Homoeopathic medicines for migraine

Migraine is a form of headache. The pain is of pulsating, bursting, throbbing type. It may occur on one side of the head or on the whole head. It is usually accompanied with nausea, vomiting and sensitivity to light and sound. Pain may last for a few hours to 3 days. The pain may be so severe that it may interfere with daily activities. A migraine headache begins with a dull pain and then becomes throbbing. The pain gets worse during physical activity. Migraine headaches are usually periodical, for some they may occur every few days, while for others they may occur once or twice in a year. Migraine is two to three times more common in women than men. The headache is usually preceded by prodromal or aura phase which includes irritability, moodiness, yawning, difficulty concentrating and certain food cravings. These are warning signs and allow you to take medicine. If medicine is taken at this stage, the headache settles down and does not progress. Then comes the headache phase, which is characterised by pain on one or both sides of the head, along with nausea, vomiting and sensitivity to light and noise. The last is the postdromal phase charactersied by extreme fatigue and tiredness.

Causes and triggers: Exact cause of migraine is not known. But genetics and environment play a major role. Migraine often runs in families, so there is a hereditary link. Possible triggers factors may be environmental, hormonal, emotional, dietary or physical. Possible environmental factors are bright lights of glittering objects such as television or computer screen, loud noises or strong smells of perfumes. Some women experience migraine 2 to 3 days before menses, because of the change in hormonal level. Also, some experience at the menopausal period. Emotional triggers which may trigger migraine are stress, anxiety, and other emotional states. Migraine can also be triggered by not eating on time, or certain foods such as cheese, onion, nuts. Physical factors include not getting enough sleep, very heavy exercise, neck pain or tiredness, low blood sugar level.

Homoeopathic medicines for migraine:

Belladonna: Throbbing type of headache, right sided, worse light, noise, jar, lying down and in afternoon. Headache associated with red, hot skin; flushed face; restless sleep; dryness of mouth and throat.

Bryonia alba: Bursting, splitting headache; as if hit by a hammer from within. Headache worse on motion, even of eyeballs, from stooping.

Glonoinum: Headache in climacteric or due to menstrual suppression. Headache in place of menses. Sun headache; increases and decreases with the sun.

Lycopodium: Headache from not eating on time. Headache, worse from 4 to 8 p.m; along with gastric symtoms and craving for sweet things.

Natrum muriaticum: Throbbing headache, as if a thousand little hammers were knocking on the brain, in the morning on awakening, after menstruation from sunrise to sunset; attended with nausea and vomiting. Headache from eyestrain.

Nux vomica: Headache from loss of sleep due to working for late hours. Irritable persons, who have led a sedentary life and who do a lot of mental work.

Sanguinaria: Headache at climacteric, every seventh day. Right sided headache. Periodical sick headache, begins in the occiput and settles over the right eye.