Migraines in Children – What are the Best Natural Remedies?

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Does your kid suffer from migraine attacks? Will taking your child to a migraine chiropractor help? What can you do to help your child feel better? As a parent, these may be some of the common questions you have when you realize that your kid suffers from migraines. As it turns out, pediatric migraine has an overall prevalence rate of 9.1 percent. It’s also one of the leading reasons for pediatric neurologist visits. Unfortunately, most kids and teens who experience migraines earlier in life also suffer from the same issue when they grow older. 

In our short discussion below, we will explore a bit more on migraines in children. We will tackle how you can recognize the main symptoms and what natural remedies you can try to help your kid experience relief. 

 

Recognizing Signs of Pediatric Migraines

Most of the time, people confuse migraines with ordinary headaches. You shouldn’t make the same mistake, especially when it comes to your kid. Please take note that while most migraine cases come with headaches, it doesn’t mean that it’s the only symptom you should look out for. Besides throbbing sensation on the head, you should also check if your child experiences other signs such as: 

  • Vomiting and nausea 
  • Vertigo or lightheadedness 
  • Light, sound, or smell sensitivity
  • Mood changes 
  • Sudden loss of appetite
  • Pale skin color
  • Abdominal discomfort or pain 

If you suspect that your child indeed suffers from migraine episodes, you should seek the help of a migraine chiropractor near you.

 

How Migraines in Children Can Cause Massive Problems

Pediatric migraines can affect toddlers, teens, and adolescents in various ways. For starters, besides the physical symptoms, you should also note your child’s behavior. Typically, when a younger child or teenager suffers from an episode, he/she might feel anxious or depressed. It can significantly affect your child’s ability to engage with people and enjoy usual activities at home and even school. 

If your child’s active in sports or other extracurricular activities, you might notice declining interest as their migraine attacks recur more often. Because of the throbbing pain and other neurological problems that come with migraine attacks, your child might even have to miss school for several days.  

You might also have to deal with a more challenging situation if your kid can’t express what he feels. This is quite a severe problem among parents with toddlers who suffer from frequent migraine episodes.  When this happens, they could become withdrawn every time they have an attack. It could cause them to feel anxious as they wait for another episode to occur. 

Besides the symptoms listed above, you might also notice additional problems when the migraine attacks get worst:

  • Sleeping difficulties 
  • Cognitive problems (trouble concentrating or thinking) 
  • Extreme fatigue
  • Irritability
  • Neck pain

 

Natural Remedies for Migraines in Children

Like in migraines in adults, dealing with migraine attacks in children also comes with so many challenges. For starters, diagnosis can be quite tricky. That’s why as we’ve mentioned earlier, if you see any of the signs we listed above, you should seek assistance for your child right away. This will help you determine the best approach to use. 

You can certainly try various natural remedies and see what provides the most relief for your ailing child. Below are a couple of options you can explore:

Essential oils for migraine

Certain essential oils extracted from plants like peppermint, rosemary, chamomile, and lavender have a calming effect on the body. These may come in handy when helping your child relax during an episode. You can apply small amounts of the essential oil combined with carrier oils like sunflower oil on your child’s temples.

Skipping trigger foods

Migraine food triggers tend to vary in each person. Suppose you notice that your child tends to react adversely after eating common migraine triggers such as nitrate-containing products (cured meat, hotdogs, canned goods), citrus, caffeinated drinks (hot cocoa and coffee), and aged cheeses. In that case, you should note it in a journal. Make sure to reduce or eliminate these items from your kid’s diet. 

Making sure your child gets enough sleep

Migraine attacks can get worse if your child doesn’t get enough rest at night. That’s why, as much as possible, you should keep track of your kid’s sleeping habits and implement necessary adjustments to improve his quality of sleep. Some of the things you can try include establishing a well-defined sleeping schedule and keeping your kid away from mobile gadgets and the computer screen before bedtime.

Going to a migraine chiropractor

NUCCA upper cervical chiropractic has gained traction as an effective migraine remedy for years. That’s because it aims to correct a potential root cause of migraines – a misaligned spine. Kids are often at risk of injuries because of sports and other activities. Having your child’s spinal alignment checked and restored to its neutral form may provide long-term relief.

 

Find a Migraine Chiropractor Near You Today

Natural remedies like essential oils, avoiding trigger foods, and getting enough sleep may or may not work for some children. If they don’t provide you with the results you need, you can keep on exploring the NUCCA procedure. It’s a natural and scientific-based approach that aims to get to the bottom of the problem.

Help your kids enjoy the activities he loves the most by trying NUCCA method to manage migraine symptoms. With the help of a migraine chiropractor, you can restore the spine’s proper alignment and potentially reduce a migraine attack’s debilitating effects. 

Find a NUCCA doctor near your location today!

 

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