Hypnotherapy can cure your child from migraines

Children too suffer from chronic migraines

Migraines are often associated with stress and other factors that mainly affect adults and therefore many people assume migraines are an adults-only illness. This is untrue since children constitute up to 10 percent of people that suffer from chronic migraines.

The attacks often start between the age of seven and 10 years and get more frequent and intense as the child gets into adolescence and adulthood.

The children experience the same symptoms as the adults i.e.:

• A severely painful and throbbing headache
• Nausea sometimes leading to vomiting
• Sensitivity to light and sound
• Abdominal discomfort
• Blurred vision

In addition to these symptoms, children may also manifest increased irritability, tearing and paleness around the eyes, swollen nasal cavity and increased urination.

Even at their mildest, these symptoms can greatly hamper the child from performing well in school work, social life, or extra-curricular activities.

Correct diagnosis is very important

Diagnosing the illness correctly is important since migraines are not just a type of headache but a distinct illness that requires specialized treatment. In fact, some special types of migraines may not include a headache as one of the symptoms.

Understanding the prevalence of migraines among children whose parents or close relatives suffer from the illness is the first step towards proper diagnosis. Children whose one parent experiences migraines have a 50% chance of experiencing the same. The likelihood increases to almost 75% if both parents have suffer from the illness.

As such, if you suffer from the illness and notice migraine-related symptoms in your children, take them to a doctor for check-up and diagnosis.

Even if you or your partner don’t have migraines, take your child for check-up if they have a headache that persists for weeks despite taking medication.

The doctor will first conduct neurological and physical examinations to ascertain that the headache is not a symptom of a deeper underlying medical condition.

Factors that cause or trigger migraines in children

• Genetics: Children of parents suffering from migraines are more prone to migraines
• Sensitivity to some foods: Some children experience migraines as an allergic to foods such as chocolates, nuts, MSG, artificial sweeteners, caffeinated drinks and cheese
• Psychological factors: children often suffer acute psychological issues such as sadness, depression, stress and anxiety and do not how to handle them. Bottling up these feelings over a long period may lead to migraine attacks.
• Physical stress: stressful situations such as illnesses, fatigue, inadequate sleep, irregular routines, and poor dieting can unsettle the body’s balance leading to migraines.
• Hyperactivity and physical exertion
• Sensory stimuli: Bright and flashing lights, too loud and prolonged noise and sharp irritating smells can trigger bouts of migraine
• Weather changes
• Reaction to some medications
• Dehydration

Treatment and management of migraines in kids

As in adults, there are three medical treatment protocols for migraines in children:

• Pain relieving medication
• Long term pain meds
• Medication and therapy to prevent migraine-related pain and symptoms

The effectiveness of these protocols has been quite disappointing with some medications becoming ineffective after long-term use. Some even turn against the child and become the main cause of the migraines.

The best alternative for the parent is therefore to try and manage the pain naturally. For instance, letting the child sleep for a long time has been proven to reduce and even eliminate the headache.

Also, since most of the trigger factors are environmental, you can control the child’s daily schedule such that it accommodates adequate sleep and rest, proper diet, and minimal stressful situations.

Hypnosis may be the treatment you seek

Studies indicate that migraine attacks are triggered by stress and anxiety in the body and environment.

Hypnotherapy has therefore been suggested and used effectively as an alternative to clinical medication. The hypnotherapist will teach your child to access their subconscious mind which is the source of anxiety and stress.

As the hypnotherapy progresses, the child will learn how to eliminate the stress and cope with unfavourable environmental factors. He or she will also be guided on how to live a healthy lifestyle in order to avoid unnecessary triggers.

Hypnosis is even more effective in children because they are generally imaginative and thus can attain internal peace faster. It is also better than medication because as the child gets better at it, the more effective it is thus can serve them even in their adulthood.