Research Article
Volume 3 Issue 4
Tridibesh Tripathy*, Shankar Das, Dharmendra Pratap Singh, Umakant Prusty, Madan Mohan Mishra, Jeevan Krushna Pattanaik, Pramod Bihary Pradhan, Anil Dubey, Anjani Kumar, Rakesh Dwivedi and Mohini Gautam
September 01, 2023
DOI : 10.56831/PSMPH-03-090
Abstract
Headache is a universal experience. It is one of the most common complaints in the field of medicine & neurology. The article deals with the issue of ‘headache’ in the field of medical science. It does not consider ‘Migraine’. It hampers the quality of life in all age sections as headaches have multiple reasons. Headaches are a part of everyone’s lives. Most headaches are usually harmless but in some cases they\can be harmful too. The article covers both harmful and harmless headaches that hamper the quality of life. Medical science has not been successful to elicit the cause of each headache and thereafter treatment plans are multiple in nature, confusing and a definite plan has not been deduced.
Ancient references to headache, migraine & neuralgia can be found in the Ebers Papyrus (1200 BC). Evidence of trepanation of 9000 year old Neolithic skulls suggests the first headache treatment. Visual symptoms associated with the headache were described by Hippocrates who lived during 460-370 BC. The father of medicine from Greece on whose name the Hippocratic Oath is taken by the budding doctors across the globe was the first to scientifically elucidate headaches clinically through his observations. That is why Hippocrates is known as the first analytical epidemiologist. Aretaeus provided one of the earliest classifications of headache around 200 AD.
The reader will get an idea of the problem of headache at the global & national level through the eyes of clinical health in the beginning sections before delving in to the Homoeopathic system of the AYUSH platform. Currently, the AYUSH platform has regained its value in the era of the current pandemic. The pandemic has further escalated the issue of headache, further precipitated by the increased stress levels. In the absence of effective therapy in the modern medicine, the article delves into what homoeopathy can offer to deal with headache issues that fulfil the triad criteria of essential medicines as per the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM). The criteria is that these medicines need to be effective clinically, clinically safe and should be without side effects. Thus Homoeopathy is the leading therapeutic system that can deal with headaches and can cover masses while being cost effective [1-3, 17-19].
Brief of the article
The current article looks into the aspects of headache during the life period out of which managing headaches is one of the main challenges.
The article looks into the brief history of public health programs on headache issues in India & the emergence of headache as an issue. As headaches are a cross cutting problem among many health conditions, there is no specific public health program on headaches. However, there are programs like National Programme for Prevention & Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardio Vascular Diseases & Stroke (NPCDCS) & National Mental Health Program (NMHP) that cover both the primary & secondary headaches. These health issues that cover both mental and physical aspects are triggering factors for headaches.
The article now moves on to the current situation of headaches in India & the role of Homoeopathy to deal with these headache disorders therapeutically as a component of Ministry of AYUSH. The article suggests the integration of medical pluralism in headache therapy through inclusion of Homoeopathy in the gamete of physical and mental health conditions that are related to headaches.
As each & every drug in Homoeopathy is only proved on human beings, all the drugs have a mental component as it is only human beings who can express their physical & mental symptoms during proving of the drugs as per the guidelines set by the Homoeopathic Research Councils (HRC) of each nation. In India, Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy, an autonomous body under the ministry of AYUSH lays out such guidelines.
The article gains more relevance during the current COVID 19 pandemic which has precipitated the stress levels of population since March 2020 and most of the adults are more prone to headache disorders during their life stage besides finding it difficult to manage these headaches [14, 15, 18, 19].
Keywords: Headache; Homoeopathic Materia Medica; Constitutional medicine; Nosode; Bach Flower Remedy; Bowel Nosode; Miasms
References