What Should You Know about Home Health Care? For generations, traditional families employed a variety of simple methods for home health care. Basic shiatsu, or finger pressure massage, simple compresses made from items used every day in the kitchen, and special dishes and beverages were used commonly in the home. Mild shiatsu, for example, can be given to children (or adults, including senior citizens) to help relax and harmonize their overall condition. In traditional families, husbands and wives would frequently exchange shiatsu massage, and would periodically offer a simple treatment to their children or elderly parents as well. We recommend that all members of the family learn basic healing arts as a part of home health care.
Palm healing is usually not a problem for children because it makes them calm and relaxed. Just be careful to apply your hands very lightly, and make sure that your child is kept properly covered and warm during an application. If your child falls asleep during palm healing, the application may be continued until it is complete. Simply tuck the child in after you are finished.
When compresses and other home applications are used, make sure that they are very mild in comparison to those used by adults. Adjust the application to fit each child's needs. This may seem like a minor point, but it is very important. If parents are inexperienced in using macrobiotic applications, it is best not to do anything drastic or strong. It is also a good idea to call a macrobiotic center. When children have fever, it is usually better to give them milder applications, such as putting green cabbage leaves on the forehead. Stronger applications may cause a reaction and increase the recovery time needed by the child. Examine the child's bowel movement every day; if he is constipated, a simple enema can be given after two or three days. Many simple problems start in the intestines. .
It is important for parents to remain calm and positive when children become sick. Children are very sensitive to their parents' emotions, and may become frightened or upset if the parents are tense.
Many books recommend placing a child in a cold bath when a fever develops; however, this may cause an extreme reaction, such as a seizure. In the past, parents would keep children with fevers warm and not let their skin get cold. When children are kept warm, they naturally perspire, and this cools the body. If parents place children in a cool bath, apply cold towels, or give a cold water sponge bath, the surface of their skin will contract and become tight. When this happens, the discharge of a fever goes deeper into the body instead of coming out. This can be especially dangerous in cases of measles.
If problems arise, watch your child's diet and find out what she has been eating. This will help you decide what steps to take. If a child's diet is balanced, and if her mother ate well while she was pregnant and breastfeeding, the problems that arise are usually less extreme and easier to correct. Children who eat well sometimes intuitively know what they need to correct a problem and may refuse remedies that are too extreme. Parents should observe and learn from their children's responses.