The Importance of Homeopathic Care for Caregivers
Being the caregiver for a child with a chronic or complex condition like PANS/PANDAS is demanding and difficult on a daily basis. There are additional layers that compound the stress: living with the uncertainty of the child’s future well being, physical exhaustion as days of care turn into years, grief at the loss of the envisioned life for the child’s childhood and family life, emotional isolation, and financial stress. It all adds up.
The bottom line is caregiver stress and burnout is real and long term stress and burnout will inevitably take a toll on the emotional and physical health of the caregiver. Symptoms of caregiver burnout can include irritability, depression and/or anxiety, and any manner of physical ailment including fatigue, insomnia, weight gain, constipation, joint pain, and migraines to name a few. Left untreated, caregivers can find themselves with long term physical and emotional health issues.
Care for caregivers is essential and homeopathic care can help.
As the mother a child that was once diagnosed with PANS/PANDAS, I speak from personal and professional experience when I say there’s an additional reason for giving care to caregivers. Parents and children are like an ecosystem where each affects the other and, with complex and chronic conditions, our own well-being gets highly intertwined with theirs and vice versa. We all know how we’re affected when our kids are not doing well; we often react with our own shock, denial, anger, guilt, fear or anxiety, and our central nervous systems can get aroused and stay in a fight/flight state. Over time it can become habituated or chronic. In the same way, our kids pick up on our underlying energetic state and are affected as we experience stress and share it with them.
Consider the scenario where we walk into a room in a highly charged or anxious state. Our kids pick up on our stress and are affected, including becoming anxious and in an aroused fight/flight state. This is in no way to blame caregivers for the state of the children, stress in response to stressful situations is appropriate. But habituated stress is not useful. Now, imagine entering a room in a truly heart-centered peaceful state, and how that ease nurtures ease within our children.
As energetic beings, we are impacted by the state of those around us so it makes sense that children can heal faster when their caregivers heal themselves. In this way, a well-indicated homeopathic remedy can help support a caregiver in their role and has the added benefit of cascading healing for all members in the ecosystem.
Here are a few homeopathic remedies that can be useful to support caregivers. There are many other remedies so, if you don’t see one that is spot on for you, reach out for constitutional support.
Aconite - For the caregiver that has experienced a significant fright, shock, or trauma that has left them in a PTSD condition with significant fear or anxiety. They may live in a state with heart pounding, agitated, and feel worse after exposed to a cold wind. They may feel fearful they will die after the shock of the frightful event.
Carcinosin - For the caregiver that feels anxious and overwhelmed and, in response, becomes over controlling of daily care requirements. Wants to do, do, do, consider every treatment modality, research everything. On the physical level may be exhausted but with insomnia.
Cocculus - This is considered an acute remedy for the caregiver who is so physically depleted by the demands of care giving that they are experiencing slow mental processes, possibly vertigo from moving objects, feeling almost intoxicated to the point of feeling separated from their body.
Ignatia - This is a very common remedy for caregivers and many will benefit from it at some point in their care giving journey. It’s a top grief remedy for when a caregiver feels emotional shock as physical shock, may feel defensive and sensitive, even hysterical with difficulty releasing emotions. There may be a holding in of emotions followed by sobbing. Physically a feeling of a lump in the throat, back spasms after a grief.
Natrum muriaticum - For the caregiver that lives in a state of chronic grief and feel emotionally closed. Physically a person that would benefit from Nat-m may experience allergies with a runny nose alternating with nasal dryness, cold sores, migraines, or involuntary urination when walking.
Sepia - For the caregiver that is burned out to the point of being emotionally flat, may feel angry and over burdened by day to day care requirements. Prefers activity including vigerous exercise and has a desire to be alone. Typically physically affected on the hormonal level, including PMS.
Staphasagria - For the caregiver with repressed anger, especially resentment towards their spouse. May be very sensitive to the opinions of others and easily upset by perceived rudenesses. Tendency towards UTIs and styes.
It’s important to remember that supporting a caregiver with homeopathic care doesn’t remove the work of caregiving and there will still be difficult moments and seasons, but homoepathy can provide additional support while they continue their very important work.