EFFECTIVE KERALA AYURVEDIC REMEDY FOR MIGRAINE

Migraine is a terrible headache that tends to recur and is often accompanied by a feeling of nausea. The pain is usually felt on one side of the head. One may experience flashing lights, zigzag lines, bright spots, partial loss of vision, or numbness or tingling in the hand, tongue, or side of the face. Moving around may worsen the headache. While no medical tests confirm migraine, the diagnosis is based mainly on the above-mentioned symptoms.

Many scientists think migraine is a vascular disorder caused by a tightening (constriction) and sudden opening (dilation) of the blood vessels in the head, neck, or scalp. Others believe that an abnormal release of neuro-chemicals in the brain, such as serotonin or noradrenaline may cause the throbbing pain of migraine. In Ayurveda, two conditions, known as Ardhaavabheda (meaning literally the unilateral pain) and Anantavaata resemble the classical migraine.

Causes/Triggers

Activities:

· Stress and time pressure, major hassles, major losses, anger, frustration, depression and conflicts

· Excessive relaxation and positive feelings such as excitement

· Smells and fumes, tobacco smoke, light glare or dazzle, weather changes and high altitude

· Onset of puberty in girls, monthly periods, birth control pills, pregnancy, delivery, oestrogen therapy and menopause

· Motion and travel

· Too much, too little or interrupted sleep

· Hunger or fasting

· Excessive activity (especially if you are not in good health)

Food:

· Beer, wine and ‘hot’ liquor

· Caffeine in coffee, tea and cola drinks and some over-the-counter medicines

· Dairy products such as ice-cream, milk, curd, cheese, butter and milk cream

· Fermented foods such as dosa and pickled foods

· Grapes, lemons, bananas, figs, and raisins

· Processed meat

· Chinese food containing Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)

· Saccharin in diet foods or diet drinks

· Onions and beans

· Yeast-containing products, such as fresh breads and doughnuts

· Nuts and peanuts

Drugs:

· Blood vessel dilating drugs such as Nitroglycerine

· Drugs for high blood pressure such as Reserpine, Nifedipine etc.,

· Anti- asthma medications like Aminophylline

· Oestrogen including birth control pills

· Painkillers in general—either overuse or withdrawal from them

Self-Help Guidelines:

• Spread your workload evenly during the day to avoid highs and lows of stress at work or at home
• Do not sleep excessively, especially during holidays
• Do not get too tired
• Eat at regular times, and do not skip meals
• Do not eat or drink anything, you think brings on a headache
• Limit the amount of tea, coffee and painkillers you use
• Watch your posture. Try to keep your neck straight
• Keep your muscles relaxed when you are not physically active
• Restrict your physical activities in hot weather
• Avoid bright or flickering lights, loud noises or strong smells if they trigger headaches for you
• Remember the classic advice; “ati sarvatra varjayeth” or moderation in all things

Treatment plan:

There are three factors which, when used in a synergy, prevent and treatment of migraine. The first is to stop rebounding. The second is to reduce your exposure to avoidable migraine triggers. The third is to take preventive medication.

· Rebounding occurs when you rely on painkillers and other quick fixes for temporary relief. Each time this type of medication wears off, the underlying problem—migraine—is magnified. Rebounding also blocks your ability to respond to the next two steps in preventing migraine: reducing your exposure to avoidable trigger factors and, if necessary, taking preventive medication.

· Reducing exposure to trigger factors is difficult because these factors from many sources are all mixed together at any given moment. This is the reason why people sometimes notice headaches after eating or drinking certain things, such as chocolate or wine, but sometimes don’t get headaches despite exposure to these items. Therefore, it requires observation and patience on the part of the patient to make sure that any addition in the diet does not trigger a headache.

· Preventive treatment pays dividends in the end but can seem to be difficult in the beginning; before it starts working. As a preventive treatment, you may be advised to take specific Ayurvedic medicines. Once adequate headache control is maintained for at least several months, preventive treatment can be liberalized.

· This may mean experimentally adding dietary items, one at a time, gradually reducing the dosage of preventive medication, or eventually, both. In this way, the level of preventive treatment required to maintain long-term headache control can be determined.

· However, in the long run, it’s the elimination of dietary triggers which is a crucial step in preventing migraine.

Home remedies:

• Hold an ice-pack to your forehead or temples to reduce your pain.
• Lie down in a quiet, dark room.
• You could try keeping a migraine diary. Writing down information about your headaches and what you were doing when they happened can help you find out what triggers your headaches. Then you can avoid those triggers.
• Take the juice of Tinospora cordifolia (giloy), in doses of 10 ml with ahoney.
• Apply a paste made of black pepper and rice with the juice of bhringaraaja to the forehead. Alternately, you can apply the paste of sandalwood also.

Ayurvedic remedies:

Though Ayurvedic therapy is popular among migraine sufferers, there are very few reports available on the efficacy and toxicity of these therapies. Moreover, classical physicians treat patients on the basis of presenting symptoms and hence, there is quite a variation in the selection of Ayurvedic medicines by different physicians.

During the last few decades, plants have been increasingly employed as a herbal remedy for migraine treatment and prophylaxis. Most surveys agree that herbal remedies are amongst the most prevalent therapies and that headache/migraine is one of the most frequent reasons for trying plant-derived medications. Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) is often perceived by the public to be more helpful than conventional care for the treatment of headache. Recent studies have indicated that Ayurvedic medicines can be effective in treatment of tension-type headache.

FOR MORE DETAILS ON ‘EFFECTIVE KERALA AYURVEDIC REMEDY FOR MIGRAINE’ KINDLY CALL @ +91 7022109464 OR MAIL TO ‘LSMGURU@GMAIL.COM’ 

EFFECTIVE KERALA AYURVEDIC TREATMENT FOR AUTISM

WHAT IS AUTISM?

Autism is the most common condition in a group of developmental disorders known as Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Autistic children have difficulties with social interaction, display problems with verbal and nonverbal communication, and exhibit repetitive behaviors or narrow, obsessive interests.  The impact of these behaviors may range from mild to disabilities.  Autism varies widely in its severity in symptoms and may go unrecognized, especially in mildly affected children or when more debilitating handicaps cover it.  Scientists are not certain what cause autism, but it is likely that both genetics and environment play a role.

CORE SYMPTOMS

Social interactions and relationships:

Non-verbal communication skills like eye-to-eye gazing, facial expressions and body posture.

Failure to establish friendship with children of their same age.

Lack of interest in sharing joy, interests or achievements with other people. 

Lack of empathy; people with autism may have difficulty in understanding another person's feelings, such as pain or sorrow.

Verbal and nonverbal communication:

Delay in, or lack of, learning to talk. As many as 50% of people with autism are unable to speak. Problems in taking steps to start a conversation. People with autism also have difficulties in continuing a conversation once it starts.

People with Autism often repeat over and over a phrase they have heard previously (echolalia).

Difficulty understanding their listener's perspective. For example, a person with Autism may not understand someone using humor. They may interpret the communication word to word and fail to get the implied meaning.

Limited interests in activities:

An unusual focus on fragments: Younger children with Autism often focus on toys by its part such as wheels of a toy car etc., rather than playing with the entire toy.

Preoccupation with certain topics: For example, elder children and adults with Autism may feel fascinated by train schedules, weather patterns, or license plates.

A need for evenness in routines: For example, a child with Autism may always need to eat bread before salad and insist on driving the same route every day to school.

Stereotyped behaviors: These may include body rocking and hand flapping.

SYMPTOMS DURING CHILDHOOD

Symptoms of Autism are usually noticed in the beginning by parents and other caregivers sometime during the child's first 3 years. Although Autism is present at birth (congenital), signs of the disorder can be difficult to identify or diagnose during infancy. Parents often concerned when their toddler does not like to be held; does not seem interested in playing certain games and does not start speaking. They also may be confused about their child's hearing abilities. It often seems that a child with autism does not hear, but he or she may appear to hear a noise from distant background like a whistle of a train etc.

With early and intensive treatment, most children improve their ability to relate to others, communicate, and help themselves as they grow older. Contrary to popular myths about children with Autism, very few are socially isolated completely or "live in a world of their own."

OTHER SYMPTOMS

Many people with Autism have symptoms similar to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). But these symptoms which have problems especially with social relationships are more severe for people with Autism.

About 10% of people with autism possess some form of special skills such as memorizing lists, calculating calendar dates, drawing, or musical ability.

Many people with Autism have unusual sensory perceptions. For example, they may describe a light touch as painful and deep pressure that provides a calm feeling. Others may not feel pain at all. Some people with Autism have strong food likes and dislikes and unusual preoccupations.

OTHER SUCH CONDITIONS:

Autism which is one of the several types of Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD), also called Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). It is not unusual for Autism to be confused with other PDD, such as Asperger's disorder or syndrome, or to have overlapping symptoms. A similar state is called Pervasive Developmental Disorder (not otherwise specified). PDD - occurs when children display similar behaviors but do not meet the criteria for Autism. It is commonly called just PDD. In addition, other conditions with similar symptoms may also have similarities to or occur with Autism.

WHAT IS THE PROGNOSIS FOR AUTISM?

For many children, Autism symptoms improve with treatment and with aging.

Some children with Autism grow up to lead normal or near-normal lives. Children whose language skills regress early in life, usually before the age of three, appear to be at risk of developing epilepsy or seizure-like brain activity. During adolescence, some children with Autism may become depressed or experience behavioral problems.  Parents of these children should be ready to adjust treatment for their child as needed.

WHAT CAUSES AUTISM ACCORDING TO AYURVEDA?

When his/her mind is afflicted by the predominance of Rajas and Tamas.

When doshas in his/her body are aggravated and vitiated.

When he/she takes food consisting of unwholesome and unclean ingredients mutually contradictory properties, neglecting prescribed dietary rules.

When his/her body is exceedingly depleted.

When he/she is not in proper state of health due to other diseases.

When his/her mind is afflicted over and over again by passion, anger, greed, excitement, fear, attachment, excretion, anxiety and grief.

In the circumstances enumerated above the mind gets seriously affected and the intellect loses its balance. So the doshas aggravated and vitiated enter the cardiac region and obstruct the channels of the mind resulting in Autism (characterized by the perversion of mind, intellect, consciousness, knowledge, memory, desire, manners, behaviors and conduct.)

AYURVEDIC TREATMENT FOR AUTISM:

Oleation, fomentation, emesis, purgation, enema, alleviation therapies, errhines, fumigation, collyrium, nasya, ointment, deletion. Suitable diets should be given according to the requirements of the patient. Such other therapies as would work against the causative factors of the diseases should also be given.

Ayurveda believes that the root cause of Autism is due to poor metabolism (the process of absorption of ingested food from intestine).

FOR MORE DETAILS ON ‘EFFECTIVE KERALA AYURVEDIC TREATMENT FOR AUTISM’ PLEASE MAIL ME WITH DETAILS TO lsmguru@gmail.com OR CALL +91 7022109464 (INDIA)

Panchakarma Procedure - Vamana

Vamana (Ayurvedic therapeutic procedure of vomiting) is the first, under main Panchakarma procedures. 

By the pre-procedures of Panchakarma like snehana and swedana karma, the liquified toxins accumulated in the body are made flown to the koshta through body channels. The impurities collected in the upper stomach and upper part of the small intestine in liquid form is expelled through mouth by way of vomiting in the ‘Vamana’ process of Panchakarma. This is the main treatment to relive kapha related diseases. The main objective of Panchakarma therapy is to remove the toxins and impurities from the body and make it clean. The best treatment for kapha dosha is ‘Vamana’. The stomach is the seat of kapha. If the disease is rooted out from its source itself, there will be complete relief from the disease. ‘Vamana’ helps in maintaining good health for those people suffering from various kapha related ailments as well as for healthy people to prevent and continue their normal life.

After proper snehapanam, swedana is done. Then the person will have rest for one day. After that kaphavardhaka food should be taken for kaphotkleshana. Next day morning after ensuring that the food taken in the previous day has been fully digested, medicine for inducing vomiting should be given on empty stomach. After consuming either milk, sugarcane juice or meat soup, the drugs for vomiting can be given. If vomiting process is done to cure any particular disease, the specific medicine required for the purpose should also be mixed with the medicines used for vomiting. The quantity of vomiting medicine will be decided according to the constitution and the status of doshas in the person.

After consuming the medicine, the person will have to wait for the vomiting sensation to start. If heart burns or presence of excessive saliva in the mouth is observed, then he should induce vomiting by stimulating the throat by his fingers to stimulate bouts. The person has to sit in a stool with the height up to his knee during vomiting. Once the vomiting starts, the doctor or his assistant should gently massage the person’s neck, lower abdomen and back in upward direction. As the impurities come out as the vomitus, the person experiences horripilation. When it reaches the stomach, the abdomen feels bloated and when it is about to be vomited excess saliva is secreted in the mouth and heartburn is felt. One assistant needs to stand behind the person and hold him from sides and forehead, once the process of vomiting begins. After complete vomiting of kapha, when pitta is observed in the vomitus, the person should be fanned and water should be sprinkled on the face. Afterwards the person should be made to have dhoomapana (medicated smoking). The person is asked to lie down and take complete rest. When the patient feels hungry he should be given very light & easily digestable food after a warm bath. The food has to be given in small quantities in the beginning and gradually can be brought back to normal level.

Ayurveda Treatment Approach, Procedure & Duration

Treating a sick person in Ayurveda is very distinctive. Though we are all humans, we are very much unique creations from each other. We all know that our health mainly depend upon the food we eat. There is no common good food for the whole universe.The best kind of food for a person is the food gown in his surroundings or atleast in his state or province. You might have noticed that in a family every one eats the same food and follow the same lifestyle, one may get different health problems when others in the family does’nt. This indicates that the common food in home will act as good for few and it may be the reason for the sickness in others.

      Ayurveda also emphasizes treating a sick person to overcome from his illness in the same way. You cannot buy health neither it can be sold. When some one is born with good health, good eating habits and lifestyle will maintain the health of that person. Health is the way of living knowingly one’s self. Ayurveda advocates the treatments for the person as a whole and not for the sickness. The following steps are followed during the course of treating a person.

Diagnosis

      Ayurveda has its own diagnostic tools to understand a patient’s disease. The basic examination is done by examining eight methods called Astavidha Pareeksha. They are Nadi (examination of pulse), Mala (examination of stools), Mutra (examination of urine), Jihwa (examination of tounge), Shabda (examination of speech), Sparsha (examination by touch), Roopa (examination by seeing) and Druk (examination of eyes).

Detoxification and Avoiding causative factors

      What ever may be the cause which has produced the disease, after diagnosing, the first step is to detoxify the whole body. The detoxification may be depending upon the severeness of the illness like from simple fasting to therapeutic procedures like Panchakarma. When some one is undergoing detoxification procedures it is very essential to make sure that one is indulging in healthy food habits and lifestyle to prevent the accumulation of toxins again. This helps to speed up the recovery process.

Healing the person

      The symptoms are removed by administering suitable classically prepared medicines. There are many variety of medicinal preparations which are explained in the Ayurvedic texts like Kashayas (Decoction), Asavas (fermented liquids), Aristas (fermented liquids), Lehyams (medicated paste), Gulikas and Vati (tablets), Choornas (powders), Ghrutas (ghee preparations), Thaila (medicated oils), Lepas (external applications) etc. The medicines are selected according to the dosha vitiation. Proper dosage and timing are very important to get the desired result.

Regeneration and Restoration

      This is the last stage of treatment where in some cases the body needs regeneration because of the chronic nature of the disease or some time there might be damage to the tissues or cells. The restoration and regenerative procedure will help to regain the normalcy and it will also prevent the re- occurrence of the disease. This process will include certain Ayurvedic treatments usually done after detoxification procedures.

Healing will take its own due course of time depending on how the body responds to each treatments. There are neither shortcuts nor hard and fast system to regain your health naturally.

For more information on 'Ayurvedic Healing' please email me at lsmguru@gmail.com