Do chocolate and cheese really cause or aggravate migraines? And if so, why? According to Ayurveda (India's 5,00 year old system of natural medicine). All migraines occur due to an imbalance in the doshas, the 3 key body/mind types labelled in Ayurveda as vata, pitta, and kapha.

While migraines can be a manifestation of disturbance in any of the three doshas, they are most commonly due to aggravation of pitta, the hotter energy of the three.

Migraines often occur when the disturbed pitta energy moves through the circulatory system and makes its presence felt by affecting the blood vessels around the brain. These fine blood vessels are caused to dilate by the sharp and penetrating force of aggravated pitta, and this dilation causes pressure on the nerves which leads to the intense pain of a migraine headache.

Chocolate and cheese are both aggravating to pitta dosha, and that is why some migraine sufferers consistently notice a connection with eating these two foods and suffering migraine headaches.

Other foods that aggravate pitta and may increase incidence of migraine headaches are spicy foods, fermented foods, alcohol, sour foods and citrus fruits, and also sugar as it increases acidity in the body.

 

For those who have heard of Ayurveda, the word is often linked to thoughts of spa treatments. Massage, beauty, rejuvenation treatments and detox. While those elements are, or can be, incorporated in Ayurveda, it is not a collection of spa treatments, and it’s purpose is not intended for physical beauty alone.

Ayurveda is an ancient scientific system of medicine which covers all areas of human existence: general health, disease causation and treatment, paediatrics, fertility, toxicology, and psychology.

Ayurveda even has a surgical division dating back thousands of years with anatomical understanding and reconstructive procedures that Western Medicine has only caught up with in the last 2-300 years.

To limit Ayurveda to the realms of the spa is to miss out on it’s vast wealth of information and it’s real life affirming purpose.

Do you dread summer as the season of itching eyes and a streaming nose? Here are some answers from Ayurveda on relief from hayfever symptoms.

Barrier Methods

One Ayurvedic method for dealing with hayfever is to use a natural and inert oil like coconut oil to lubricate and protect the lining of the nose from direct contact with pollen or other airborne irritants. To try this method, wet your finger with some oil and then rub it around the inside of each nostril.

Ayurvedic nasya oil is a specially prepared oil-based formula, that clears congestion and toxins from the head. It can be used morning and night by applying two drops to each nostril.

Have you ever felt thirsty and had dry skin, yet you drink plenty of water? If so, Ayurveda has some easy answers for you on how to quench your thirst at the root.

By the time you feel thirsty, your body is already dehydrated. The unwelcome effects of dehydration include sluggishness, a foggy head, headaches and excess acid in the body.

When you are drinking water, but still feel thirsty it means the deeper tissues of the body are not getting properly hydrated, it literally means that your cells are thirsty!

To get moisture to the deeper tissues of the body Ayurveda recommends boiling water for a few minutes to make it sharper and more penetrating. By heating water and making it sharper it can reach areas that cold water alone can’t.