I brought my kid for a health check up recently and was horrified to discover he couldn’t pass the eye exam. Having had to wear glasses from a young age myself (the age my own kid is at right now actually), and being predisposed to myopia thanks to my Asian genes, I can’t help but feel somewhat guilty that my child has possibly inherited my short-sightedness.

Luckily, at such a tender age, kids’ bodies are still growing and adapting, and the die is yet to be cast.

Back when I was first diagnosed with myopia, my parents had me attend an eyesight camp (yes I kid you not) where I was taught eye exercises and even given a pair of pinhole glasses that would supposedly help reverse the diagnosis.

I am happy to share anecdotal evidence that a reduction in screen time and more outdoor exercise can truly help improve kids’ eyesight. After a similar diagnosis at an annual health check up, a friend of mine cut back on her child’s screen time, and pushed him to be more active. At the following year’s health check up, he received a 20/20 on his eye exam.

But with online learning in full swing for now, it may be tough to decree a reduction in screen time. That said, here are 5 ways you can still help your kid to prevent eye strain, which quickly lead to eyesight problems.

1. Schedule drinking breaks every hour

Proper hydration benefits just about every part of our bodies, and our eyes are no different. Plus, every time the child has to drink is an opportunity to turn away from the screen, if even for a few seconds. Since it’s way too much to ask a parent to yell across the house every hour for the kid to drink, set up an hourly alarm on a personal device such as the iPad to remind the kid to hydrate.

2. Snack time! 

Everyone knows we should eat carrots (or just orange foods) for bright eyes (it’s the beta-carotene and vitamin A in them), but there’s so many more foods that are rich in antioxidants that will aid our eye health. Kid faves include eggs (lutein), broccoli, red berries, kiwi fruit, tomatoes (all for Vitamin C), and fatty fish like salmon and sardines (EFA – essential fatty acids).

3. Look at greens!

So aside from eating their greens, now kids have to look at the color too! Research has proven that the richness of the color green is both mentally calming and spirit-lifting. Ideally, you can look at the natural green of nature around you, whether it’s a house plant or a nearby park, but even an artificial green color (like a wall painted green) can also help.

4. Eye exercises 

Whenever you can, grab a quick minute with your child and do some of these simple eye exercises together. Some of these also serve a mini-meditation breaks so it’s a win-win!

Moving eyeballs 

Call out different directions to move your eyeballs in – left, right, up, down, in a circle clockwise and counter etc. After you’ve demonstrated enough times, get your child to call out the direction to get them more involved.

Near and far

This one was one that I remember from eyesight camp! Go to a window and look for the furthest thing you can see, focus on it for about 5 breaths, then without moving your body, focus your gaze on the nearest object to you for 5 breaths again. Repeat as many times as necessary.

Blink, don’t blink

The straightforward idea of this is just to blink at different speeds (slow, fast) and not blink (eyes open). I love making a game out of this one with the kid to see who blinks first while we’re staring at each other.

After whichever eye exercise you do with your kids, close your eyes for about 10 breaths before resuming your day.

5. Massage 

Face massages aren’t just for sculpting the face, they’re also amazing for relieving the tension from the delicate facial muscles that work so hard. Check out the video for a simple demonstration of DIY face massage to help eye strain. Another good part to try to massage would be the base of the head where it meets the spine. You don’t have to be a certified masseuse to help your child. Just use your fingers to gently rub in circular motions and expand outwards from one spot for a minute or so. This can be a great way to help ease kids into bedtime as well!

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Images: Pexels

Remember how, when our kids were wee babies, we would rub baby oil all over their little bodies after bath time? Well, it wasn’t just because we love the little bundles of joy so much, but also because the physical contact helped to soothe them, body and mind. Children go through so many changes so quickly, and growing pains can really take a toll. That’s why my husband and I have continued the practice of oiling our son up after his shower, even now at the age of 6. Also, I was worried about a skin condition called keratosis pilaris in which little bumps form on the arms, which I seem to have passed on to him.

So when I came across Molly House on Dianping – the Chinese equivalent of Yelp – and its focus on children’s holistic health through Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) methods like tui na massage, I knew I had to bring my child to try it. I bought a voucher and booked my appointment for the day easily on the app.

Watch my kid get his first TCM massage in the Salt Therapy Room!

The outlet we went to was on the 17th floor of a tall office building east of Beijing city center. The entrance was marked by a cheery yellow curtain sporting the name and logo of Molly House, and a child gate that I was able to navigate (hey, some of them are really hard to open). Inside the clean, well-lit space, the windows were slightly ajar to allow the summer breeze in, and we were greeted by a kindly middle-aged lady who sanitized our hands and gave us indoor slippers to wear. There was a boy, much younger than my own, sitting in a padded play area surrounded by Fisher Price-looking toys, who was getting massaged by another lady as he gazed at the TV which was airing a local cartoon.

I was asked to fill in a health survey for my child, identifying any concerns or issues that he had, which I specifically wanted addressed. Aside from the aforementioned skin condition, I pointed out that he tends to catch a cold once a year, and sometimes complains of stomach aches without reason. We proceeded into another room with massage beds, where she conducted an overall assessment of my son – looking at the pallor of his tongue and inside of his throat (which was just a tad too red, probably because he was mildly dehydrated), among other things. She concluded that he was generally healthy, and would not require any huge “adjustments.” And thus began the “treatment.”

In TCM, they often use the word 调理 (Tiáolǐ) – which loosely translates to “conditioning” – to describe the treatments required to bring the “patient” back to equilibrium, the idea being that our body needs to be balanced and that poor lifestyle habits throw this delicate balance off-kilter. At least, this is my layman’s understanding of the complex subject.

We had chosen to have the “adjustment” massage inside the Salt Therapy Room, which looks like an indoor beach, but with salt instead of sand. There is also a halogenerator that disperses a dry salt aerosol into the environment. It made me tear up and cough a little which, according to the lady, meant I probably had some respiratory issues, because it shouldn’t affect those of “normal” health. This dry salt therapy, also called halotherapy, utilises the antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties of salt to help remove airborne pathogens, which is supposed to decrease allergic reactions and promote better breathing.

I sat in the room with my child as he lay in a comfortable couch. The lady offered to put on a cartoon in English, and he jumped at the offer. For the next 45 minutes, she kneaded and tugged at my child’s muscles, starting with his arm, then moving on to his stomach, and finally his back. He only seemed bothered when she rubbed his stomach in a clockwise motion, and when she “adjusted” his vertebrae, almost yelling as she did the latter. We knew our time was up when the halogenerator stopped (she had set a timer on it). Despite his occasional discomfort, my son told me he wanted to return because he enjoyed most of it.

According to the lady – who has more than ten years of TCM massage experience – this natural treatment is available to babies as young as 3 months old and is effective until the child hits puberty, whereby their acupressure points shrink to pea-size, and there they remain till the end of time (which is why she said it’s harder to adjust adults). Kids with ailments like chronic sinus issues or a persistent cough, and also constipation, were the most common patients. Apparently, it usually requires a weekly or even twice-weekly visit over the course of a few months to resolve an issue, depending on its severity.

It cost RMB 128 for the initial salt therapy and tui na massage trial appointment, with each session running RMB 258 thereafter. Of course, Molly House offers a package of ten or 20 sessions at a discounted price. I am still thinking about it.

Look up Molly House on Dianping if you’re interested in trying this holistic approach to tackle your child’s health issues!

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Images: Vivienne Tseng-Rush

When my husband was six years old, a tonsillectomy almost killed him.

It should have been routine, as it is for most kids. Don’t eat or drink in the twelve hours before being given anesthesia, get rounds of hugs from your family, go under, and voila! You wake up sans tonsils, ready to eat ice cream and mashed potatoes. 

Except his tonsils weren’t removed that day. Instead, his jaw went rigid and his temperature shot up to 109 degrees Fahrenheit (42.7 degrees Celsius). In fact, he is extremely lucky that one of the doctors performing his surgery had seen a case like his once before, so he immediately administered the only known antidote. It turns out that my husband has a rare illness called Malignant Hyperthermia or MH. It is so rare that when I tell medical professionals, I can see them mentally return to a day in medical school when it was covered as a footnote. “He’s allergic to general anesthesia,” I quickly say to avoid any embarrassment on their part. That’s usually when it clicks for them.

The thing is, you don’t know you have it until it’s an emergency. It’s passed down genetically, with a 50% chance that the child of someone who is MH-susceptible has it. So without a very invasive test that one can only get in a couple of places, you just assume that your children also have it.

We’re honestly just lucky that no emergency did happen before now

According to the Malignant Hyperthermia Association of the United States (MHAUS), MH is defined as follows:
The MH crisis is a biochemical chain reaction response, “triggered” by commonly used general anesthetics and the paralyzing agent succinylcholine (a neuromuscular blocker), within the skeletal muscles of susceptible individuals. 

When we had children, we knew we needed to address this. My mother-in-law had navigated the medical research in 1984, with no internet to speak of, and she had collected binders and binders of her findings. She typically schooled anyone with whom her son came in contact on the condition, bought him a medical ID bracelet, and interacted directly with the anesthesiologists any time it was needed. I suppose with our first child’s birth we were so overwhelmed with the entire experience, plus our first real interaction with our newly registered health care, that it felt like one of those things to take care of “later.” It was put into the mental pile of things to ask our doctor at a wellness visit. 

I don’t remember if I did and I don’t remember why I didn’t. I think now that I always supposed my husband or myself would be around to tell a medical provider. With anything as extreme as needing anesthesia, surely one of us would be nearby? How foolish. This is one situation when considering the worst-case scenario would have been the best course of action. 

Once we had two children and were moving to a different country, it occurred to me that even if we were present, how could I make sure a doctor knew what I was saying, if English is their second language? My husband would also be on a worksite, which meant his risk for harm felt more elevated than in an office. He would also need more protection on hand than just my name and number as his emergency contact. 

It took me a while to figure out exactly what I needed to do for our full due diligence.

Get a Clear Translation of the Illness

I asked a translator from Vista Clinic to discuss it with her two colleagues, one who spoke English as his first language and another doctor who spoke Mandarin as hers. I was texting with them and my mother-in-law to learn the clearest way to state what MH is and what not to do. A translation is not always word for word, so I wanted to be sure any translation was very clear. Ideally, you can also put what to do in case they have an attack, but that could not fit. Because it all needed to be legible in English and Mandarin so we could do the next step.

Get a Bilingual Medical ID Bracelet

This took me the longest to find. I had the jewelry but couldn’t get an engraver who could do both. I found referrals but all leads were dead ends. Finally, I asked in an expat group online and I found the company ROAD ID, who will engrave in both the Latin alphabet and Chinese characters.

These bracelets are an integral part of their daily lives now

Get Them Into the Habit of Wearing Their Bracelets

This was easier than expected. Lucky for me, they like jewelry. I showed them their Daddy’s, explained what MH is, then made it clear they need to wear this bracelet all the time, every day. Since we got the bilingual ones during quarantine, it became part of our new routine: shoes, masks, medical bracelets. They always return to the same basket in our home and for the most part, we’ve never permanently lost one.

Write and Translate a Letter. Make Multiple Copies

I’m still in this process. Again, I turned to a group of expats who travel frequently and asked if there was anything else I should do. People popped into the comments with extraordinary stories ranging from what they did for MH, how they navigate a fatal nut allergy around the world and more. The main conclusion I came out with is that I need a letter explaining exactly what MH is, what causes it, and how to treat it. Then I should return to the same medical professionals who translated for the ID bracelet and have them translate it. After that, I personally hand a copy of both letters to every grown-up who will ever have my children under their care: teachers, nurses, principals, art teachers, coaches, ayis. I know people who always have it translated into the native language of wherever they travel as well, and they have, in fact, needed to use it.

Where Will School/Work Take Them in Case of Emergency? See If They Have the Remedy to This Illness on Hand

This is the trickiest part. I did contact the hospital where their school would take them, and no, they do not have dantrolene on hand. However, we may have miscommunicated, because they asked the pharmacy, and that isn’t where I think the ER would go to find the main remedy to an MH attack. So I am trying to find the correct person who can answer my question and/or how to carry dantrolene myself if possible.

Teach Your Child to Advocate for Themselves and Siblings, If Applicable

I am always proud when a babysitter says my youngest lost his bracelet and immediately told her about it, or when a teacher tells me that my son already explained it to him. They need to be their own medical advocates. It is a habit that will help them throughout their lives. They know how to say “I can’t have anesthesia” clearly in English, and the next step is to teach them the Mandarin phrase.

Bottom Line Is: Don’t Put It Off

I was purposefully naive at the thought that we would need to address this proactively, even when reminded. It never felt urgent until I was uncomfortable with my ability to communicate a rare medical condition in a foreign tongue. Plus, who knows what my mental state would be if my children were hurt?

No parent wants to consider what would happen if they are not present, or worse, unconscious when their child needs to go to the hospital for a medical emergency. But we need to. With a rare illness, or something like a nut allergy that is so common in many areas of the world but extremely rare in others, parents and guardians must be pro-active, we must be ahead of any emergency, and in all languages necessary. That is the only way to retain any peace of mind. 

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Photos: Pexels, Cindy Marie Jenkins

Lev Vygotsky, the world-famous Soviet psychologist once said, “In play, a child is always above his average age, above his daily behavior. In play, it is as though he were a head taller than himself.”

I can’t imagine my parents believed this, as they constantly reminded me not to ‘waste’ precious time outside when I could be inside doing something important like studying, and I know that they were not alone in such an approach. But as the research on play and child fitness continues to expand, so does the understanding of how important it is for children to spend time engaged in play, structured or otherwise. However, this is no easy feat, as many kids these days settle deeper into a sedentary lifestyle, glued to their devices.

Schoolwork has also become far more demanding on children’s time and creativity. On average, kids have a much larger workload now than they did in the past. Concerned parents the world over have prompted schools to adopt techniques that encourage children to explore their athletic potential. But in a world where intellectual excellence is prized over physical fitness, even these initiatives are proving far more difficult than parents and educators could have anticipated.

Meet Oliver and Tristan

As a result, parents are left wondering what they can do to motivate their children to become more physically active. For Angelina Liu, teacher, yoga expert, and mom of two, this doesn’t appear to be much of a problem. She is living most parents’ dream, with her children, Oliver (12) and Tristan (8) not only being interested in a sport but becoming savants at it. Liu credits introducing her sons to yoga at an early age, saying, “I started practicing yoga with them since they were a few months old, so yoga has become an integral part of their life.”

Be that as it may, you might be wondering how two boys and yoga can gel. Yoga, at its core, is about stillness and isolation of movement. How can these tenants be instilled into active, boisterous young kids? Liu admits this can be quite the challenge, but as a yoga teacher herself and attentive mom, she has a few tricks up her sleeve.

“The most challenging time for my children was when they were toddlers. For very young kids, especially for those 2-years or less, it is difficult to follow instructions such as sitting still or concentrating,” explains Liu. “But, as a yoga veteran and teacher, I understand the needs of younger children, and I changed my yoga program to be more active and interesting for the younger kids.”

But what about parents who might not understand the benefits yoga could have, as opposed to running track or being a part of the soccer team? Moreover, while yoga is great for quieting overwhelmed adult minds and softening stiff joints, what could it possibly do for flexible, active, unencumbered practitioners? Is yoga truly new-age nonsense, or does it have legitimate benefits for kids?

According to Liu, the benefits are myriad. “The earlier your children start to practice yoga, the better it is. Physical benefits include keeping healthy and fit, controlling weight problems, helping develop greater flexibility, strength, good posture, and coordination.”

Finding their inner peace

However, these are far from the only upsides. Yoga could also help provide kids with the mental boost and support they need, build confidence, relieve stress or tension, and control emotions and anger. It has also been known to improve concentration which could lead to better grades and foster team spirit in participants. This could also be a great way to get the entire family involved in physically forgiving exercise.

Oliver and Tristan, who both attend House of Knowledge (HoK) in Beijing, also get to keep up with their yoga practice at school, with mom as the school’s yoga instructor. Offering descriptions of her sons, it’s safe to say the boys were intended to be yoga gurus.

“My older son Oliver is a very sunny boy with a great heart. He is very creative and always active. He practices a lot of sports and loves dancing and arts. In addition to that, he has a good sense of fashion.”

Of younger son Tristan, Liu states that, “He is very similar to his older brother! He’s very thoughtful, smart, and determined, he always finds his way to get what he wants. At times he is a bit shy. They are both incredibly loving kids with a high sense of justice.”

As for whether this might lead to a future career path for Oliver and Tristan, Liu surmises it might be too soon to tell. For now, though, this family continues to down-dog together, and wish the rest of the Beijing families a continuously stress-free, healthier, and happier future.

KEEP READING: Learning Mindful Sleep With Yoga Nidra 

Photos: Angelina Liu

This article appeared in the beijingkids 2020 May issue

Students all around China have begun to return to campus, with Beijing high school seniors returning to school on Monday, April 27. Unsurprisingly, the transition hasn’t been totally smooth and within days of seeing their kids head back to school, parents were raising concerns about what it could mean for their health. Specifically, because their children were wearing N95 masks all day, every day.

According to an article published by Beijing Capital Education, the topic has been trending on various parenting forums since the start of the week when one parent, a pediatrician, raised concerns that the restricted airflow caused by N95 masks could be causing irreversible damage to children’s still-developing heart and lungs.

Other parents quickly chimed in, saying that they’d noticed that when wearing N95 masks their children tend to breathe with their mouths rather than their noses, as they found it difficult to get enough air into their lungs. Professor at Donghua University Textile Institute Jin Xiangyu commented that as wearing a mask is like setting up a filter barrier for your respiratory system, blocks pollution, and harmful particles and droplets. Since children’s lungs are still relatively weaker than those of adults, N95 masks are preventing them from breathing comfortably.

Jin advised parents not to blindly purchase N95 masks and medical masks without consulting a professional, saying that “the ventilation of these masks is around 300 Pa, although they provide high protection, they’re not conducive to ventilation. Wearing them on a daily basis for children is not the most ideal choice.”

The N95 mask standard stipulates that the filtering efficiency of children’s masks for dust, droplets, aerosols, and other particulate matter is not less than 90 percent, and the bacterial filtering efficiency is not less than 95 percent. Yet experts in the infection management department of West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Zong Zhiyong and Wang Yantong suggested that children under the age of 7 should not wear N95 masks even if the masks have a specially designed valve at the risk of suffocation.

He Hao, head of the infection management department at the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, said that children are not recommended to wear masks for strenuous exercise, which may cause hypoxia. If a child needs to attend a physical education class, it is recommended to do so in a ventilated outdoor area without wearing a mask, and try to choose sports that maintain a certain distance, to avoid close contact.

It seems the wearing N95 masks for long periods of time doesn’t only affect the respiratory system of children. Across the world earlier this week in New Jersey, US the Lincoln Park Police Department recently investigated a single-car collision where the male adult driver was found to have driven his car into a wooden pole. Following an investigation, the police determined the cause of the crash “to have resulted from the driver wearing an N95 mask for several hours and subsequently passing out behind the wheel due to insufficient oxygen intake/excessive carbon dioxide intake.”

KEEP READING: Can DIY Homemade Masks Protect Us From Coronavirus?

Sources: Beijing Capital Education, NY Daily News
Photos: Readers Digest, Today’s Parent