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Headaches
afflict almost everyone at some time or the other. Most
headaches are functional, caused by temporary upsets and
are not related to any organic changes in the brain. A
headache is often nature’s warning that something is
wrong somewhere in the body. The actual pain, however,
arises from irritation to nerve endings in the shoulder,
neck and scalp muscles and also in the smooth muscles
encircling the blood vessels which serve these areas.
There are several types of headaches, with as many ways
of treating them. Taking an aspirin or tranquiliser may
provide temporary relief but it does not remove the
cause. Moreover, the frequent use of pain-relievers
causes nervous debility, weakens the heart and brings on
other complications.
The common causes of headaches are allergy, emotional
reasons, eyestrain, high blood pressure, hangover,
infection, low blood sugar , nutritional deficiency,
tension, the presence of poisons and toxins in the body,
and migraine. Allergies, an often unsuspected cause of
headache, vary in different individuals. The foods to
which some people are allergic and which can trigger
headaches are milk and milk products, chocolates, chicken
liver, alcohol and strong cheese. Sneezing and diarrhoea
are further indications of an allergy .
Intense emotions often cause headaches. Many people who
outwardly appear to have a pleasant disposition may
actually be simmering about a job, or may bear resentment
towards a person or something. This hidden hostility may
manifest itself as headache. It is important, therefore,
that negative feelings should not be bottled up, but
should find some safe means of expressions.
Eye-strain is a common cause of headache. IN such cases,
an eye specialist should be consulted and proper
treatment taken. Simple eye exercises such as moving the
eyes up and down and from side to side, palming, rotating
the head, with neck outstretched, forward and backward
three times, then thrice clockwise and thrice
anti-clockwise , can relieve eye-strain.
High blood pressure can cause pounding headaches. The
headache usually starts at the back of the head on
getting up in the morning. A safe method of treatment for
this is to immerse your legs to calf-level in a tub of
hot water for 15 to 20 minutes. This draws the blood away
from the head and down to the feet, giving relief from
the headache.
Many people get a severe headache after consuming alcohol
in excess. Alcohol causes the blood vessels to swell,
resulting in a painful headache. The best treatment for
this is to avoid excessive consumption of alcohol. A
hangover headache can be avoided by taking a vitamin B-1
( thiamine) tablet with the drink.
Headaches may occur if there is an infection, such as a
cold, virus and fever . Here, it is the infection that
should be tackled. Vitamin C therapy is the best all
round method. For a cold, high doses of vitamin C should
be taken at hourly intervals with the appearance of the
first symptoms like a sore throat, runny nose, etc.
Vitamin C has worked miracles, and is considered a
natural antibiotic.
Low blood sugar is one of the causes of irritability and
headache. Sugar is not a cure for low blood sugar, though
it may raise the blood sugar temporarily and make one
feel better for a while. Low blood sugar is the result of
an abused pancreas which over stimulates the production
of insulin in the body. It can be controlled by eating
smaller meals at short intervals rather than the standard
three large meals daily. The intake of carbohydrates
should be cut down to the minimum and coffee should be
eliminated as it over stimulates the pancreas.
A lack of iron, resulting in anaemia, is a common cause
of headache. The headache sometimes appears before the
onset of anaemia, due to a chronic iron deficiency.
Brewer’s yeast is an excellent source of iron and
anaemia can easily be prevented by taking a few teaspoons
daily. Headache can also be brought on due to the
deficiency of B vitamins , namely pantothenic acid, B-1
(thiamine) , B-12 and B-6 ( pyridoxine) and can be cured
by taking these vitamins.
When taking any of the B-vitamin factors seperately, it
is absolutely essential to add the entire B-complex range
to one’s diet in some form such as Brewer’s
yeats, liver,wheat germ, etc., otherwise too much of one
factor can throw the other factors into imbalance,
resulting in other problems. Actually, the entire B
complex group itself serves as protection against
headaches, including migraine.
Tension headaches are probably the most common of all,
and are caused by emotional conflicts which result in
stress. Stress causes the muscles of the shoulder, neck
and scalp to tense unconsciously. Persons who are
irritable, tense and lose their temper quickly usually
get this type of headache. It increases gradually and
passes off with the release of tension. One should try to
relieve the stress which produces the headache.
Poisons and toxins admitted into the body through food,
beverages and water, as well as through breathing,
polluted air, can cause any number of disturbances. A
headache may be the first warning that a poison has
entered the body. Additives in foods and in many cases,
cosmetics, skin and hair products are also serious
offenders in bringing on headaches. IN addition, there
are toxic air contaminants which are too numerous to
mention.Migraine Headache
Migraine is an
ancient and formidable malady. It bothered such
distinguished persons as Caesar and Freud. It has assumed
alarming proportions under modern conditions of living
and is now believed to afflict about 10 per cent of the
world’s population.
Migraine can be defined as a paroxysmal affection,
accompanied by severe headache, generally on one side of
the head and associated with disorders of the digestion,
the liver and the vision. It usually 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 occasionally accompany the
excruciating pain which lasts for as long as three days.
Migraine usually gives warning 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 compulsive
workers 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 of utmost relief. Then comes the migraine.
It is a purely physiological process. The head and neck
muscles, reacting to continuous stress, become
overworked. The tightened muscles squeeze the arteries
and reduce blood flow. When a person relaxes suddenly,
the constricted muscles expand, stretching the walls of
the blood-vessel. With every heart beat, the blood being
pushed through this vessels expands them further and
causes incredible pain.
When a headache strikes, one should stay on one’s
feet in the daytime and do simple chores which 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 through proper nutrition, exercise
and constructive thinking. As a first step, the patient
should undertake a short fast. During the fast, citrus
fruit juices, diluted with water may be taken six times
daily. By taking the load of digestion, the patient will
at once save nervous energy which can be utilised 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 strain on the digestion. Breakfast should
consist of fruits, both fresh and dried. Lunch should
consist largely of protein foods. Starchy foods such as
whole wheat bread, cereals, rice or potatoes should be
taken at dinner along with raw salads. Spices, tomatoes,
sour buttermilk and oily foodstuffs should be avoided.
Drinking a glass of water ( warm water in winter and cool
water in summer) mixed with a teaspoonful of honey the
first thing in the morning, is also a good remedy.
Water
Treatment
There are
certain water applications which help relieve headaches.
Copious drinking of water can help , as do the cleansing
enema with water temperature at 98.6 o F, the hot foot
bath, a cold throat pack, frequent applications of towels
wrung out from very hot water to the back of the neck, a
cold compress at 40 o to 60o F applied to the head and
face or an alternate spinal compress. Hot fomentations
over the abdominal region just before retiring relieve
headaches due to stomach and liver upsets.
Yogic kriyas like jalneti and kunjal, pranayamas like
anuloma-viloma, shitali and sitkari and asanas such as
uttanapadasana, sarvangasana, paschimottanasana, halasana
and shavasana are useful in the treatment of headaches.
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