MIGRAINE IN CHILDREN- PREDICT AND PREVENT

Is your child often missing school? Do you suspect your child is falling sick too often or is making excuses to miss school? Is your child having frequent abdominal pain or  vomiting often? There may be different reasons for falling sick but don t rule out a migraine.

Migraine in children is different from migraine in adults. Children may fall sick with frequent abdominal pain and vomiting, there might not be any headache as adults experience. There might not be any aura too. Only 1 in 5 children experience aura. In most children headache suddenly becomes severe and gets over in about 15-30 minutes.   

The trigger in them is also different. Most kids feel the headache on Monday morning when they get ready to school after a good weekend. The tension of going to school brings on the headache. One important reason can be strict teachers or any fight with friends or any class test.

Signs and symptoms associated with migraine attack can be dizziness, over sensitiveness to light, sound, blurring of vision, loss of energy, tiredness, lack of concentration, car sickness, sluggishness etc.

Diagnosis of migraine is not possible through any tests and investigations. Although doing various scans and tests will help rule out any other health issues. Migraine can be ascertained by the signs and symptoms and family history.  In children migraine is commonly misunderstood to be sinusitis, allergic headache or eye sight problems. So consulting the doctor is advisable before a conclusion is arrived at.

Aura like eyesight disturbance or blurring, tingling and numbness, dizziness, flashing lights or zigzag lines, can also be experienced in few children.

Triggers can include any more than normal physical activity, stress at school, any family problems, fights between parents, emotional disturbance. Other factors like poor sleep, skipping breakfast, eye strain due to over watching on screens like tv or computer, not drinking enough water, some food might cause headache or not eating properly can also cause headache. Other reasons for not being well can also trigger headache like during cold, fever, menses etc.

Triggers are not specific, they can vary in the same child according to the situation and time. For example, same trigger might not cause headache always. It depends on the situation, time, intensity of exposure, mental state of the child

What should parents really worry about?

Child being sick of course worries the parents. But more than being an anxious parent, be a supportive and reassuring parent. Help your child in overcoming the situation and face it bravely. Being just a child he/she might be frightened or might feel frustrated at being treated differently always. So always be at their side. Here are few things that you can do.

1. Help your child identify the triggering factors and learn to predict what can cause a headache or know as to when a headache can come.
2. Keep a record of the time and frequency of the attack, severity of the attack.
3. Encourage your child to manage the condition on their own as they become more confident if they do their things on their own
4. Speak to your child’s teacher about their condition so they can also help your child at school
5. Give them proper food, never encourage to miss breakfast, assure that they have good sleep and drink enough water
6. If any situation at home is worrying the child, then stop discussing it in front of him and make home a better place to live.
7. Teach your child a few relaxation techniques. Encourage them in activities they like and help them relax. Meditation and yoga, few exercises on routine basis also helps them.
8. Plan out a routine for them which is migraine friendly
9. Make them understand that doing all this can only reduce the frequency or intensity of the attack and that they cannot be free from it completely
10. Help them morally to catch up the missed school work and don’t assess them on their marks they score in their exams.

Treatment can be done on your own by following the above points and helping your child control the headache. In severe cases pain killers may be advised. Taking your child to a homeopathic doctor can help treat your child constitutionally and reduce the adverse effects.