Ayurveda Article - Zap That Headache Effectively

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ZAP THAT VATA HEADACHE

 

 

Ah! That shooting pain, that dull ache inside your skull. Headaches

make one cry out for quick relief; and with extra-strength analgesics

available round the clock and around the corner, help is indeed close

at hand.

 

Ayurvedic physicians, however, compare headache management to

fighting a fire. Here is the analogy: a headache is like a fire

alarm. It is a signal that something is wrong. Would you simply

destroy the alarm instead of trying to detect the source of the fire?

Of course not.

 

But when you pop a painkiller, you are actually trying to quieten

your body's distress signals, instead of discovering and addressing

the underlying imbalance.

 

Reputed ayurvedic physician Vaidya Ramakant Mishra suggests you take

a closer look at your dosha imbalances the next time a headache hits.

 

Many a time, the culprit is a vitiated Vata-the most dominant and

restless of the three doshas.

 

How Vata Headaches Happen

 

Vaidya Mishra lists several factors that can cause Vata to go out of

balance. Some of them are:

 

* Not sleeping well

* Not eating foods that nurture the brain

* Eating very dry or cold foods

* Eating leftovers or junk foods

* Keeping an irregular routine of meals and sleep

* Overexposure to cool, dry air

* Excessive reading, television watching or stressing at work

* Excessive air travel

 

Especially affected by these irregularities are two Vata sub-doshas:

Apana Vata and Prana Vata.

 

Apana Vata, says Vaidya Mishra, can be called the foundation of all

other Vata sub-doshas. When this sub-dosha is disturbed, it creates

pressure on the other sub-doshas. Apana Vata is disturbed when you

eat very dry foods, like air-popped corn; or when you skip meals or

eat later in the day than you should. Sitting in the same position

for a long time is also a factor that throws Apana Vata out of

balance.

 

Prana Vata is the ruling sub-dosha of Vata. And the head is the

adhishthan or seat of Prana Vata. An out-of-balance Prana Vata

creates maladies like constipation, which in turn give rise to

headaches. On the other hand, headaches can also result in Vata-

related digestive problems like constipation. All these problems

occur when there is a basic problem in the way you are eating,

sleeping or working.

 

Other Vata sub-doshas also should not be ignored when considering

headache-causing factors. Samana Vata, which governs movement of food

through the digestive tract, can also cause headaches. This happens,

for example, when a person suffers from gas, which travels up the

chest and rises to give you a throbbing headache.

 

Solutions for Vata Headaches

 

The next time you have a headache, Vaidya Mishra recommends you do a

mental scan to check for the factors responsible. He calls it Nidaan

Parivarjan-scoping out the problem. Ask yourself how much of your

brain's capacity you are using. Are you stressing too much? Sleeping

badly? Worrying or fretting a lot?

 

Next, check your diet patterns. The health of your Vata dosha depends

to a great extent on the kind of food you eat and the regularity with

which you stick to your mealtimes. Vata is appeased when you eat

brain-nourishing foods like soaked walnuts, soaked almonds, soaked

pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds. Especially in the context of

headaches, foods that nourish the brain are very healing. In general,

your food should be warm and unctuous. For example, people who are

dominated by Vata dosha can find plain steamed vegetables too drying.

They will feel better when their vegetables and lentils are cooked

with a healthy fat such as ghee or olive oil. Further, to keep Vata

balanced, include light squashes in your diet. Take fibrous foods.

Eating pomegranate soothes Vata, too.

 

Also very helpful is Worry Free Tea: the herbs in this beverage are

very relaxing to mind, body and spirit. If you dilute one or two tea-

bag in one quart of water, and then sip the water through the day,

you'll find it yields even more of a relaxing effect, says Vaidya

Mishra.

 

Massage is another excellent therapy. The simplest way to get relief

is to press the back of your neck and your shoulders with your

fingers. This relaxes tense muscles. You can also request a friend or

co-worker to do this for you. Breathe deep while doing this gentle

neck-kneading, says Vaidya Mishra. Even if you don't have a headache,

a quick five-minute neck massage can take the edge off your stressful

day. Be it over-stimulation from long hours at work, or jet lag-

you'll find this a good therapy to work into your day.

 

Massage using Maharishi Ayurveda therapeutic massage oils is also

extremely beneficial. A gentle head/scalp massage comes with a range

of benefits that includes enhanced circulation and relaxation of

nerves and muscles. For head massage, Vaidya Mishra recommends

Relaxation Oil. Even better, treat your entire body to a warm,

soothing massage. For full body massage, he suggests combining equal

amounts of Relaxation Oil and Youthful Skin Oil for maximum power.

This combination, he says, gives you the benefit of Vata-pacifying

herbs from both oils.

 

If you experience constipation, then besides following Vaidya

Mishra's dietary advice, you'll benefit from taking Herbal Di-Gest

and Amla- Berry. The herbs in these formulations regulate the

metabolism, decrease toxins, and thus make you feel healthier in

every way.

 

Basically, it helps to follow the rhythms of nature and do everything

in moderation-too much or too little of almost everything can cause

Vata to go out of balance.

 

If your headaches are chronic and recurrent in nature, you should

schedule an appointment with a good ayurvedic physician in your area,

who will take your pulse and design an individualized program for

restoring balance.

 

 

 

Note : This ayurvedic information is educational and is not intended

to replace standard medical care or advice.

Copyright MAPI, 2002.

 

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