Temper tantrums – new hope for parents from flower essences!

Every parent knows the challenge of a child mid-temper tantrum when just nothing seems to placate them. Fortunately most don’t last too long and the “terrible twos” stage fades into memory (until the tantrums reappear in the teen years!).

However serious temper tantrums affect up to 25 per cent of children, and can make life extremely difficult for parents. Warning signs for serious tantrums include kicking and hitting, breath-holding and children lying down on the floor, as well as the more common screaming and crying. These tantrums tend to last for longer than five minutes, and in the worst cases can go on for as long as an hour!

At Plymouth University, Michael Hyland, Professor of Health Psychology, and postgraduate research student Ben Whalley have been monitoring 38 children aged between two and five. The children have been taking a remedy in tiny pill form consisting of the essence of alder, magnolia, sweet chestnut and orange light, a new formulation specifically designed for youngsters with tantrums. The tablets are taken twice each day and also as and when parents feel it is required.

Parents taking part in the trial reported:

• 73 per cent of children with moderate to severe temper tantrums experienced some benefit after the Bach flower essence remedy;
• 42 per cent fewer tantrums and when a child did have a tantrum, use of the remedy resulted in a reduction in the common symptoms;
• 35 per cent less kicking and hitting;
• 30 per cent less screaming;
• 24 per cent less whining;
• 21 per cent  less crying, and
  
• 14 per cent fall in breath-holding.
  

Professor Hyland said these early findings were very encouraging and prove that most parents with children prone to tantrums could see benefits from using the remedies.

"We have been researching the benefits of these remedies for a number of years now and have already proved its effectiveness for adults," said Professor Hyland. "These findings suggest that they are equally of benefit to young children in tackling what can be a very distressing and extremely stressful condition for parents.”

Bach flower essences are increasingly popular as a remedy for common ailments, including depression, anxiety, stress and fatigue, but now it would appear that it has a very positive effect on tantrums.

Ben Whalley said: "We are seeing a significant improvement in a large number of the children tested, particularly in terms of screaming and kicking and hitting which has been greatly reduced in percentage terms. We have also found that children are much calmer in general since they started taking the remedy."

This research is ongoing, so if you would like to sign up for the trial, visit https://www.holistichealthresearch.org.uk and follow the links.