Question:
My eight year old son suffers from migraines. The local hospital advised us to eliminate chocolate, cheese, cola, and yeast extract from their diet. We did this right away, but he still has a headache twice a month. Pain relievers help, but I wonder if cranial osteopathy would be appropriate. She had a traumatic delivery that resulted in a rapid forceps delivery.
Answer:
Migraines generally start around puberty; they are rare in children. I wonder if your child suffers from headaches instead of migraines. Migraine comes from the words “hemi”, which means half, and “crania”, which means skull, which means that migraines are always one-sided. Atypical migraine, which can be very distressing, lasts for more than 24 hours and is accompanied by symptoms including:
* a visual disturbance of the aura that precedes an attack
* a premonition: you know the attack is coming
* sensitivity to light or sound, so much so that you want to shut yourself up
* nausea and vomiting.
Rapid delivery and forceps delivery of your child are the most likely cause of your problem, because the skull is often crushed and the neck is damaged when the baby’s head passes quickly through the birth canal. The forceps can also damage the skull and neck. This results in the vertebrae in the neck becoming misaligned. When that happens, blood flow to the brain is affected because the vertebral arteries, which run through a pair of bony fibrous canals within the vertebrae, become crushed. Neck muscles can also tense up due to stress and strain, and this results in further restriction of blood flow.
Another potential problem concerns the vital supply of glucose and oxygen to the brain. The brain is bathed in cerebrospinal fluid, which circulates glucose and oxygen. The skull contracts and expands about a dozen times per minute to circulate fluid, but tight neck muscles and misaligned skull bones can disrupt this process. The result is that the brain doesn’t get enough glucose and it starts to hurt.
There are several other possible causes of headaches, such as grinding your teeth at night. This traumatizes the jaw joints located in front of the ear and they can be very painful. The pain radiates to the temples and causes a severe headache. Blocked sinuses, which do not necessarily imply a runny nose, can also be the trigger. These are generally felt in the front of the head. They are usually worse in the morning and also in the sun.
Other causes include food allergies, dehydration, constipation, low blood pressure, and eye fatigue due to vision problems. I’m sure their doctor had checked them out, and also the unlikely possibility of a brain tumor. Rebound headaches from painkillers are also possible – the brain likes painkillers and creates a headache to get more.
When your child had a checkup with their doctor, I suggest the following general treatment:
* Cranial osteopathy is very helpful.
* Drink at least six glasses of plain, still water a day. between meals.
* Eat fresh, healthy food, preferably organic.
* Avoid citrus fruits, chocolate and sugary foods, cheese, ice cream, sodas, Marmite, canned and fast food.
* Have your child lie on his back, then massage the sides of the neck and shoulders with a little Lifestyle Oil for five minutes every other night before bed. Next, place a flat towel under your head with your hands underneath cupping your head. Now ask him to breathe smoothly and regularly, and gently pull his head away from his shoulders. Gentle traction will ease your headache and help you get a good night’s sleep.
* Check if the sinuses are blocked by pressing the points on the inner edge of the eyebrows. The pain means that the sinuses are congested. Put two drops of Sinus Oil in each nostril at bedtime.
* Check the jaw joints in front of the ear. If they are sensitive, massage regularly.
* Make sure he sleeps on a soft pillow and only spends a little time a day in front of the computer.
* Practice therapeutic yoga with your child, particularly the cobra, semi-bridge and swing poses. These are explained in the Therapeutic Yoga book.