Page 27 - Oct Nov 2017

Teaching Children to Deal with Pain

rological disorder that can from phrases such as “It es.”
be managed with medica- can’t be that bad.” Ask
tion and might eventually exactly where it hurts so But say your child has an

disappear on its own,” you can get an idea what injury more serious than
according to the National type of headache the pain a tension headache. What
P

O Headache Foundation. could be. can you do to help her
control the pain? Accord-
L Easing the Pain Discuss options with your ing to Dr. Ronald Melzack

I Your six-year-old has been child on what to do--a in his book The Puzzle of
C
E whiny lately, complain- children’s painkiller, a Pain, you can teach your
ing of a headache. What cool washcloth on the child to “gate the pain.”
should you do? According forehead, relaxing with “The pain impulse could
B to Kuttner, we first need eyes closed, thinking be blocked, weakened or

R to respond to the pain in about happy things such interrupted along the path-
U
T a caring practical manner. as playing on the beach, ways to the brain.” This is

A Ask on a scale of one to etc. done by rubbing the limb,
L ten how bad it hurts. Stay with your child finger, etc., which acti-
through this experience,
vates a gating mechanism
I Inform the child about providing him with hope. and inhibits the spinal
T
Y what is happening in his Tell him it will go away cord’s cells that transmit
body. Six-year-olds are in soon. the pain message to the
the exploratory age where brain.
they love to discover how Most of all, in any expe-

things work, including rience that is painful for Another option for con-
the human body. Get out your child, keep your own trolling pain is by using

the encyclopedia if you anxiety in check. If a child opioids, including the
must and read it together. senses you are scared, he body’s own endorphins.
Not only will this create or she may become unrea- The brain, stomach and

a bond if you “problem- sonably scared, causing other organs have opioid
solve” the headache to- the hurt to be more pain- receptors that naturally

gether, but snuggle or ful than it is. Because, as work to reduce pain. The
hold the child while you Kuttner writes, “In every immune system immobi-
research. pain experience the brain lizes cells that travel to the

Acknowledge your child’s integrates sensory and injury and release the en-
pain without minimiz- emotional information as dorphins. To release more

ing or denying it. Refrain well as thought process- opioids, medications such

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