Natural Pain Remedies for Teenagers

11/29/2007

As a mother of two active teenagers, I get called upon daily to administer to the physical needs of my family.  I am Dr. Mom!

Even before I had children, I was wary of over-the-counter medications and looked for a natural pain relief remedy when I had an ache or pain.  I knew that it was not good to just throw an over-the-counter pain reliever into my body.  So, when I started to raise my own children, I looked for a natural pain remedy when they needed help.

My suspicions were verified in a recent article in Health Day News that stated: “Researchers from the Children's Hospital at the Cleveland Clinic found that more than 20 percent of the children and teens surveyed were overusing over-the-counter medications to relieve their headache pain.  Gastrointestinal bleeding or kidney failure can be the consequences of taking too much pain medication.”

Here are a few of my best tips for natural pain relief:

1. If you are lucky (and smart) enough to have it on hand, reach for a bottle of “Naturally Painless.”  This is an all natural topical topical analgesic pain relief spray.  I keep a bottle in my kitchen, glove compartment and my purse.  It has helped with everything from headaches to cramps to stubbed toes.  I use it at least once a day on some boo boo or another.
   
2. Frozen Peas.  Yes, frozen peas in your freezer is actually part of your first aid kit.  I was once at the skatepark and one of the skaters had hurt his ankle badly enough that they called his mother.  A few minutes later, she came down the path with a big bag of frozen peas in her hand.  This was a Dr. Mom on a house call!  Remember:  cold is for acute injuries.  You want to reduce the swelling.  This is good for the first 24-48 hours.  The sooner you can get the injured area cold, the better it will be.
3. Heat.  Warmth is good for a chronic injury.  This is to help relax and loosen tissues and to stimulate blood flow to the area.  I have a microwave heating pad.  Although I don’t recommend using a microwave for cooking your food…. It is GREAT for heating up a heating pad.
4. Boo-boo bunny.  I couldn’t really end this article without mentioning the wonderful boo boo bunny…. A wash cloth tied in the shape of a bunny with an ice cube inside.  If you don’t know how to make one, you can click here to see a video. 

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