Everyone carries their own medicine...
The wounds and the medicine that we carry are right next to each other. If we take out of it feelings of inadequacy, the wound is no longer a commentary of your being but the entry point by which your medicine can be found. -Frances Weller
There are times when you or someone you care about experiences a health concern, and it affects the inner circle. What I've learned from my experience of being treated alongside my child was the value in feeling a sense of safety and presence. While navigating an uncertain time when he was younger, the neurologist assigned to our case was unable to hold the space we needed for treatment. As one to take a more unhurried approach and trust my own senses, I felt relieved to work with a pediatric acupuncturist. It was in sessions with her that affirmed the well-being of the parent is a powerful pathway to the health of the child.(1) This is to say, those who care for another, which is most of us, also require acknowledgment. Until we view children's health with a comprehensive attitude that considers social determinants of health of the whole family, provider impact remains limited. Higher income families are not left untouched by domestic violence and mental illness. Racism impacts all minority families, regardless the income. Parents fall into depression. And all these factors that impact the family influence the overall health of the child and our communities.(2)
Multigenerational or intergenerational approaches may support individuals and their caregivers. Treating the entire family, and an emphasis on the parent-child dyad, could potentially promote a new lens for existing models of healthcare, programs, and policies. This can also apply to interpersonal care for partners, housemates, or work teams. I envision consistent and preventive healthcare services to patients of all ages. East Asian Medicine practitioners are able to offer this.
When I was caring for an aging parent into his last years, we were able to seek affordable treatment side-by-side in a community acupuncture setting. The defining characteristics of an informal caregiver typically include being a person who provides some type of unpaid, ongoing assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs) to a person with a chronic illness or disability. This is in contrast to formal caregivers, such as home health aides, who are paid for their professional services. We assert the "caregiving-is-stressful" assumption is a narrow, simplified, and limited view on these types of human relationships. Multiple perspectives, from research on altruism, volunteerism, and evolutionary perspectives on prosocial behavior, are currently emerging to provide a broader and more balanced view on the range of experiences and health outcomes.(3)
I appreciate collaborative care. Involving clients/patients, couples, or families as partners in health education and co-designing healthcare delivery. I offer services for children/teens and individuals >65 at $98 for 60 minutes. A pediatric session is 60 minutes to offer clients time to build rapport with me. If the client does not use the full hour, the rest of the session may be used to support the parent/guardian who is present. An hour session may also be educational time to equip the client with practices that may address the needs of a cared recipient such as a child, a partner, family member, and/or themselves. Generally, treatment may address injuries, injury prevention, anxiety, sleep hygiene, infant digestive concerns and/or touch deprivation through bodywork. It is such a different energy when you sit with somebody.
In sharing,
Kimy
*Disclaimer - Please check in with a licensed provider outside matters of opinion to see if any choices regarding prevention, treatment, or diagnosis are right for you.
The wounds and the medicine that we carry are right next to each other. If we take out of it feelings of inadequacy, the wound is no longer a commentary of your being but the entry point by which your medicine can be found. -Frances Weller
There are times when you or someone you care about experiences a health concern, and it affects the inner circle. What I've learned from my experience of being treated alongside my child was the value in feeling a sense of safety and presence. While navigating an uncertain time when he was younger, the neurologist assigned to our case was unable to hold the space we needed for treatment. As one to take a more unhurried approach and trust my own senses, I felt relieved to work with a pediatric acupuncturist. It was in sessions with her that affirmed the well-being of the parent is a powerful pathway to the health of the child.(1) This is to say, those who care for another, which is most of us, also require acknowledgment. Until we view children's health with a comprehensive attitude that considers social determinants of health of the whole family, provider impact remains limited. Higher income families are not left untouched by domestic violence and mental illness. Racism impacts all minority families, regardless the income. Parents fall into depression. And all these factors that impact the family influence the overall health of the child and our communities.(2)
Multigenerational or intergenerational approaches may support individuals and their caregivers. Treating the entire family, and an emphasis on the parent-child dyad, could potentially promote a new lens for existing models of healthcare, programs, and policies. This can also apply to interpersonal care for partners, housemates, or work teams. I envision consistent and preventive healthcare services to patients of all ages. East Asian Medicine practitioners are able to offer this.
When I was caring for an aging parent into his last years, we were able to seek affordable treatment side-by-side in a community acupuncture setting. The defining characteristics of an informal caregiver typically include being a person who provides some type of unpaid, ongoing assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs) to a person with a chronic illness or disability. This is in contrast to formal caregivers, such as home health aides, who are paid for their professional services. We assert the "caregiving-is-stressful" assumption is a narrow, simplified, and limited view on these types of human relationships. Multiple perspectives, from research on altruism, volunteerism, and evolutionary perspectives on prosocial behavior, are currently emerging to provide a broader and more balanced view on the range of experiences and health outcomes.(3)
I appreciate collaborative care. Involving clients/patients, couples, or families as partners in health education and co-designing healthcare delivery. I offer services for children/teens and individuals >65 at $98 for 60 minutes. A pediatric session is 60 minutes to offer clients time to build rapport with me. If the client does not use the full hour, the rest of the session may be used to support the parent/guardian who is present. An hour session may also be educational time to equip the client with practices that may address the needs of a cared recipient such as a child, a partner, family member, and/or themselves. Generally, treatment may address injuries, injury prevention, anxiety, sleep hygiene, infant digestive concerns and/or touch deprivation through bodywork. It is such a different energy when you sit with somebody.
In sharing,
Kimy
*Disclaimer - Please check in with a licensed provider outside matters of opinion to see if any choices regarding prevention, treatment, or diagnosis are right for you.
1. Murphey D, Cook E, Beckwith S, Belford J. The Health of Parents and Their Children: A Two-Generation Inquiry. Rockville, MD: Child Trends; October 4, 2018.
2. Berns SD. Taking a Two-Generation Approach to Children's Health. Insights. Natl Inst Children's Health Quality (NICHQ). Posted March 14, 2018. Updated October 17, 2024. https://nichq.org/insight/taking-two-generation-approach-childrens-health
3. Hill KG, Bailey JA, Steeger CM, Hawkins JD, Catalano RF, Kosterman R, Epstein M, Abbott RD. Outcomes of Childhood Preventive Intervention Across 2 Generations: A nonrandomized Controlled Trial. JAMA Pediatr. 2020; 174(8):764-771. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2020.1310
2. Berns SD. Taking a Two-Generation Approach to Children's Health. Insights. Natl Inst Children's Health Quality (NICHQ). Posted March 14, 2018. Updated October 17, 2024. https://nichq.org/insight/taking-two-generation-approach-childrens-health
3. Hill KG, Bailey JA, Steeger CM, Hawkins JD, Catalano RF, Kosterman R, Epstein M, Abbott RD. Outcomes of Childhood Preventive Intervention Across 2 Generations: A nonrandomized Controlled Trial. JAMA Pediatr. 2020; 174(8):764-771. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2020.1310