Having recently enjoyed an Indian Head Massage, using a Christmas gift voucher from my son, I asked holistic therapist, Pauline McKittrick, from Really Good Life, for her thoughts on how Indian Head Massage could help migraine sufferers. Read her comments below. (And as a personal aside, I can vouch for the fact that my massage was an absolutely blissful experience!!)

Here’s Pauline, on “Indian Head Massage”:

Pauline McKittrick, Holistic Therapist. Really Good Life, Formby, Liverpool (UK)

I wanted to comment on how one of the therapies I regularly use with clients (Indian head massage) can support the prevention of migraines.

The Hindi word for head massage is champi or champisage, which is where the word “shampoo” comes from.

Families and barbers in India routinely used champi for over 4,000 years. The massage works on arms, shoulders, upper back, neck, scalp, eyes, ears and face and typically lasts between 20-45 minutes. A good therapist will tailor it to the client’s preference.

Clients are left with a sense of utter well-being, with tensions in the upper body, neck and head alleviated and a clear, calm frame of mind.

For migraine sufferers the main benefits are in the prevention of migraine attacks.

There is often a correlation between migraine attacks occurring and tension in the upper body, stress and anxiety, reduced blood flow to the brain, and disturbed sleep – all of which can be alleviated by Indian head massage.

Clinical trials on patients suffering with migraine showed an increase in serotonin levels following massage.  Serotonin is a neurotransmitter found in the brain that is important in reducing pain. It could be deduced that a relaxing massage can therefore help reduce migraine frequency and levels of pain.

Tension often reduces blood flow to the brain, which can cause neck muscles to tighten. Massage combats this, promoting blood flow and relaxing the neck. Massage also releases natural endorphins that reduce pain and promote a feel-good factor. The pulse is also lowered and breathing slows during massage, calming the body and mind.

I would not advise attempting to alleviate symptoms with Indian head massage during a migraine attack to  as the massage can be too deep.

Perhaps some gentle self massage may feel beneficial instead – using acupressure with thumbs gently in the hollows between the neck muscles below the base of the skull. Or try gently leaning your head back, breathing deeply while pressing between your thumb and forefinger with the thumb and index finger of your opposite hand for one minute, and repeat with the other hand.

Drinking lots of water is important after massage treatments, and also avoid tea and coffee for the rest of the day. This is often a trigger for migraine sufferers anyway.

Migraine prevention is, of course, better than cure. Massage isn’t capable of curing a serious illness like migraine – but it can provide welcome relief from the symptoms of anxiety, tension, depression, sleep problems and stress, as well as back pain, headache, muscle pain and some forms of chronic pain.

If, on reflection, you are feeling routinely stressed and think that this may be triggering your migraine attacks perhaps it would be helpful for you to find out more about stress management techniques or stress coaching, in order to change the situation that’s causing the stress in the long-term.

I hope this information is useful and if you try an Indian head massage, or some of my self-help tips, it will help promote your well-being and reduce the occurrence or severity of your migraines.

Please contact Pauline with any comments or questions.

Although migraine is a neurological condition, I’m sure most people here would readily acknowledge that diet plays a strong part.

My ebook discusses the link between migraine and the neuro-transmitter serotonin, which many now accept; but what surprised me recently was to read that over 90% of the body’s serotonin is  made in the gut.

For the academically minded, the book The Second Brain by Michael Gershon will be interesting; be advised, though, it has been reviewed as a book for the scientifically minded rather than the lay-person.

Applying the principals of good diet, it stands to reason that a poorly nourished body will not perform optimally, and without good digestion you cannot be well-nourished. You are not just what you eat, but what you digest and assimilate. At the simplest level, if your body does not correctly process the food you have eaten it cannot do its job.

So it was interesting to come across an eating plan that claims to improve your digestion, and is simple to follow.  Here’s a review of the plan. It’s not specifically targeted at migraine sufferers, but the review refers to reduction and even cessation of headaches.