Migraine Headache Treatment With Yoga
Migraine,
a primary headache disorder characterized by recurrent headaches that are
moderate to severe, can be controlled with the help of yoga, feel a group of
medical professionals. The doctors pointed out that around 20 to 30 percent
people suffer from migraines in the country.
What is Migraine?
Typically
a person with migraine will experience pain on one side of his head, which can
last between two hours to two days. During a migraine attack a person usually
becomes extremely sensitive to light and noise, apart from showing other common
symptoms like vomiting, nausea, and pain (that is aggravated during physical
activity) to name a few.
Effect of Yoga
From
the medical perspective it is important to understand that yoga impacts our
brain’s GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) levels, which helps in suppressing
neural activity, and produces a calming effect on the entire body and mind.
Studies
in the past have also revealed that yoga improves memory, concentration, and
mood to a greater degree as compared to those who perform conventional brain
training. By canceling stress-related imbalance in the central nervous system,
yoga can even prevent cognitive decline and migraine to an extent.
Causes of migraine headaches may be categorized under two heads
1) Physical cause and
2) Psychological cause
1) Yoga for migraine headaches due to physical cause:
Yoga
is a multifaceted holistic discipline involving mindfulness and relaxation
techniques, besides physical exercises. In addition to this, it also
complements the standard therapies in patients of neurological diseases like
migraine, radiculopathies, spondylosis, or sleep disorders.
Some
of the asanas that can help in curbing migraine is Setu Bandhasana (Bridge pose), Hastapadasana (standing forward bend), Balasana (child pose) and
Marjariasana (cat stretch).
Yoga helps ease tension headaches by relaxing muscles in your head, back, and neck, boosting circulation to your brain and upper body, and improving your posture. The best time to treat a headache is at the first sign of the pain before the muscles go into spasm.
* For detailed posture of Setu Bandhasana (bridge pose) please click the link
2) Yoga for migraine headaches due to psychological cause:
Yoga
also has a good supplemental role in psychiatric, psychological and stress or
lifestyle-related disorders like anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, et al.
Stress is one of the
commonest factors that trigger a migraine. Relaxation exercises, yoga,
meditation are few non-pharmacological methods which help in the treatment of
migraine. ‘Vinyasa’, for example, stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system,
tends to slow heartbeat, and lowers blood pressure.
Comments