What if there was a clear and concise manual for providers in pediatric primary care (pediatricians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants), to help manage these patients more effectively? A resource with good provider and patient resources to share? This is my intention with my new book: to provide clear and accurate guidance on managing all kinds of headaches in the primary care setting. My hope is that this guide will help you manage your pediatric patients with headache more effectively and will provide support in dealing with this challenging clinical problem.
What is included in this guide?
I review the primary headache disorders seen commonly in pediatrics: migraine, tension-type headache, new daily persistent headache and chronic headaches, plus concussion & post-concussion syndrome. Also included is information about preventive and rescue medications, advanced treatments, common comorbidities, developmental concerns, the components of a headache healthy lifestyle, and much more. Finally, I provide an array of patient education sheets for providers to freely use.
What are colleagues saying about this book:
“This guide is a comprehensive manual of how to provide evidence-based care to pediatric patients with all kinds of headaches. Vickie Karian’s approach is engaging, creative, and practical, offering a range of strategies and treatments of headaches. All pediatric providers should get a copy!” Marketa Rejtar, DNP CPNP-AC/PC;
“Headaches are common but can be extremely challenging to treat. This book demystifies therapy with a practical, ‘boots on the ground’ approach. It feels like the reader is having a conversation with a trusted colleague.” David Casavant, MD
“Vickie Karian cuts through the congested headache shelves with straight truth. Her manual is succinct but complete, relevant and fresh, and remarkably readable. This guide is for colleagues ready to dive into pediatric headache management with enthusiasm and some real world advice.” Alyssa LeBel, MD
An Excerpt from Chapter 8: Promoting the headache-healthy lifestyle
The most important thing you can do as a health care provider is promote good health, especially with patients dealing with any kind of headache. Oftentimes, just getting the patients and families to focus on headache-healthy lifestyle habits will go a long way in decreasing headaches of all kinds. There are 5 areas that contribute to a headache-healthy lifestyle. These areas are hydration, diet, sleep, exercise/activity, and stress management.
Helping families understand what they can do to reduce headaches is empowering and creates a sense of partnership. While some families may want to go straight to daily preventive medications, most would rather start with the basics of a headache-healthy lifestyle.
Hydration: This is probably the most important thing for kids to prevent headache, especially migraine and where I focus much of my time and energy. If there are many areas needing improvement, this is a good first step, the place to start, and where there is considerable positive impact. The basic daily recommendation is that patients drink the equivalent of their weight in kilograms or half their weight in pounds. Families need a real number of ounces to aim for, rather than just saying to ‘drink more’, which greatly improves compliance. I strongly encourage bringing a refillable water bottle to school daily, and bringing it home empty. Most bottles are 20-24oz, and kids who drink during school generally meet their hydration requirements and avoid those end of the of the school day headaches……
Diet: Diet is important in a variety of ways. There are foods which can trigger migraine, foods that are not well tolerated and can trigger headache, and foods which generally unhealthy, full of additives and excessively processed, which are not good for anyone. Skipping meals can also trigger headache and migraine. For kids with headache, ensuring regular meals and a diet as colorful, varied and nutritious as possible is something families can ensure to decrease frequency of headache. There are specific diets that can be adopted as a way to eat for decreasing headaches……..
Sleep: Getting enough sleep is crucial in the prevention of migraine and headaches in general. Sleep disorders are often associated with headaches, and can include sleep apnea and periodic limb movement disorder. Both too little sleep and too much sleep are associated in particular with migraine. Going to sleep along with their rescue medications will help resolve a migraine. Depending on their age, children and teens need between 8-12 hours of sleep per night. In addition to getting to bed on time, using good sleep hygiene, including bedtime routines and managing time on electronics, is key to adequate sleep……..
Physical activity: Exercise or physical activity is vital to healthy functioning for everyone. For some of our patients, it can be challenging to get active. And if you have a migraine, the last thing you want to do is exercise. But getting exercise on a regular basis is an excellent way to prevent migraines. It physiologically improves your cardiovascular system, provides stress relief and releases endorphins, and when done with others, exercise can be a positive social experience. All of these aspects contribute to a healthier lifestyle with fewer migraines………
Books are available at these locations:
via author Victoria E. Karian, RN, MSN, CPNP
from Silver Street Media: https://tinyurl.com/ybuz2434
From Amazon: click on the image below: I may be eligible for earnings if you use this link.
A portion of the proceeds from this book will be donated to the “Reach Out and Read” program, which distributes developmentally appropriate books at well child visits from birth to age 3. Check it out:
HeadFirst PNP 