CAUSES OF MIGRAINE IN KARACHIITES AND ITS TREATMENT FROM MUSHROOMS

Fakhsheena Anjum*, Nighat Razvi1, Hina Yasin, Arije Ahmad, Marvi Khan Sherwani, Nimra Rahim Khan and Sidra Arshad

This study was conducted to find the causes of migraine in Karachi, Pakistan and also to assess the efficacy of mushrooms (GANODERMA LUCIDUM therapy) in treatment of migraine. Migraine is an episodic headache that affects the general population. There are lots of factors that cause migraine and may include stress, exposure to light and sounds, anxiety, caffeine reduction etc. Many medicines are used for treating migraine and Ganoderma lucidum, a medicinal fungus belonging to the Polyporaceae family, (known in Japan as REISHI), is now being used in Pakistan for this purpose. It has proved to completely eradicate migraine without side effects. The study was conducted by researchers using a specially designed questionnaire developed from different sources to find the major factors contributing to the occurrence of migraine. About 220 questionnaires were filled by the subjects from March to May 2012. Regarding the treatment using mushrooms (ganotherapy), about 66 cases of migrainuers were studied by the researchers who were treated at DXN International Clinic, Karachi, Pakistan. Results recorded were calculated statistically. People having migraine may experience different types of symptoms and they may belong to different age groups. The most frequent aggravating factors reported by migrainuers were stress 50.90% (n=112), sunlight 48.18% (n=106) and loud noise 45.5% (n=100). The relieving factors for migraine reported by most of the migrainuers were rest/sleep 61.8% (n=136), dark/quiet environment 39.54% (n=87) and various medications used 24.09% (n=53). Ganotherapy (treatment with Ganoderma lucidum) can prove to be very helpful in treating migraines with almost no side effects. According to the cases studied after ganotherapy, 93.99 % persons (n=62) had relief after taking the product among which 83.18% (n=54) of the people experienced no side effects and 25.8% persons (n=17) used G. lucidum powder for the treatment of conditions other than migraine as well. Migraine is a common cause of severe, recurring headache; however, it can be effectively treated and sometimes even prevented. A good trigger-management strategy can be a very powerful tool to help manage migraine better. After the survey, it was found that the most common causes of migraine in Karachi were stress, exposure to light, sound, and empty stomach. It was also found that the treatment for migraine through Ganoderma lucidum is very effective and may completely eradicate this condition with almost no side effects in majority of patients who used it.