Migraine is a disorder which is characterized by headache typically on one side and associated with other bodily symptoms like nausea, vomiting, photophobia i.e. irritation from lights, irritation from sounds and in some cases symptoms related to the digestive tract like bloating, flatulence etc. The headache is usually throbbing in nature and sometimes makes the person disabled to perform any routine activities.
Migraine accounts for approximately 14% of the adult population and is the common cause of disability according to the Global Burden of Disease (GBD). Migraine affects females three times more as compared to the males and the reason for which is not very clear.
Causes of Migraine:
The exact cause of the migraine is not known and difficult to identify. There may be more than one causative factors for migraine to set in. Migraines usually manifest in adulthood before 50 years of age. The common causative factors include the following:
- Irregular meal timings
- Long standing indigestion and hyper or hypoacidity
- Mental stress and psychological factors
- Lack of proper sleep
- Infection with Pylori bacteria
- Imbalance in the gut
The Migraine is directly or indirectly related to the brain and is modulated by the Gut-brain axis. The brain is directly connected with the gut in terms of autonomic nervous system and indirectly via chemical components present in the body which play a major role in the whole process of having a migraine headache. The migraine has a multifactorial cause and suggests that it is highly influenced by the gut microbes.
Whenever there is mental stress or emotional disturbances in the body, the brain secretes certain chemicals by releasing a hormone which acts on the adrenal glands and stress hormone (cortisol) is secreted. The cortisol affects the gut by altering the homeostasis (balance) of gut microbiome (healthy intestinal bacteria) and triggers the inflammation and its substances in the blood which activates the neural pathways related to pain in the brain and migraine headache is caused. By this mechanism, it is clear that it is related to the Gut and any changes in the gut, related to its permeability or imbalance in the gut microbes may trigger the inflammation and Migraine can be caused. Thus managing Migraine needs a holistic approach which can be provided by alternative and complementary systems of medicine. Once such a system is Nature cure & Yoga.
Symptoms of Migraine:
- Headache on one side
- Throbbing sensation in the head
- Nausea and vomiting
- Irritation from lights and sounds
- Irritability
- Neck pain and heaviness in the head
- Giddiness is also observed in some
- Gastrointestinal symptoms like Bloating, indigestion and abdominal discomfort are some.
These are the common symptoms which affect most of the people having migraine headaches.
How to Identify that the headache is a migraine headache?
There are other types of headaches which may be confused with migraine headaches. The other types of headache includes tension headaches, sinus headaches, occipital headaches due to vision abnormality etc. These headaches have some features which pertain to that condition. The migraine headache is typically a type of headache which is associated with other symptoms which is called Aura. It includes one sided headache with feelings of nausea, irritability and neck stiffness. The headache in migraine is not sudden and the patient feels that the headache is setting in. This way we can figure out whether the headache is a migraine headache or any other form of headache.
The management of Migraine headache requires a holistic approach which includes lifestyle changes, dietary changes, physical exercises, rest and relaxation and supplementation if necessary.
Let us discuss all these separately.
- Lifestyle changes: Lifestyle changes are the things which are to be followed in day to day activities which influence the health significantly and positively. The necessary lifestyle changes for the treatment of migraine is proper sleep wake cycle. In order to stop the triggering factors of migraine headaches of the patients who already have the problem is to maintain proper sleep wake cycle and ensure that the person is getting a sound sleep. During sleep, the melatonin secretion helps the body for the repair and regeneration works and increases the vital force in the body. Proper sleep also reduces the stress levels and thus indirectly helps to maintain the balance in body physiology.
- Dietary changes: The diet plays a crucial role in the treatment of the disease. As migraine is a gut related disorder, gut balance is a primary concern and a first and the foremost area of concentration. In migraine, probiotics are to be given in the form of supplements and also as dietary intakes. As the gut microbes are directly influenced by the food intake, the food should be soothing to the gut and should be promoting the growth of the healthy Thus, here comes the role of prebiotics and probiotics. These are the food items which either contain the healthy bacteria or promote the growth of the healthy bacteria. As we have discussed in the previous section, whenever there is imbalance in the gut microbes, it triggers change in the intestinal permeability and inflammatory markers in the bloodstream which activates the chemical reaction of migraine headache. Thus maintaining the balance in the gut microbes is very essential for the treatment of migraine.
- Physical exercises: Physical exercises are a part of our living. The human body is made to move and face physical challenges which in the present scenario is getting affected due to a fast paced lifestyle. Physical activity and exercises play a major role in metabolizing the nutrients and immune strengthening. When the body is not physically active, it can get easily affected by the external environment. Thus, physical exercises play a major role in treating multiple health conditions.
- Rest and relaxation: rest and relaxation is equally important as it gives the body time to get healed and rejuvenate itself. During the rest and relaxation, melatonin hormone is active which aids in tissue repair and regeneration. This helps to recover the lost bacteria in the intestines and balances the gut microbes.
- Natural Supplementation: Supplementation plays a major role when the migraine is due to the infection of H. Pylori bacteria. This bacteria has a compensatory mechanism to sustain and survive in the gastric environment. This bacteria causes either atrophy of HCL secreting cells or inflammation in the Gastrin producing In the former, it causes Hypo- secretion of the HCL and in the latter it causes hypersecretion of the HCL (hydrochloric Acid). When these organisms survive and enter the cells of the gut, they cause changes in the permeability of the intestines which in turn affects the balance of gut microbes. This condition is called gut dysbiosis which triggers the inflammation and causes migraine. Thus, supplements which are used in such a condition are probiotics for promoting the growth of good bacteria and to stop the proliferation of H. Pylori bacteria. This is how they work on the root cause and try to eliminate it.
Thus, these are the main treatment areas which are to be focussed upon to cure the condition of Migraine. Nature cure and Yoga focuses on these areas and is one of the effective treatment modalities.as researches have already proved that the drugs given for controlling migraine do not really treat the underlying cause of the migraine which is very well treated through Natural Therapy.