For those who suffer from migraine, homeopathy can
be a boon in curing this disorder. Long term treatment with homeopathic
remedies can cure migraine headaches completely.
Migraine headache is not an easy disease to do
away with. Even with homeoapthy, moderate to severe form of migraine
headaches take a while to get totally cured and usually gradually get
better in a phased manner; they usually do not disappear in one go (but
yes, a cure is possible).
Usually whenever a patient experiences such a
headache they themselves often start off with paracetamol, aspirin,
ibuprofen or other analgesics. OTC drugs may provide some relief,
although they are typically not effective for most sufferers and
therefore is a very dangerous and harmful practice.
In allopathic treatment, patients who have been
diagnosed with recurring migraines, migraine abortive medications are
prescribed. It means, treating the attack at the onset can often abort
it before it becomes serious. Similarly, many NSAIDs are prescribed for
a long time like paracetamol, naproxyn, excedrin, metoclopramide,
megraleve, analgesics combined with caffeine and antiemetics. In short,
they treat the symptoms and not the person suffering from migraine
headaches. These medicines are made up of synthetic products and are
non organic, so, they might be relieving your symptoms for an hour or
so, but they are making you face other problems which we call side
effects. Most of the pain killers are toxic to kidneys and liver which
are vital organs.
Moreover, allopathic pain killers are just a
temporary solution. They have the same type of medicine for every
migraine sufferer. Allopathy just works superficially and does not
treat the root cause of migraine headaches.
Studies show that the constant use of pain killers
may have a rebound effect - actually causing headaches. Dependence on
pain killers may also hamper the effectiveness of endorphins, the
body's natural pain killers.
On the other hand, homeopathy is different;
homeopathy treats the whole person and tailor made treatment is devised
for each individual patient. For example, 5 different patients of
migraine headache may be given 5 different kinds of remedies, depending
upon their physical and mental makeup and aggravating and ameliorating
factors. There are 253 remedies to choose from for migraine headaches
in homeopathy. This is one reason an experienced and knowledgeable
homeopathic doctor is required to work on the disease. Homeopathy also
helps and transforms people mentally, emotionally and physically.
Homeopathic treatment of migraine headaches
depends totally upon the symptoms presented including the
psycho-physical makeup of the patient. The character and the modalities
associated and also the symptoms associated with the migraine headaches
like aura, vomiting, nausea and the trigger factors decide the choice
of the homeopathic medicine that would help that particular case.
Some of the homeopathic remedies which may be used
in a case of migraine headache under an expert homeopathic doctor are
Glonoine, Belladonna, Sangunaria canadensis, Iris versicolor,
Gelsemium, Nux vomica and so on.
The duration of treatment varies from person to
person. Usually it takes 8 to 12 months to complete the cure, although
the patient starts feeling better within two days of treatment.
Please E-mail dr_ramanand@rediffmail.com for any questions/treatment
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It is very common for each one of us to
suffer from headaches a couple of times in our lifetime; but for some,
headaches are far too common and their recurrences become a major
hindrance in leading a normal life.
One such type of recurrent headaches is
called Migraine headaches. Migraine headaches show a typical pattern of
recurrence and are characterized by severe to moderate head pain,
involving both sides or one side of the head, which may or may not be
present with nausea and vomiting.
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Although the actual cause of migraine is
not very clear, researchers believe that migraine headache is caused by
a drop in the level of a chemical, serotonin, in the brain, which leads
to the inflammation and dilatation in the blood vessels of the brain,
leading to a headache.
Migraine is often pyschosomatic in origin.
There are migraine personalities and most migraine sufferers show one
or many of the following behavioral patterns : conscientiousness,
fastidiousness, rigidity of views, constant conflict between the
environment and self, high levels of expectation.
Migraine headache sufferers are
predominantly females - however, we are observing a shift. Often, it is
observed to be running in the family, showing heriditary links.
Due to some triggering factors, varying
from person to person, there is some kind of vasoconstriction and
vasodilatation of the branches of the carotid artery which leads to
typical throbbing and congestive attacks of headaches.
Migraine headache attacks may be triggered
by :
- Allergic reactions.
- Bright lights, loud noises, odors or
perfumes.
- Physical or emotional stress.
- Changes in sleep patterns.
- Smoking or exposure to smoke.
- Skipping meals.
- Alcohol.
- Menstrual cycle fluctuations, birth
control pills, hormone fluctuations during the menopause transition.
- Tension headaches.
- Foods containing tyramine (red wine,
aged cheese, smoked fish, chicken livers, figs and some beans),
monosodium glutamate (MSG) or nitrates (like bacon, hot dogs, and
salami).
- Other foods such as chocolate, nuts,
peanut butter, avocado, banana, citrus fruits, onions, dairy products
and fermented or pickled foods.
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The signs and symptoms of migraine
headaches vary among patients. Therefore, what a patient experiences
before, during and after an attack can't be defined exactly. The four
phases of a migraine headache attack are common but not necessarily
experienced by all migraine headache sufferers :
- The PRODROME, includes symptoms
experienced by patients, hours or days before the headaches. These may
include irritability, depression, tiredness, yawning, constipation,
stiffness of neck and so on.
- The AURA, immediately precedes the
headache. The symptoms may include foggy vision, colored vision, bright
lines in front of the eyes, sensation of pins or numbness on body,
vertigo, loss of smelling power, nausea / vomiting and photophobia.
- The PAIN phase, also known as HEADACHE
phase : Usually the headache is in one half of the body. It increases
gradually and lasts from 4 to 72 hours. However the intensity, duration
and frequency of pain varies from person to person. The headache can be
accompanied by nausea, vomiting, vertigo, pallor of face, loss of
appetite, sensitivity to smells, noise and light and so on.
- The POSTDROME phase, the symptoms
occuring after an attack of migraine. These include mood changes,
depression, tiredness, lethargy, loss of appetite and so on.
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The International Headache Society defines
the intensity of pain on a verbal 4 point scale :-
Number |
Name |
Annotation |
0 |
No pain |
1 |
Mild pain |
Does not interfere with usual activities |
2 |
Moderate pain |
Inhibits but does not wholly prevent usual
activities |
3 |
Severe pain |
Prevents all activities |
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Migraine headaches are usually
underdiagnosed or misdiagnosed.
The diagnosis of migraine without aura,
according to the International Headache Society, can be made on the
basis of the following criteria, the '5, 4, 3, 2, 1 criteria' :-
- 5 or more attacks.
- 4 hours to 3 days in duration.
- 2 or more of - unilateral location,
pulsating quality, moderate to severe pain, aggravation by or avoidance
of routine physical activity.
- 1 or more accompanying symptoms -
nausea and / or vomiting, photophobia, phonophobia.
For migraine with aura, only two attacks
are required to justify the diagnosis.
POUNDING (P ulsating,
duration of 4 to 72 hO urs, U nilateral,
N ausea, D isabling )
can help diagnose migraine.
If 4 of the 5 criteria are met, then the
positive likelihood of diagnosing the headache as a migraine headache
is very high.
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To rule out possible organic causes of
headaches - for example, an aneurysm, tumor or structural abnormality -
a doctor may employ vision tests, x-rays, a CT scan, a lumbar puncture
or an EEG.
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It is very important for those suffering
from migraines to realize that lifestyle modifications like regular
exercise and reducing stress in their life are very essential in curing
migraine headaches.
Regular exercise can release endorphins,
the body's natural painkilling agents. Exercising may also help to
dilate blood vessels, which increases blood flow and may counteract the
constricting action that occurs at the onset of most migraines.
Identifying trigger factors and avoiding
these factors can be very helpful in controlling the recurrence of
migraine headaches.
Holding an ice pack or a bag of frozen
vegetables against your forehead while soaking your feet in hot water
may stop a migraine headache if done right away.
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In addition to being a major cause of pain
and suffering, recurrent migraine headache attacks are a significant
source of both medical costs and lost productivity. Medical costs per
migraine sufferer averaged USD 107 over 6 months in one 1988 study,
with total costs including lost productivity averaging USD 313. Annual
employer cost of lost productivity due to migraine headaches in the USA
amounted to one billion dollars in 1994, in addition to lost
productivity estimated at 13 to 17 billion dollars per year.
The workplace model of 9 to 5, 5 days a week, may
not be viable for a migraine sufferer. With education and
understanding, an employer could compromise with an employee to create
a workable solution for both.
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