6-Yr-old Girl with Headaches

I have a friend that has had good results with nutrition. It is called Reliv nutrition. It is a power you make a shake out of and just drink it down. It has help lots of people from the womb to the tomb.
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Hi M., I have a friend who is allergic to MSG, and when she knows she's going to eat somewhere that uses it, she takes Tylenol ahead of time, to get ahead of the headache. MSG will definitely cause headaches, and the Tylenol really works on them. I hope this helps. Carla D

I have a suggestion. Try having her tested for hypoglycemia. My oldest daughter was not diagnoised until she was 12. But had headaches from about 3 years old on. She was not a picky eater but we found that if she did not get enough protein that she would get mild to really bad headaches. We discovered when this happened if we gave her orange soda and cheese or peanut butter crackers that it went away fairly quickly. I am no doctor but I went through this with JuliAna and we were able to finally get a grip on it. She is now in college and sometimes has problems but knows what to do quickly to resolve them.
Hope this helps,
K. Tredway

I have a 5 year old daughter that suffers with headaches. They were so severe that there would be times that she would stay in her bed for the whole day. She quit dance class because of the headaches and we have problems with her in PE class at school. I would have to go to her school at least once a week to give her something for the headaches. I took her to the eywe doctor thinking that she has some vision problems, but everything turned ou OK.I took her to the doctor and after he did a neurological test on her he decided that she suffers from childhood migranes. He put her on a prescription for 6 months to see if this helped. He told me to cut back giving her tylenol because she could become amune to it. She is now off the medicine and is getting her headaches back. Her father also suffers from migranes. The doctor told me that she ould out grow the headaches. dIt helps her to drink ice cold water.

All my boys have had those and migraines...they run in the family...Sometimes it's caused by stress..you wouldn't think some things are stessful but to a child...you never know! And it sounds simple..stress? No it's the hardest kind to get rid of..I tell you what helped us..A old remedy...Make a ice pack and put it on head and also cold washcloth on forehead and covering eyes...lay back and rest..that always helped us!

hello M. i have 3 children 5 4 and 2 my 5 year onld also complaines of headaches eveyday too at first i thought it was for attention because i have another one on the way due in 5 weeks and ive been complaining of headaches, backaches, leg cramps, and so on. but i have come to the conclusion that her head realy does hurt her so along with giving her a vitiman everyday i also give her a chewable tylonol and a banana with her breakfast. that has seemed to work now for about 3 weeks. maybe they dont have enough potasiaem? not for sure. i hope this helps you.

M.,
First I just want to say that I feel for you and all the challenges that you are going through right now. Bless you for wanting to help get down to the root of your niece's pain. I don't know that I have any great advice for you...
Instead, I will share our story, what we've done and where we are now - perhaps in that you will find something helpful.
First, I will bottom line it for you:
As a result of homeopathic means, we completely eliminated all cow dairy, corn and artificial food dyes from my daughter's diet. Some things were obvious, some hidden. For example there are quite a few common ingredients that are typically corn-derived, but don't SAY "corn" on the label. If you eat processed foods at all, I can guarantee you that you are eating at least 6 of these (modified food starch, dextrose, maltodextrin, wax on non-organic produce to name a few). Dairy can take up to 30days to completely get out of your system. Headaches can persist up to that 30day mark (27days for us). Also, try finding a children’s multi-vitamin that’s corn, dairy and dye-free – it was harder than I thought it would be! Here is a link to an article that lists common food triggers for migraines....among them MSG, Red 40, corn, and dairy.

http://alternative-medicine-and-health.com/conditions/mig...

The elimination diet began last October. We saw a dramatic decrease in headaches and even whole weeks headache-free! We are still working on other possible causes. Right now we're dbl-checking water intake, vitamin/mineral intake, and a slight leaning towards hypoglycemia. All in all not too bad - more water, a different multivitamin and frequent snacking
The only homeopathic remedy I use on Catherine (and would recommend for your niece) is Feverfew. It comes in swallow-tablet form, but you can open the tablet and put it in applesauce or flavored yogurt and she'll not even taste it. This is symptomatic treatment only and will not help the cause of the headaches...much like taking a Tylenol. I really shy away from giving her something as strong as Excedrin Migraine...Pain relievers are temporary at best and do nothing to correct the issue.

If you have any questions, or would like clarification on anything that I have written (above or below), just email me.

If you want to know the rest of the story, keep reading.
My family has a strong history of migraine headaches. It would be easier to list the 3 people on my mom’s side that don’t get them! Two of my cousins were diagnosed with migraines at age 4. My daughter, Catherine, is now 4yrs old. She started complaining of headaches about a year ago. For a while I thought she was mimicking me since she'd heard me complain about my headaches (I've gotten migraines since I was 13). So I'd tell her to drink some extra water and kind of brush it off. Looking back I feel absolutely wretched. After a bit, I realized that her 'headaches' seemed more frequent...almost daily. So I thought I'd test her with a placebo of Vit C. This ended up working maybe 3days a week...leaving 4+ actual headache days. I felt dreadful. After almost a month of trying this placebo I began to worry that maybe she really did have migraines…and decided to be more aggressive in seeking the root of the problem. We see a chiropractor on a regular basis and have since she was about 8mos old, so I was certain that spinal mis-alignment was not the cause. [An aside: I started seeing a chiro in Oregon on recommendation from a LC friend - chiropractics and cranial-sacral did wonders for us in the realm of nursing!]
I spoke about the headaches to our chiro here in Texas, telling her I wanted to exhaust all homeopathic/natural remedies and tests before subjecting dd to all sorts of needles. I have a friend who went the blood test route to determine his allergies and it seemed like each test came out a little different. So I didn't find the conventional methods all that reliable in the first place.
At any rate, Dr. Barnett recommended using Biofeedback. I will say, that this is one of those things that I personally find kind of kooky, but in the end it's done wonders and without any pain to Catherine, SO...She hooked this belt up around dd's waist and connected it to her laptop that had the software, etc on it. The test came back saying that she was showing reactions to cow dairy, corn and food dyes. I knew that in order for us to do this kind of elimination diet I’d have to do some housekeeping. I went through my pantry and fridge and donated anything ‘unacceptable’ to our local Food Bank. Starting then, we did a complete elimination of those things and have seen dramatic improvement (mentioned above). We went back for another test and saw that she was still reacting to food dyes and corn (even though she hadn't had any in months) - indicating a long-term allergy. However, she was not still reacting to dairy. We have begun the slow reintroduction to cheeses and will hold off on milk and yogurt for a while longer. Our replacement products have been pretty easy to find. For dairy, she drinks soy, almond and rice milks, and eats goat cheeses and yogurts. As for the corn...once I knew what to look for, I found a few brands that I could consistently use. I still read labels on absolutely everything at the store, but am more confident now :-)

It might sound like a daunting task, but it really wasn't so bad....and Catherine's headaches have almost completely disappeared!

I hope this helps. Know that you and your niece are in my thoughts and prayers as you navigate this challenging time.

K. H, mama to
Catherine, 4yrs
Samuel, 1yr

My dd started with headaches at around age 6. Did the glasses thing - didn't really help. At one point, she was dehydrated and had to spend the night in the hospital. After rehydration, she didn't have a single headache for several months. We made sure she had a water bottle with her at all times.
Another suggestion made to me was to take her to the chiropractor. We never did that. I had the appointment made and that day was the day she wound up in the ER dehydrated - so don't know if it would have made a difference.
After that, when headaches occurred Dr. recommended Excedrin Migraine - this seemed to help. What brings her headaches on? Any idea?

Hi M.,

My mom suffers from HA and they are all caused by MSG. It took almost 10+ years to figure it out but once we did and took the MSG out of her diet she is doing A LOT better. MSG is in everything that might have a spice in it and they do not have to list it on the label if the MSG is mixed with other spices. I would stay away from all processed foods and all fast food. Also, artificial sweetners can give HA. Even splenda. Also, a diet that is not GI balanced can give HA. i.e. To many carbs in your breakfast and then waiting longer than a 3 to 4 hour period before she might eat her lunch can give her a HA. Not enough water can cause HA. I hope this helps. B.

I would get many opinions from the best Drs around for your daughter. Go to Childrens Mercy hospital. My little sister had headachs too for 25 years ever since she was little girl about your daughter's age and about a year ago she died of a anyurism real sudden. The Dr's at St. Lukes tried to save her but could not. She had gone to just about every Dr. in town. NO one could help her. She sufferd for many years and could not hold a job long because of it. After her death the Neorsurgeon and Pathologist told us that it was a rare thing she was probaly born with but with proper early intervention and medictition she could have had a chance.. So find a Dr. who has answers and dont give up. Good luck. S. D.

Lots of water. And with the MSG's out, what about gluten free.

Yes I have heard that cutting MSG'S out will help and if your daughter is a soda drinker to cut that out as well high caffeine in kids even diet isn't good on them. Offer her more water you can add flavor to them with lemons or the packets that are sugar free from the store.Also foods high in sodium like the boxed dinners pretzels chips etc to cut back instead give her more fresh friuts and vegetables.If they continue take her back in.

I can't promise that this will work but it is definitly something worth trying for your neice, I have worked for a chiropractor for three years now and I have seen miracles happen to people when their spine and all the nerves are working properly. I have three children, 7,4 & 9 months and they all get regular adjustments. I must add they are hardly ever sick. I know that some chiropractors have a bad reputation for just getting you to keep coming back but there are good doctors out there that really want to see you get better!

My sister's girl had the same problems and they tried everything. They finally, out of desperation, took her to the chiropractor and had her ajusted. She hasn't had a problem since. All the nerves in your body are connected to your spine and if you are out of alignment it could be pinching a nerve. Their chiropratcor is a Palmer Graduate. They are the best. I know that their insurance did cover the Dr. visits. Good Luck!

-K.

Hi M.,
I hope you do not mind, but I am going to send your note on to a friend of mine, who is dealing with this issue with her four year old. You have to be willing and open to take advice from a natural-path, though, because sometimes modern medicine just is not the key.
Good Luck, I hope Kelly's information can be of benefit.
"Fever-few" is a natural herb, that is on Kelly's list.

M., have they consider alergy's. Both my niece's have them and they just come on. See if season changing makes any difference. Kids are a lot more prone to allergies now with our ever changing climate . There is medicine for that, and it does help. Hope this helps. I am sitting here today with sinus headache from allergy's. It is bad when weather change , J.

Has anyone just considered migraines? When I was quite young I suffered from "cluster headaches" that would all but drop me to the floor they were so sudden and intense, but luckily they were over in a few seconds.

As an adult I still suffer from cluster headaches but I tend to have the standard migraine headaches more. One trick I've learned for the migraines, that works quite well, is a hot bath with an icepack (frozen veggies work well) on the location of the ache. The hot bath helps draw the blood out of the head taking some of the pressure off the constricted blood vessels.

I hope this helps!

My 6 yo daughter was diagnosed with migraines a few months back. Before her diagnosis her doctor had us keep a daily journal of her foods and activities. After the journaling, I realized the triggers for my daughter. We don't eat a lot of sweets or candy and we do not drink soda but when my girls go to grandmas they always get that stuff. I noticed that when my daughter would eat/drink sugary stuff that she is not used to she would get a headache. Also for her, she was stressed with some "friends" at school and that would trigger the headaches for her. She has had them so bad that she would vomit. At that age it was hard to determine whether it was an attention thing or if it was real. But journaling really helped recognize the reality of it. I don't like do give my children medication unless it is absolutely necessary, so when she would tell me she had a headache I would try to make sure that she really did before I gave her anything. There were times she would cry for the medicine and we knew something wasn't right. So, now when she says she has a headache we don't hesitate to give her chewable ibuprofen, and it seem to work really well for her as long as we catch it early. If you ignore it, it will get too far gone and the ibuprofen will not work. If it does get to that point really the only thing we can do for our daughter is have her lay down in a really dark room and sleep it off. Our pediatrician recommended the ibuprofen over acetominophen because the ibuprofen is an anti-inflammatory so it stops the inflammation of the blood vessels in the brain.

Check the family history also, because migraines seem to be hereditary. I, myself, was diagnosed with migraines 7 years ago. I hope this helps and I will be praying for her.

M.,
Migraine headaches run in my family on my dad's side. I've had migraines for approx. 20 years. I went to the Headache and Pain Center in Overland Park. My CT and MRI showed nothing wrong either. I was given shots in the back of my neck. I also saw a neurologist. He had me on several medications that didn't really work. He said I would outgrow them and mostly I have. When I do get one, I try Excederine Migraine first. If that doesn't work, I have a perscription of Zanaflex that works wonders. However, it knocks me out for approx. four to six hours. I don't know if this medicine or the perscription nasal sprays, etc. could be given to a child so young. If I were you, I'd ask my PCP if Imetrex or Tamoxafen could be given and what the side effects would be. Tell you lttle neice that I know how she feels, and I'm rooting for her.

B.

I am "allergic" to MSG and yes, it takes a lot of work and time to figure out what products have MSG in them---watch out for creamed soups and salad dressings, cheetos, doritos, boullion, broth, gravy, sour cream and onion anything, dips, tons of restaurants (barbecue places and chinese are the worst). MOst of my sisters are sensitive to it as well--most of us have intestinal issues with it (diarrhea), but the last few years, it has given me killer headaches instead (which is a more common complaint for MSG). I figure it is a pretty easy thing to eliminate once you know what it is in--there are alternative brands of a lot of stuff (Newman's ranch dressing, herb-ox boullion, healthy request cream soups). PS< for the person who didn't know what it stands for it is monosodium glutamate---but can hide behind other names as well---erg.

Has chocolate been ruled out? Several in my family have a chocolate "allergy" that causes mild to severe headaches and no other symptoms. Just a thought.

Hello!!! I would suggest trying a Chiropractor, My father is one and it is amazing what natural healing can do for you! She might have a subluxation, it's much better then the meds that the medical dr. will give to just "fix" the pain for the time being??? It's very safe and will not hurt her. I have two children that are NEVER sick and they get chiropractic care!!! Give it a try!!! she is way to young for headaches!!!

could be lots of things. i've suffered from headaches for years. the thing that really cut mine down though was my dentist believe it or not! i have a habit of grinding my teeth at night sometimes, and biting my nails,and clenching my jaw, he called it TMJ..where my jaw is clenched too tight and i dont notice. so he made me a mouth guard (you can try the ones from the drug store where you put it in boiling water and then fit it to your teeth but it was so large for me i spit it out a lot i'm sure a 6 year old wouldnt like it) thats thin enough that it is comfortable and i just put it in when i sleep and its amazing how many fewer headaches i get now. just something to try, couldnt hurt.
they can be expensive to be made but my dentist actually told me if it didnt work he would give us most of the money back because he was so sure that was my problem.

M.,

When I was in about 7th or 8th grade, I began suffering from migraine headaches. This was about the time that the MSG info hit the scene. My mom did alot of research on this and we did a little experiment. It seemed as if there was a connection. My headaches have been so bad that I have been on migraine medications, pain meds, and even hospitalized. So, I can relate. I actually missed work today due to a migraine. Now that I am a mom, I pray that my daughter will not suffer from them too. However, it seems to be a terrible pattern in my family. Perhaps, your niece's pediatrician will be able to perscribe her a preventative med or at least a medication that will help after the onset of the headache.

have you tried going gluten free on your eating.

I've suffered from Migraines since i was about 15/16. They did every test possible and came with the conclusion i have migraines. When i was 16 my whole left side went numb and when that feeling went away i got a migraine. I have what is called complex migraines. They thought i was having a stroke, but said i was too young to have one. I was on different kinds of meds for migraines. There's different types of headaches. There's tension, stress, migraines, complex migraines, and i'm sure there are more. Is she stressed out about anything. Simple things like school could be a source? Does she consume caffiene? That's one of the worst things for you if you have headaches. i use to drink tons of soda, but now i don't drink any. Also, if she likes tea use decaf. If she starts getting headaches close to the time she eats she might just need a snack to raise her blood sugar level. Ask her where on her head her headaches hurt. That will more than likely tell you what kind she has. tension-back of neck, etc. Make sure she gets plenty of exercise. It could also be due to the weather. I know i've been getting more headaches now since the weather has decided to from warm to very cold and vice versa. There's not really much else you can do for a headache except take a pain releiver or get a prescription for a migraine med if she is diagnosed with migraines. Or eliminate things that stress her out, or if she isn't eating healthy.

My mom gets bad headaches alot and she read somewhere that eating any combination of nuts, chocolate, ice cream, and popcorn during the same day is a common migraine trigger. Sure enough, when she stopped eating these in combination, her headaches stopped.

So, if she is planning a trip to the movies and wants the popcorn, don't eat the other three that day.

But ice cream sundaes must be out of the question...

My son suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury from a car accident we were involved in. We didn't discover this for 2 years after the accident. He was 4 and had migraines so bad he would vomit. The doctors said kids are resilient and bounce back not to worry. UM OK! 2 years laterI find out my baby had a brain injury. He had 2 bruises on the learning side of his brain. He had to relearn everything all over again. Today he is 15 and still suffers from the headaches occasionally but since we have put him on a nutritional regimen including Limu Plus his headaches have subsided and he is doing much better in school.
You can read about it at Limuplus.com/586078 it gives you all the ingredients and what they do!
Hope this helps
T.
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I have not had this happen to me personnally but my sister can't have MSG because she gets migraines. She is now almost 40 and this has been an issue since she was in her teens, so that might be the same thing that is happening to your niece. Hope you find out what is wrong.

Since pre kindergarten, my now 10 yro has suffered migraines. It is worse for her due to both my husband and I having them. She will get headaches from anything that is stress related to her. From just going to school on Mondays to staying up late. She does get headaches frequently, not always a full blown migraine...Some weeks its daily, some weeks its just 1-2. We have her on an antacid precribed drug and it is actually helping with everything. Thankfully I have a wonderful dr. that does not believe all children should be on lots of drugs.
Hope you find some relief for you poor little niece...

This may sound dumb, but it could be slight dehydration....are you making sure she's well hydrated?
God's Blessings to you,
B.

Hi,

I have a 6 1/2 year old & she was having alot of headaches... she had a MRI done and no tumors thank goodness but she still has headaches but not as often as she was. What is MSG? I've wondered if she's got allergy issues and maybe that's why they're not as bad as they were but may get worse again. I've been told alot of children suffer from headaches and sometimes they outgrow it & others just tend to have headaches as adults. Our Dr's didn't test for all that you're neice has had done if my daughters gets worse I'm thinking I will press for more tests!

L.