Throughout medical history, migraines have become more prevalent in people of all ages, colors, and size. A migraine is, “… a neurological condition that research has shown is associated with a series of complex changes that occur within the brain and brainstem” (Fontebasso). Although migraines do not occur every day, they impact your whole brain and can have a major or minor effect on your well being. Within the field of medicine, medicine and treatments are constantly advancing and medication and treatment methods are always being created, corrected or re-evaluated for the benefit of patients. I believe that nonpharmacological treatment methods are the best route for people seeking treatment for migraines, including children. With that being said, the use of medicine should not be avoided if nonpharmacological treatment methods do not prevail. In modern medicine, migraines have become more prevalent in people of all ages, specifically in adolescents. As statistics show, the nonpharmacological treatment of migraines is on the rise and is becoming more prominent with treatments of migraines in children.

Despite the fact that migraines do not occur every day, they can still have a major effect on your whole body for not just hours, but days. The majority of migraine sufferers encounter migraines one to five times a month, while other can experience up to fifteen. As statistics claim, “More than 4 million adults experience chronic daily migraine – with at least 15 migraine days per month” (“Migraine Facts”).  Chronic migraine sufferers are fairly familiar with symptoms of a migraine, which can be sudden, or prolonged. Migraine patients experience symptoms such as: pain on one side of head or both, vision problems, nausea, loss of appetite, and commonly a sensitivity to light (Lava). Symptoms can last hours or days depending on the person and how long the migraine lasts. For people with migraines, they want to find a way to eliminate symptoms and migraines as a whole. To obtain that goal, they need treatment, whether it be medicinal or not.

To begin, migraines are effecting thousands of people all over the world, and of all different ages. However, in most recent times, we have seen a rise of migraines present in children under the age of ten. Migraine Research Foundation states that almost ten percent of school-age children suffer from migraine. Migraines are most commonly known to be caused by genetics and/or stress. Research states, “A child who has one parent with migraine has a 50% chance of inheriting it, and if both parents have migraine, the chances rise to 75%” (“Migraine Facts”). Due to the fact genetics play a large role in the illness of migraines, it is much harder to find a solution that works for everyone. With that being said, there are various treatment methods and solutions available. As I said before, nonpharmacological treatment methods are on the rise and are becoming more prominent in the treatment of migraines in children. 

Treatment methods are the quickest and most sufficient ways to treat migraines. When thinking of different ways to treat a medical issue, most peoples first instinct is medication. Medicinal treatment methods include NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen and Advil, or a triptain. Other than medication, people can use treatment methods that are nonpharmacological and that do not require the use of medication. Some examples of nonpharmacological treatment methods include aromatherapy, physical therapy, acupuncture, biofeedback, daith piercing, along with more consistent eating, sleeping, and exercise habits. These methods are used amongst adults and children who experience severe migraines for one to five days a month. The rise in nonpharmacological treatment methods in children is due to the fact parents do not want to rely on only giving their children medication, but rather experimenting with alternative ways to help solve this major problem. 

While conducting research, many of the nonpharmacological treatment methods offered to patients are proven to work depending on the patient, considering everyone is genetically different. One of the most common treatment method for patients first being seen for experiencing migraine symptoms is an adequate amount of sleep, consistent exercise routine, and lastly, a diet that does not include foods that trigger migraines. Diet, sleep, and exercise are are top priority in allowing your body to fight off anything. After allowing your body to have the necessities of enough sleep, exercise, and a balanced diet, people experiment with different treatment methods. A popular treatment method amongst migraine sufferers is acupuncture. Acupuncture is a basic Chinese treatment that can cure countless numbers of issues. Acupuncture is where specialist insert needles into certain points on your body to ease pain and tension (WebMD). In migraine patients, acupuncture has shown significant advances in their symptoms and relieving of pain because of the needles hitting certain muscles and nerves. Besides acupuncture, there is physical therapy. In migraine patients, physical therapy is used to correct posture, stretch muscles and joints, and create better blood flow throughout the body. Next, a patient can use the treatment of biofeedback. Biofeedback is an electrical impulse test that looks at muscle tension, temperature, and brainwaves that will in turn give you results on how your blood flows through your brain during a migraine attack and during a normal day to help relieve pain and increase bloodflow (WebMD). Lastly, as a more recent treatment option, a daith piercing in your ear is proven to cause migraine relief. With this treatment option, you get a certain part of your inner ear pierced and it is known to relieve pain in some patients, but since this option is very recent, the information and statistics on it are very limited. Overall, migraine patients have many nonpharmacological options to choose from when attempting to treat their migraines.

Migraines in children are taken to a whole other level of treatment and precaution. Children who experience migraines are more at risk than adults. With that being said, they fear they are missing out on experiencing all the normal childhood activists due to having migraines every so often during the month. As Epositio tells of a girl who experiences migraines, she is prevented from attending school activities and summer camps due to the fear and experiencing of migraines. She just wants to experience normal childhood events but is taken back due to this illness (Esposito). Migraines effect childrens and adults lives day in and day out and treating migraines is the first battle to win.

In young children, nonpharmacologic treatments are steadily gaining popularity. The treatment of sleep, exercise, and a healthy diet should be a first thought. With these lifestyle changes, it could potentially lead to a fix childrens migraine illness. With that as a first step in children, researchers and doctors have seen a direct correlation between diet and the number of migraines children experience. Brenner writes, “About 7% to 44% of patients will report that a particular food or drink can precipitate a migraine attack. In children, the principal dietary triggers are cheese, chocolate and citrus fruits”. Along with these foods that are the most common food triggers for migraines, caffeine is a known cause for anyone, despite age. Caffeine interferes with brain signals and can trigger migraines. Along with caffeine, disregarding a whole food group is not recommended (Brenner). With children, research is not as abundant as with adults, but it is becoming more prevalent and obtainable. With children, you have to take extra precaution while treating them for such a widespread illness.

Another type of treatment that is proven to work is physical therapy with a touch of thermal biofeedback. This treatment is beneficial to migraine patients because, “Muscular tightness and tenderness are reported in about 70% of chronic migraine or tension-type headache sufferers” (Marcus). Physical therapy is used to relieve muscle tightness and better the posture and motion of migraine patients.  Along with the treatment of physical therapy, the use of chiropractic care and relaxation is recommended. As proven in a study done by Marcus, it was reported that relaxation and thermal biofeedback were more beneficial to the participants than physical therapy alone (Marcus). With that being said, people should not rely on one nonpharmacological treatment method, but rather use multiple in combination with another. If used together, one will be able to see decreases in pain and migraine symptom and migraines themselves.

Lastly, with technological innovations, scientists, researchers, and doctors have invented an electronic headband as another option for nonpharmacological treatment of migraines. This idea was brought up about ten years ago when Robert Fischell proposed the idea of redesigning a migraine treatment device at a TEDTalk Conference. Fischell is known for his medical inventions including the pacemaker that has a longer battery life. Fischell proposed this idea for a more efficient portable migraine treater that uses a magnetic depolarizer to decrease the amount of aura brain waves during a migraine and to lessen the pain (Fischell). Due to the fact this design was initiated over ten years ago, and new invention took place on the market. This innovation is known as the Cefaly headband. This headband sends electrical signals and volts through the skin to the brain and to the trigeminal nerve (Hensley). During this study, over half of the participants had decreased headache days compared to the subjects who received the placebo headband. With this headband, the amount of symptoms and headaches days have been decreasing, and with the continued use and innovation to these headbands, the results will only continue to improve. 

In opposition to my opinion, some patients believe that medication is the wonder to fix all problems. When people have migraines, majority of them take NSAIDs, which include ibuprofen and Advil, and if it more severe, the patient will be prescribed some form of triptan. With medication, the doctor and/or pharmacists must specifically direct the patient on its use and when to take it. Through research and studies, “Acetaminophen and ibuprofen appear to be safe and well tolerated in children and adolescents” (Wöber-Bingöl). Acetaminophen and ibuprofen have high rates because they are safe to use in people of all ages. Overall, medication is a possible way to go while treating migraines, but it should not be the only way people suffering with migraines see as treatment.

In conclusion, migraines effect thousands of people around the world, including children. There are numerous ways to treat migraines, but I believe that nonpharmacological methods are proven most effective in the treatment of migraines in patients of all ages. Some nonpharmacological methods include biofeedback, physical therapy, innovative headbands, and a steady diet, sleep, and exercise routine. Although the use of medicine should not be completely ignored, it should not be someones go to when treating migraine. Instead one should seek options that do not use medication first and then if that does not succeed, one may then turn to medicine. Overall, statistics show that migraines can effect anyone, and that nonpharmacological treatment methods are proven best when seeking treatment.
