Some people express “stress” through their body rather than through their mouths. Everyone has weak spots in their body’s network of systems: for some, there is a vulnerability to headaches, in others a vulnerability in the digestive system and for others a vulnerability in the immune system. Any system of the body (both physical and emotional) can be aggravated. Very real pain and illness can result.
    It is appropriate to take your daughter’s symptoms seriously: believe her when she says she is feeling unwell. You can let her know that her body is trying to tell her something. Maybe it needs more sleep. Maybe it needs more fun. Maybe it needs a pressure to be relieved. Ask her what she thinks it might be. If she has no ideas, make your own guesses and provide the remedy you think will help. Is it time for a “mental health day” or a talk with a teacher? You can also look for possible sources of stress in the home: have you yourself been adding undue stress by being excessively critical or by having frequent disputes with your daughter, your mother or your spouse? Everyone’s health is better when the pressure does not exceed the capacity to perform and when the home is stable, safe and calm.
    If everything seems to be in order, you might take your daughter to a naturopath for a thorough investigation of all bodily systems. Sometimes, a naturopath can help strengthen a weak system through various treatments and this is all that is needed for the body to resist pain and illness.
    Although you want to take symptoms seriously, be careful not to give more positive attention to “sick” behavior than you do to normal, well behavior. Parents can accidentally reinforce the tendency to let the body speak through illness by being too nurturing when the child is unwell and colder when the child is well.