Growing Up is Hard to Do
Posted by Laura Nelson on September 5, 2009
By Dr. Ruth Martens, M.D., D. Ht
Dr. Ruth Martens
Another summer has whizzed by and some kids are already back to school as I write this. Starting a new grade, new school or moving to a new city can bring a flurry of anxieties to both kids and parents. Signs can be as mild as homesickness, crying when getting ready for school. Some of these kids (both young and old) can develop physical symptoms along with the apprehension.
The most common symptoms are: headaches, nausea, stomachaches, palpitations, difficulty sleeping, difficulty concentrating in class, emotional withdrawl, crying spells, dizziness or lightheadedness, tantrums or agitation.
Nausea and vomiting can occur, but not fever. Symptoms can be severe enough to trigger a trip to the doctor, but 99% of the time all tests are negative. In a few children, problems can progress to serious depression.
Most children will not be aware of the cause of their problems. Parents can detect anxiety and guess the cause, but when symptoms are physical, this is trickier to diagnose. Red flags should go up when problems persist past the first few weeks of a change or start of school and if symptoms interfere with the child’s ability to function. Some continue to experience problems as teens and young adults but as time goes on symptoms are now associated with tests or job interviews or deadlines at work.
Counseling will aid all family members in these situations. Parents are often equally anxious to help a child having difficulty but feel helpless and at a loss for what to do. Counseling can diagnose the problem and give the family methods to support the person in need but to also give the child strategies to adapt to the change. Caution is advised so as not to reinforce the anxiety by rewarding unwanted behavior.
One step further is Classical Homeopathy. Because of its unique ability to balance mental, emotional and physical symptoms, homeopathy can be used safely and effectively in both children and adults even when symptoms are unclear. The symptoms are the clues to individualize the homeopathic medicine so that an exact match is made for that person.
There are many other homeopathic medicines each with their own unique characteristics. All of the symptoms of a remedy do not need to be present for it to be indicated. The good news is that symptoms that start quickly normally go quickly as well. In these cases, when the symptoms are gone, no further treatment is required.
Dr. Martens is a family physician specializing in natural medicine and homeopathy in Wheaton. For more information or to make an appointment, call (630) 668-5595.
Tags:Health & Fitness
