TOP 10 Non-Toxic Pain Relievers for Kids

Here is my top 10 non-toxic methods of acute and chronic pain management for kids. Try any of these before automatically going for the drugs.

• Lavender oil :  A good quality organic lavender oil works wonders for minor burns, rub a drop onto temples and base of scull neat for headache, rub gently into bruises, sprains and strains.  Blend with a little coconut oil and massage into large muscle groups for overworked bodies and growing pains
  
• Ice/Heat :  depending on the problem, use ice to relieve swelling and numb pain, heat to reduce muscle spasm and aching bodies.  Check with your treating health practitioner if you’re not sure which one to use.
• Rest :  Speaks for itself!  Set your child up on the couch or in a cosy, cushion filled bed with their favorite book, a collection of pens and colouring books, a movie they love.  Rest gives our body a chance to get to work on healing problems without the distractions of daily activity.
• Tea Tree Essential Oil:  Great for bites, stings and scrapes.  Tea tree can be applied neat to these issues for very rapid relief.  Again, make sure you look for an organic essential oil for this purpose… they are far more potent, and thus more likely to work for you than the cheap (and dare I say, nasty) versions found at supermarkets.
• Massage :  it’s one of the best cures for a headache in kids.  Sit with their head in your lap and gently rub temples, scalp, forehead and base of the neck, and watch their face smooth out and pain frowns disappear.
• Arnica/Hypericum :  These are natural herbs that come in the form of creams, tinctures and pillules.  They’re available at good holistic pharmacies and can go a long way to easing aches and pains, relieving swelling and redness, and treating bruises.  Keep in mind, they actually work on tissue regeneration and repair, so this is a more long term approach to pain problems in kids.
• Epsom Salt Bath :  I love this one, and so do my kids.  There is nothing better than sinking into a warm, essential oil scented bath laced with a cup of Epsom salts to ease joint pain, relieve inflammation and reduce highly sensitive pain receptors.  Epsom salts are a form of magnesium and work brilliantly to relax and relieve your little ones gently and easily. Available in bulk at natural food stores, or in a box at the supermarket. Take one yourself afterwards to sooth away your stress too!
• Water :  Seems simple.  It is!  Headaches are often caused by a lack of hydration to the brain – the brain’s lining becomes tight and shrinks in on the brain, and the cells of the brain shrivel up!  Kids are notoriously bad at remembering to drink water.  Many of them choose juice, milk or other sugary alternatives over this life giving liquor.  Keeping your kids in the water will go a long way to relieving pain, especially headaches.  Train them from an early age that water is the giver of life, and you’ll thank yourself for it later, and so will they!
• Distraction :  Like anything, what we focus on grows.  Distraction is an excellent method of minor pains in children.  Simply deflecting their attention onto something that you know they will find entertaining, interesting or amusing will go a very long way to reducing their pain.  This works particularly well for minor falls and bumps, and headaches.
• Love :  children LOVE love!  They thrive on it.  A gentle and heart-felt cuddle is one of the best pain relievers in the world.  Children will fail to thrive without it.  

If pain persists, you may decide to try an over-the-counter pain reliever under instruction from your pharmacist, or make an appointment to see your treating health practitioner.

Please also remember that you are the parent, you know your child better than ANYONE.  If you feel there is something more serious going on, please trust your gut, seek help, and don’t give up until you find the help you need for your children.

If you'd like to discuss your child's health and wellbeing, please feel free to call us and make an appointment.