Natural Chronic Pain Relief for Children

Children can suffer from all kinds of different types of chronic pain such as Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis, Juvenile Primary Fibromyalgia, and pain caused by Cancer and its treatments, just to name a few. It’s hard for a parent when they see their children suffer from chronic pain and try to relieve their pain that they constantly feel which in turn can make them feel hopeless. Instead of constantly giving children medication for pain management, here are a few alternative child friendly ideas to treat their chronic pain and give the parents a little bit of hope.

 

1. Feed your children a diet of anti-inflammatory foods. Anti-inflammatory foods would include plenty of fruits and vegetables, wholes grains, nuts and plenty of fish high in omega 3 fatty acids. Avoid white flour, sugar and saturated fats. Certain chronic pain conditions like Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis are an autoimmune inflammatory disease, so eating foods that will not cause inflammation in the body may help.

 

2. Ensure your children get a good night sleep. Sleep is very important for managing any chronic pain conditions and promotes healing. Make sure the children go to bed at a decent hour so they get enough sleep. A lack of proper sleep can heighten a person’s sensitivity to pain and getting a good night’s sleep may help improve chronic pain. Read this article to find out how many hours a child needs based on their age.

 

 

3. There are plenty of essentials oils that help alleviate pain.
   1. Inhaling lavender can help relieve headaches, chronic pain, and acts as an anti-inflammatory. Lavender is also calming so it does double duty. Add a few drops of lavender into a diffuser.
   2. Apply diluted peppermint to painful area to help relieve chronic pain symptoms.
   3. Rosemary may help reduce muscle and bone pain and reduce inflammation. Add a couple of drops into a carrier oil and rub over painful area.

 

4. Massage Therapy. Massage Therapy improves blood flow, reduces pain and muscle tension, and reduces stress. For chronic pain find a local certified massage therapist. At home give the child light massage with diluted essential oil. Many children who suffer from chronic pain and also suffer from sleep disorders so try a light massage before bed; this will help your child relax and fall asleep while alleviating their pain.

 

5. Heat Therapy. Applying heat to area of concern can relieve pain. Heat applied to a painful area will interrupt the sensory receptors in the body so the brain receives heat messages rather than pain. Heat also increases circulation to the area to help heal damaged tissue. Take a warm bath with a few drops of pain relieving essential oils or apply a heat pad to the painful area.  

 

These are just some suggestions to help manage and treat children’s chronic pain. With a proper diet, aromatherapy, massage and heat therapy, it may help reduce the amount of medication needed and manage the child’s pain more effectively. People who suffer from chronic pain also suffer from sleeping problems and mental conditions such as anxiety and depression. These suggestions both help manage the pain but will also have the extra benefit contributing to the child’s mental wellbeing.