Alternative migraine treatment

It was dispiriting, though not surprising, to read in The Jakarta Post (June 26) that the "migraine market" is not worth more than one billion dollars to drug companies. There are several reasons for concern.

First, the drug companies are competing to find another magic way to ease the symptoms, not a method to eliminate the cause of migraine.

Second, they are appealing to a public still reluctant to take personal responsibility for a health problem, preferring instead to wait for a "cure" from an outside source.

Third, this conditioned apathy tacitly endorses the drug/medical industries' control over our lives and our health while they make a huge profit.

Little wonder, as the writer noted, that "posters detailing alternative treatments... were tucked away into a remote corner of the conference center" (8th Congress of the International Headache Society in Amsterdam). Doubtless this is because many alternative practices/therapies can help patients for a fraction of the cost of drug therapy while at the same time teaching them how to take active, effective responsibility for their health into their own hands.

In my fairly considerable experience in treating chronic and occasional migraine, the cause (which needs to be established if a solution is to be found) invariably can be traced back to a malfunction of the digestive system resulting in elimination problems (constipation, nervous/irritable bowel syndrome, colitis etc.) and/or erratic blood sugar levels and/or poor nutrient absorption. The causes of such malfunction can usually be found in poor eating habits, and chronic tension. The causes of tension can be as many and as varied as migraine sufferers themselves but are often the result of suppressed emotions, most commonly anger, resentment and anxiety.

I have found that when a pattern of cause and effect is explained to migraine sufferers and they are guided into correct nutrition, exercise and relaxation programs, plus counseling to help process emotional problems, results are usually swift and lasting. I emphasize that all these procedures can be carried out without any drug therapy, as long as the patient is willing to take responsibility for him/herself.

Until each one of us accepts and understands that our health is a natural birthright and depends absolutely on the quality of our relationship with ourselves, the drug companies will continue to make millions from our discomfort -- and we will continue to get sick and stay sick.

NURHUDA

Jakarta