Children and Headaches

When you think about someone having a headache, you probably think of an adult. However, an increasing number of children experience chronic headaches. Chiropractic has an enviable record of locating and treating the causes of most headaches, including for children. As a parent looking for a non-drug approach to helping their children suffering with recurring headaches and Migraines needs to fully evaluate this option for their children.

The National Headache Foundation in the USA estimates 60 percent of all children suffer from occasional headaches. The majority of school-age children get headaches, and many have headaches on a recurrent basis. Even before entering school, roughly one-third of children experience a headache at some point. Children miss more than one million days of school each year because of headaches. Recurrent pediatric headache is a common disorder that may affect half of the population but without Chiropractic, the solution is to test, more tests and drugs are always prescribed.

A study published in the British Medical Journal (2001, May 12) showed that children who experience frequent headaches are more likely to develop health problems in adulthood, including psychiatric disorders.  The findings follow a survey of a random study group over 40 years and could have implications for the health of today’s children and their future wellbeing. The research team found that children with frequent headaches were more likely to experience psychosocial problems and to grow up with an excess of both headache and other physical and psychiatric symptoms. These findings confirm that children with headaches do not simply “grow out” of their physical complaint, but may instead “grow into” others, say the authors.

(PEDIATRICS, Vol 112 #1 July 2003 p. 1-5) Children with frequent headaches may suffer more in some respects than children with more physically devastating conditions like cancer and arthritis, according to a new study. Researchers found headaches can affect children’s emotional development and school performance more than some other serious health problems. The fact that the impact of these headaches is at least equal to that of childhood illnesses often considered more severe and debilitating suggests that physicians should place more emphasis on their recognition, diagnosis and effective treatment.” The children with headaches were adversely affected in all areas of functioning, including school performance, emotional development, and physical health. In particular, children with migraines reported a higher level of impairment in school and emotional functioning than children with other chronic diseases.

Yours in Health,
docMIKE