Migraine painkillers cause more seizures

Migraine: Painkillers cause more frequent seizures: Chinese medicine helps with bamboo

09/10/2014

The temptation to slip into the role of the doctor in a migraine attack and to treat themselves with painkillers is great: visual disturbances, nausea, freezing and numbness are especially difficult to bear, especially in combination with pounding pain. But the pain also has a function - at least that's what Chinese medicine looks like. If the symptom of pain is suppressed, the migraine often returns faster. The intervals between the attacks are shortened - completely independent of the drug used. Even Chinese Arnzeien, which act exclusively on the acute headache, evoke the same phenomenon. The only solution from the point of view of Chinese medicine is a drug withdrawal and a causal therapy.

„Today we assume that a migraine attack releases a kind of tension, which builds up again until the next attack“, describes Dr. Christian Schmincke, TCM expert and head of the clinic at the Steigerwald. „If this course is stopped by the early intake of acutely effective drugs, the next attack comes earlier than in the untreated case.“ Suppressing the migraine leaves an unfinished remnant, so to speak, there remains a kind of pent-up demand, which causes the next attack earlier. This can even lead to the extent that the attack is triggered solely by the fall in the drug level. It is not uncommon for patients to develop drug dependence over time. Therefore, the first step in therapy according to Chinese principles is drug withdrawal. This measure also corresponds to the cause-oriented treatment model: „To cure a disease, it does not help if symptoms are suppressed“, says Dr. Schmincke. „Rather, the symptoms lead the therapist to the roots of the disease.“

In therapy, TCM experts rely on Chinese drug therapy. Patients take herbs, tubers and roots daily in the form of decoctions, which the physicians create individually for each patient and adjust the formulations daily. In migraine and headache patients, these initially often include medicinal herbs to relieve blockages between the abdomen and head, which are considered a common cause of migraine. In addition, special acute recipes with bamboo help to survive the pain attacks well. „However, they reduce the pain less radically, but they work longer and do not hinder the cause of the problem“, explains Dr. Schmincke. Acupuncture and moxibustion also help with the attacks of pain. Qi Gong, a system of gentle, slow movement exercises, has a calming and invigorating effect on headache patients and thus also contributes to successful therapy. Healthy nutrition and tension-releasing body therapies complete the concept. Further information at www.tcmklinik.de
Tip: Lavender headbands for migraine
Lavender headbands for external use help by counteracting an antispasmodic and relaxing headache. Fill a cotton bag with lavender flowers and drizzle it with some lavender essential oil from the pharmacy. If cold is a good headache, place the bag in the freezer for about an hour. Otherwise use at room temperature. Fix the bag where it is most comfortable and the pain most acute. (Pm)