I had a good chat with a Paediatric Neurologist last night about head aches and migraines. His management of patients was refreshingly holistic. He seemed to favour explanation and lifestyle changes over heavy medications being prescribed in the first instance. The following tips would be given by physiotherapists to patients and they seem like common sense but if followed this should mean heavy cocktails of medications can be avoided.
*Are your kids getting enough sleep? *Are they drinking enough water? *Are they using screens excessively throughout the day in poor flexed postures? *Are their bed rooms screen free zones? *Are their back packs more than 4-5 kilos? *Are their back pack straps so long the pack is sitting too low and dragging on their necks? *Have they had a recent growth spurt and if so, are they tight through their nervous systems? If so, get them moving in all directions away from sitting. *Are they stressed? Think about down time, mindfulness, movement and exercise as a release.
*Finally, a pearl I really liked was that head aches are like a reminder from your body that something, somewhere is not right. If your car service light comes on you take it for a service to work out where the problem is. The human body should be no different.