Non-substance headache remedies

Where the heck is Po? This week (and a week more or so), I'm back in Bangalore to see my boy "A" before I finally head back to NYC.

For some reason, starting from last month, I was getting some really excruciating headaches around this time of the month. Last month, I was with my family in beautiful Redang Island so I thought this headache must've been caused by the heat and overexcitement of being around the pearly white sandy beach and crystal clear blue water. I found out this month, it's probably due to some hormonal changes.

After taking 5-6 pills a day with little relief, I gave up on paracetamol and gave in to my dad's nag. My family has this traditional remedy call "pau sa" where you scrape the skin on your back with a porcelain spoon and salt water when you suspect your body have too much "heat". Excess "heat" in the body is believed to cause fever, headache, etc, so scrapping your skin till it becomes swollen and red will release the "heat".


Ouch.

It doesn't look pretty and hurts like hell. This one here is done with fingers instead of a porcelain spoon. Using your index and middle finger, pinch a good amount of flesh and pull hard. Repeat for 50-100 times until your patient screams like her finger is being cut off. Or with a porcelain spoon, dip into salt water, then scrap the skin on the back over and over until the area turns reddish-black. This hickey-looking scar last for a week and a half. Result of "pau sa": no more headache after a couple of hours.

So this month, not expecting the bad headache would return, I came to Bangalore without bringing a porcelain spoon. Again, after a full day and a half of very painful headache, "A" took me to a spa to get an Indian head massage. It was one of the most awesomest massages ever! Her touches were soft yet strong, gentle yet firm. I was in total bliss. She first parted my hair to apply some olive oil onto my scalp. Then she must've spent at least 45 minutes applying deep, long and careful strokes with her fingers and palms. Result of Indian head massage - instant relief!


Uma, my Indian head masseuse

Ashram, Hennaed Hair and Threading before 30

SPA
What did I do on the weekends that I was "supposed" to be in Malaysia? I overindulge in self-pampering. Last weekend, I got my nails done and a full-body Swedish massage at Spa.ce, a spa on Cunningham Road. Being a massage whore, Spa.ce more than met my expectations. The interior reminded me of 17th century Chinese merchant house and the tranquility and serenity of the place is so pleasing, I almost forgot how pissed I was for not being able to board my plane the night before.

ASHRAM
This weekend, my yoga friend Pritika said she was going to an ashram about an hour outside Bangalore and I shamelessly invited myself. The swami himself was in Bangalore and will be giving kalpataru darshan and since this weekend was supposed to be cosmically special (because the stars are aligned or something), the whole ashram was overcrowded with devotees coming from Tamil Nadu to Kerala. The hall we were in had a capacity of 1000 people but since they won’t turn down anyone (including Pritika and I who were late for the event), the total attendees came up to over 2000! All I could think about was the recent temple stampedes that killed a few hundred people.

No, I didn’t get enlightened nor did I get see any blue snake but two strange things happened. During the earlier session, swami asked us to close our eyes and sit straight and gather all our sorrows, sad emotions and thoughts. He repeated this about fifteen times and out of nowhere, people started to wail. It’s bad enough I can hardly concentrate on picking the right thoughts to gather, I was distracted by the guy sitting next to me who was shaking spastically from crying. Before I know it, tears were trickling down my cheeks.

After the second session, swami would give darshan (blessing) so everyone formed two lines on the sides of the hall. We were given strict instructions (knell on the side of swami, close your eyes, lift your arms and ask swami something. you may also give swami a non-aggressive hug). Pritika and I waited in line for two hours and then realized people were cutting in front of us. So Pritika came up with a brilliant plan; to tell the ladies in front that I have to get on a flight at 1am to Malaysia, which is partially true because I am indeed getting on the flight the following night. I couldn’t stop cracking up (we’re not supposed to talk or laugh) but I felt so guilty for blatantly lying in front of the swami in this very spiritual place just to be blessed by a holy man before I turn 30.

HENNA

The grays on my head are not new. They are not there because of aging nor are they there due to stress. My brother started getting them at the age of 12 and my sister has a few strands as well so it must be hereditary. In any case, in striving to be au naturale, I got my hair hennaed at Ayush. It’s messy and doesn’t smell too pleasant but I’m glad I didn’t have to do this myself. I read about how you should leave the henna mixture on your hair for at last two hours and as a result, you will have “dark and shinny looking” hair. At Ayush, they would ask you to rinse it off after 30 minutes but that’s because they want to attend to the next customer. Knowing this info in advance, I brought a shower cap and was set to walk out of the store with my head covered. I left the mixture on for three hours and as a result, my hair is softer and darker with a hint of auburn color.



THREADING
I can’t leave India till I get threaded at least once. I don’t have much facial hair to begin with but the fine hairs are most time consuming to pluck. On my way home from Ayush, with henna in my hair, for Rs50 (US$1.10), I got my brows and upper lip threaded at Salon Mousse (12th Main, Indira Nagar). It took the beautician 2 long threads, a total of 3 minutes and not a trace of redness on my sensitive skin.

Oily Massage

I could tell you about Ayurveda and how it is the ancient Indian medicine and system but that would be boring and you could look it up on Wikipedia.



I thought after frequently going to the ladies’ room in American gyms, experiencing Japanese onsen (hot spring), and been massaged many, many times, I would get over being embarrassed about being nude in front of a stranger, but no. I asked my masseuse if she has something for me to cover, and she handed me a tiny piece of loincloth.

She started of by pouring oil onto sections of my head and massaging it. Next, I climbed onto a wooden massage bed or table and she worked on my face and yes, she oiled my face. The technique was a little rougher than what I am used to getting from my Chinatown facialist but it was surprisingly relaxing. Next, she worked on sections of my body and eventually towards um, yeah. It felt weirder than having a breast examination by my Gynocologist.

After about 45 mins of slipping and sliding, I was put into a steam bath, which looks to me like a human-size steam container. After that, she took me the bathroom and sat me down on a stool and started pouring warm water on me and this is when I started getting flashbacks of grandma. She stopped after applying some muddy green substance on my back. She told me to put it all over, including my face. She then left the bathroom and I cleaned up. When I was dressed, she finished up by applying put some chocolate powder on my Sahasrara chakra (top of the head). Can’t wait for my next session.