Ayurveda and Migraine
I had a migraine a few days ago.
They are a delightful family heirloom and when I get them, I think particularly of my great grandmother, who suffered for days and weeks at a time with no remedy. And of my grandmother, an only child, whose mother took to her bed and left her alone for long stretches.
I also grew up in a family religion that shunned medicine. I was never entirely comfortable with that path but the skepticism around medicine held. As I matured, I chose a middle way of prevention and wellness in the attempt to avoid having to make a choice that never felt comfortable. I often confront the unease around what are “ok“ ways to care for the body.
My answer is to throw everything at it. I pray. I meditate. I visualize. I breathe. I use folk and herbal remedies. And I take the migraine medication.
A migraine asks for immediate attention. It’s super inconvenient to have to drop whatever I’m doing to nurture my body, and luckily it doesn’t happen often. But I have learned to respond right away, perhaps selfishly, and give myself what I need in the moment. I have learned what exactly my protocol is — which includes western medicine, Ayurveda, and a few quirky rituals. I used to get in bed, bemoan my fate, be in fear, and try to leave my body. I have learned, however, to thank my body calmly for its messages, to breathe and stay grounded and to bring myself back into my body. Migraines are still no fun but they pass more quickly and with less angst.
In Ayurvedic terms, a migraine is a Vata-Pitta imbalance that, for me, is triggered by an emotional disturbance and circadian rhythm disruption that pushes Vata upward and stokes Pitta, causing light sensitivity and pain. My remedies, in addition to pharmaceutical medication (because I have no tolerance for this lasting any longer than it needs to) is an extra dose of magnesium, a ginger capsule or tea, an ice pack on my head, heat on my feet, and mantra and breathwork to help ground Vata back where it belongs.
The recovery is regularity. Equilibrium. A slow pace. And a return to warm, grounding, nourishing food. Putting my feet in the grass.
As in most things, prevention is about listening and honoring the body’s signals. In the acute moment, it is still about listening and honoring the body’s signals. Ideally, balance comes from paying attention and micro-correcting before something like a migraine happens. Sometimes we don’t do that. Sometimes we can’t, or think we can’t. Sometimes we can’t prevent. Sometimes we make choices we don’t want to have to make. It’s ok. We forgive ourselves and come back to balance as best we can.
Do you experience migraine or any other kind of chronic pain? What tools do you reach for? I'd genuinely love to hear from you.
Yours in living intentionally, imperfectly -
Laura
