Headache soothers MDs swear by

No matter what’s causing your child’s head to throb, these natural remedies that doctors use on their own kids can help ease the ache

For a tension headache

Korean hand therapy

When her son complained of a headache with pain around his eyes, Ilana Newman, M.D., an assistant professor of family medicine and community health at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, turned to Korean Hand Therapy. “The hands represent a microcosm of the whole body,” she explains. Experts in the practice say when you stimulate a specific pressure point on the hand, the corresponding body part experiences pain relief. And the face is represented on the middle finger on the palm side, from the tip of the finger to the first crease. So Dr. Newman held her son’s hand and pictured a face on that part of his finger, then gently pressed a ballpoint pen to the spots where the forehead and eyes would be. “The effect was almost immediate,” she says. “I was skeptical when I first learned about this therapy, but I continue to be surprised by how well it works.”

For a screen-time headache

Ice + lavender

“Sometimes my kids get headaches from studying for long hours in front of the computer,” says father-of-four Michael Fiorillo, M.D., a plastic surgeon in New York City. “It’s likely from eyestrain.” To help them feel better, Dr. Fiorillo applies an ice pack to his children’s forehead and neck for about 15 minutes. “I also put a small drop of lavender essential oil on a washcloth for the kids to smell,” he says. “The ice constricts the blood vessels, reducing headache pain, and the lavender’s calming aroma is relaxing. They always feel better within an hour.”

For a migraine

A pain-relieving sip

“All three of my children suffer from migraines on occasion,” notes Traci A. Purath, M.D., a neurologist in Greenfield, Wisconsin. To eliminate their pain fast, she reaches for caffeinated cola. “The 7.5 oz. cans are perfect,” she says. Why it works: Caffeine causes blood vessels in the brain to narrow and restrict blood flow, relieving head pain. An added bonus: “Cola can also soothe an upset stomach, which often goes hand in hand with migraines,” Dr. Purath explains. “We’ve had phenomenal success with this.” Just make sure to avoid diet cola since artificial sweeteners like aspartame can actually trigger a headache, and avoid this cure for late-in-the-day headaches— caffeine after dinner is a surefire way to disrupt sleep.