ZAP THAT VATA HEADACHE

[Guest guest]

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 quiet 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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[Guest guest]

>From a kundalini yoga perspective, one of the best exercise sets for apana vata

(which is essentially an accumulation of cold or "yin chi,") is the

set: for unknown cause of sickness.

 

Seva Simran