Headache

Headache affects people of all ages, occupation, caste, creed and race. It has become a part and parcel of one’s daily life. Headaches can be due to emotional disorders, head injuries, migraine, fever intracranial vascular disorders, dental diseases, diseases of the eyes, ears or nose or even sinuses. However, a majority of the headaches are due to modernization and a changed lifestyle, and habits such as an improper diet, tension, stress, sedentary lifestyle, smoking, alcohol, stimulants such as coffee and tea. Headaches in fact are a distress signal sent up by the body indicating that all is not well with the system. In fact, many headache sufferers do not think so and try to suppress it with analgesics while continuing with unhealthy lifestyle, resulting in the manifestation of another bout of headache soon.

Most people experience headache as a sort of ‘pain in the head’ which is actually due to congestion in the blood vessels which press the nerve endings present in the skull region. Depending on the cause, headaches are classified as tension headaches, toxemic headaches, congestive headaches, sinus headaches, postural headaches, cluster headaches and one sided headache otherwise known as migraine.

Treatment

• Since constipation is the root cause of most of the simple forms of headaches, treat constipation.
• Take warm water enema.
• Do Kunjal Kriya (vomiting) to cleanse the upper gastric region so that pressure is relieved.
• A gentle head, neck and trapizius region massage followed by cold trauma and pack provides relief.
• Hot foot bath diverting blood to lower limbs relieves congestive headaches.
• Exposing face to steam draws blood to the periphery, relieving headache.
• Prolonged warm immersion baths provide relief.
• Steam baths help in removing toxins by sweat, and provide relief for some of the headaches.
• Ice cold compress or a cold compress once an hour kept on the forehead relieves headache due to fever by bringing down the temperature.
• Ice massage to head and spine relieves headache due to high blood pressure.
• Cold or neutral spinal bath taken regularly have tonic effect on the nervous system and help in preventing onset of headache.
• Regular practice of yogasanas, kriyas, pranayama plays a great role in relieving headaches and also preventing it. Yoganidra and shavasana which provide a deep sense of relaxation to the mind are also beneficial if practiced regularly.