Ayurvedic treatment, there is no question of stopping the treatment ever, as most herbs prescribed by Ayurveda are components of the daily diet.

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Diet plays an important role during migraine. Most triggering factors of migraine are diet-related. Hence, the migraine attacks are kept at bay by avoiding the triggering items in the diet.

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The treatment of anantavaata by Ayurveda follows a very systematic synergic pattern. The treatment is a three-point process, which is as follows:-

• Controlling the rebounding of the migraine attack
• Reduce the exposure to triggering factors
• Medication to prevent the future attacks

When migraine treatment is done only through allopathic or other forms of medication, then there may be a chance of rebounding in the future. Also, most medication cannot totally eliminate the migraine condition from the body. Ayurveda aims not only removing the severity of the migraine attack, but also prevents the recurrence of attacks in the future.

In order to prevent the recurrence of migraine attacks, the following medications are prescribed in Ayurveda:-

• Sootha Shekara rasa
• Mahavaata Vidhwansana rasa
• Dashamoolarishta
• Chandanaadi vati
• Shah Bindu taila

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