Why the pandemic is the perfect opportunity to introduce meditation to children [PODCAST]

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“While there is a myriad of expert opinions on what long term effects this pandemic will have on our children and their physical and mental health, we must also remember the age-old idiom: this too shall pass. We must also be sensitive to not add to parents’ already full plates. Meditation is not meant to be another task on the already burdened shoulder of parents, but quite the opposite: a way to cope with the increasing demands placed on us by the pandemic.

Despite the ubiquitous and understandable parental concerns regarding what type of adults these baby zoomers will turn out to be, pediatricians have a unique opportunity to counsel and provide some small silver linings. For example, many children are learning to adapt quickly to unpredictable situations. Many are becoming adept in technology, which will give them lifelong computer proficiency that may help in future careers. Many more are becoming excellent self-learners, and many parents are getting a unique opportunity to observe their children in a classroom setting. Finally, pediatricians can suggest the introduction of meditation and mindfulness as a means to counteract the possible negative effects the pandemic may have on our children.”

Ana Pal and Samira Hodges are pediatricians. They can be reached on Twitter @thepedipals.

They share their story and discuss their KevinMD article, “Why the pandemic is the perfect opportunity to introduce meditation to children.”

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Hosted by Kevin Pho, MD, The Podcast by KevinMD shares the stories of the many who intersect with our health care system but are rarely heard from.

Transcript

Kevin Pho: Hi, and welcome to the show, where we share the stories of the many who intersect with our health care system but are rarely heard from. My name is Kevin Pho, founder and editor of KevinMD. Today on the show, we have Ana Pal and Samira Hodges. They are both pediatricians, and they are known as the PediPals. Ana, Samira, welcome to the show.

Samira Hodges: Thank you. Thank you for having me.

Kevin Pho: They both wrote the article “Why the pandemic is the perfect opportunity to introduce meditation to children.” But before we get to that article, Ana, can you tell me a little about your story and your journey to where you got to today?

Ana Pal: Sure. Thank you so much, Kevin, for having both of us on. We’re really grateful for this opportunity, and I’m just thankful to your listeners for tuning in. Sammy, as I like to call her, and I go way back. We met during my intern year in residency, where she was my chief and upper-level resident. As you and many of your listeners can probably relate to, in those initial days and nights of residency, we had so many eventful nights, and we bonded immediately. We had that instant connection. We bonded over our heritage and our culture and medicine, and the rest is pretty much history. I think we ended up in the same city. We work in Houston, Texas, and we’ve been working at the same practice and have been friends ever since.

So basically, over the many years as we’ve been in private practice, we have gotten to really discover our own personal and professional journeys side by side, and we have just discovered a lot about each other. You know, a lot of physicians go through many ups and downs in their career, learning how to best be a resource for patients and families, and then also managing our own health and wellness. That’s kind of what brought us to the PediPals.

Often we focus so much of our time and energy on acute care management in medicine, treating bronchiolitis, pneumonia, strep throat, and ear infections. But Sammy and I bonded on just wellness, and bonded over how we can help our parents raise happy and healthy kids, because there’s so much information out there for parents right now. We tried to reach out to do community outreach in our communities. We tried to hold symposiums, and we got great feedback. A lot of our parents mentioned that they wanted us to be on social media, so that they can have access to us easier during this time when they’re busy. You know, they’re busy with their everyday lives, with their kids. And that’s how we came to our new venture with the PediPals.

Kevin Pho: Fantastic. And Samira, can you share a little bit about your story?

Samira Hodges: Yes. So it’s very similar to Ana’s. As she mentioned, I was her upper level. We did residency together, and we both live in Texas. From my point of view, she was one of those awesome, stellar interns that everyone wished they could have, so I got really lucky. By some weird twist of fate, we ended up being with each other on many of those 30-hour shifts on the pediatric ward. We both have the same sense of humor, so we would find the same things funny, and we found ourselves laughing a lot at night. We went through training together, and then it was only natural to, you know, find ourselves practicing together as well.

I actually originally grew up in Canada, but I married an American after medical school, which is what brought me down here. And so, as Ana said, this journey for us has been really fun and exciting, especially practicing with someone that you are great friends with and that you trust. That’s kind of how we got here.

Kevin Pho: And one of the things that you had mentioned was that your parents wanted your practice to be more on social media. Now, before that request, what kind of social media presence did your practice have, and what kind of things did you do to kind of further that after that request?

Ana Pal: Right. We didn’t actually have any established social media presence. You know, we are working pediatricians in our community, just in the traditional sense. So we had our own practice, and just through talking with families, we found ourselves just not having enough time to really delve into some of the topics of health and wellness. You know, we get 10, 15, 20 minutes, maybe, with each family in our office, and we just had so much to talk about, so much to share, because wellness just goes beyond, you know, the everyday illnesses that children experience.

So with that, we decided we’ll have a community symposium. Like we did, I think, at the public library, we had symposiums in that type of setting. That’s where families mentioned that it was hard for them to come out routinely, but they really valued our time and our wanting to be a resource for them. That’s when they brought up, you know, doing something like a live, like a Facebook Live or an Instagram Live, or coming on social media, so they can tune in from home and ask questions. And that’s where we decided to venture that way.

Kevin Pho: And in terms of training, do you have a lot of social media experience as it relates to a professional medicine practice?

Ana Pal: No, we actually don’t. We’re learning. We actually thought about this at the end of last year, to go forward, and then, you know, the universe had other plans with the pandemic. And so we’ve been learning about social media, since it’s just such a big resource right now, and a lot of families have access to so much information on social media. So we really wanted to make it our mission to provide good evidence-based information and be a resource where we can talk about the new research and talk about things that affect children and their families on this type of platform.

Kevin Pho: So let’s transition into your KevinMD article, “Why the pandemic is the perfect opportunity to introduce meditation to children.” Samira, for those who haven’t read that article, can you just walk my audience through it and maybe share the story of why you and Ana decided to write it?

Samira Hodges: Sure. I should mention that Ana and I actually are adults who discovered meditation in our adult life. It was something that we both discovered independently, and then we ended up talking about it and were surprised that we were both starting to meditate. Then, over time, we started to see the benefits of meditation in our own lives and started to see why there’s so much data that’s starting to be presented, especially in medical literature, about the benefits of meditation. So we had a personal passion towards it as well.

With regard to the article in particular, we want to empower physicians, specifically pediatricians if possible, to be sensitive to the unique situation that this pandemic presents to our patients and their families. The pandemic in general is a unique situation. Children have been forced indoors, forced to their screens, which we all know has a detrimental long-term effect on brain development. Less exercise, more eating. Growth charts are accelerating at a monumental pace. Anecdotally, you know, we as practicing pediatricians are diagnosing more autism, more anxiety, more depression, and many more mental health disorders.

So what do we do? What do we do as physicians, and what do parents do? The first key is that we have to be really compassionate and understand that we can’t add more to anyone’s plate right now. Everyone is overwhelmed. Everyone is dealing with the challenges of this pandemic in a myriad of ways, so we have to be very sensitive to not add more to their plate. But meditation is something that we can educate families about. This is a costless investment, and it’s something that will only bring positive benefits and will kind of counterbalance the negative effects that we’re noticing. And the sooner you start it, the better you can lay the foundation for children to have the tools to deal with these stressors. If they can start now and early, and learn how to focus, and learn how to focus on one thing, and learn how to manage stress, then that’s something that they can carry with them the rest of their lives.

That’s what the article is essentially about. It’s, you know, bringing evidence forth. We tend to have a little bit more evidence from a medical perspective, and evidence-based medicine, with adults. There’s still a lot to be unraveled in terms of pediatrics and the benefits of meditation, but it is there, and we want to educate other physicians, other providers, other health care providers on this particular tool that can always be a great topic of discussion when you’re handling these challenging situations that families have been faced with.

Kevin Pho: And I know meditation just in the abstract, but from a practical standpoint, if you were to teach meditation to children, what exactly would that entail, and what would that look like?

Ana Pal: Yeah, that’s a great question. Meditation, like many things, is not a one-size-fits-all. You know, there are many ways to do it. There are many apps and resources online. There are different types of meditation that we can talk about, breathing meditation, many different types that parents can utilize. The biggest message that we want to relate to parents is to not be overwhelmed, not to make this another task, another chore for them to do, but mostly to incorporate it in a routine that they’re already making.

A routine, for example, a bedtime routine. You know, usually parents wind down with their children at night, bath time. Just in that time, there can be just a minute or two of self-reflection, of a pause. A pause that’s very important for children. You know, meditation has shown benefits in allowing kids to be more focused, have a better attention span, cope with traumas that they might experience, and have better attitudes, just in general, for their social and emotional development. So just that one or two minutes of pause, where they can maybe just focus on the breath, reflect on the day, and talk to their parents about things they experienced that day, lessons learned. You know, it’s just that time, just a few minutes of time and pause, that I really think will be beneficial.

And just to reinforce what Sammy mentioned, a lot of psychologists, a lot of teachers, and psychiatrists are incorporating meditation and mindfulness as a part of cognitive behavioral therapy. So it’s something that they’re doing at the psychologist’s office, and being able to do that at home, just for a few minutes, can really show benefits for children.

Kevin Pho: And Ana, just to follow up on that, let’s say parents wanted to take that next step after those initial instructions that you provided. Where can they look?

Ana Pal: There are several apps that can be found, you know, that are now available, because people are discovering mindfulness and meditation more and more. There are some great children’s apps, and we can share those through our website and our social media, ones that we personally use. Those are great resources to put on some light music, just to count, you know, one to 10, take deep breaths, focus on the breath, and just start there.

We know a lot of children’s attention span is limited, you know, so we can’t expect them necessarily to meditate for 30 minutes or an hour. You know, just one to two minutes is more than enough for them to start. So I would say look into some of those resources online, and we’ll continue to share them through our platform. And just take a few minutes to spend those moments of silence with your children.

Kevin Pho: Samira, so when you introduce meditation to your patients and your patients’ parents, what kind of response do you generally get?

Samira Hodges: You know, it depends, like with anything, but for the most part, people are quite open to it. I think a lot of parents, especially nowadays, are looking to explore options other than pharmaceuticals. So, you know, they’re not always looking right away to start a pharmaceutical therapy. And mental health in general has gotten a lot more attention in the last decade and is less stigmatized. So when it’s brought up, you know, typically they’re quite open to it, especially if you present the data behind it and that it is a very beneficial, proven practice to have. So usually they’re actually quite happy to learn that that’s something that they can do.

It’s more the implementation that’s a little bit of a challenge. But as Ana said, we try to really break it down into bite-sized functions, I guess. And then we just let them know that if you could just tack it onto something that you’re already doing, and you’re looking at starting with a two-minute commitment, and then, once they’ve mastered that two minutes, then you go to three, and then you go to four, and you just kind of keep building upon that, then it doesn’t seem so intimidating. Most people would think that that small of a commitment might not be very beneficial, but when they have more discussions with us, they realize that it really does.

Kevin Pho: Samira, just a follow-up. So if clinicians wanted to incorporate more meditation and suggest it in their practice, can you suggest any websites where they can learn more about this?

Samira Hodges: Most clinicians have a really good relationship with their local psychologists and psychiatrists. I would actually recommend reaching out to them, because, as Ana said, they’re a really good resource as well to use during this time. I’m sure they’re overburdened as well, so they would love to have some primary care, you know, assistance. And so that would be a good first place, to talk to the people that you tend to refer to and get some info and resources from them. The Calm app is a pretty popular one.

And as with anything, it’s always helpful if you practice what you preach, right? So if physicians are trying to preach about good health and having a good diet, it’s always good if you’re doing it yourself. If you’re telling your patients to have a regular exercise routine, it’s always good if you’re already doing that yourself, because then you can come from a place of experience as well. Meditation’s the same. If you can try to incorporate that in your own daily life, knowing the benefits that it causes, no matter what kind of person you are, it will bring you something positive in your life. Then it will be much easier to tell that to your parents and your patients as well. So for practicing physicians, I would just start with yourself and start with your local community.

Kevin Pho: We’re talking to Ana Pal and Samira Hodges. They are pediatricians, and they co-wrote the KevinMD article “Why the pandemic is the perfect opportunity to introduce meditation to children.” Ana, we are speaking at the end of October, and we are on the cusp of a third wave of the pandemic. Now, it’s a very stressful time, obviously. What kind of advice can you give to parents going forward?

Ana Pal: Yeah, that’s a great question. I think all of us, parents and children, have been struggling during this pandemic. There’s a lot of isolation. There’s a lot of unknown with the virus. Physicians, clinicians, were all at a loss. And, you know, I think the biggest advice that I would provide to families is to stay on top of the medical information. Safety first, you know. Definitely make sure that they are that resource for their children, to be able to be safe first, and then to really focus on spending that quality time with them. We can really utilize this time that we have to really reflect and introspect about how we live our lives, wellness, our nutrition, improving on sleep. All of these are cornerstones of wellness.

The one thing that I’ve been stressing to families is that if you really focus, like Samira said, if you focus on your health and wellness, it will trickle down to your children. If you make that a priority, by putting the screens away, by turning the TVs off, by using that time to eat together, to draw together, to play games together, and really spend that time with your children, there will be a lot less anxiety and just an improved outlook. The way we live our lives really does trickle down to our children. And so I would say the biggest thing would be to really spend time with each other during this time.

Kevin Pho: And Samira, I’m going to ask you a similar question, except we’re going to have you address it towards your fellow pediatrician colleagues. What kind of advice do you have for them as we enter the third wave?

Samira Hodges: Give yourself a pat on the back. You’re wonderful. You’ve done it. This was a really scary and kind of uncertain thing that was heading our way, like a big tidal wave that we knew was going to come towards us at some point, and probably one of the most stressful things any of us have ever been through. So, you know, as a health care provider, as a physician, as a pediatrician, we’re front lines. You know, we knew that the kids were going to get COVID, despite, you know, the reports that it might have been a lesser case, thank goodness for that. But we knew that they were going to get exposed and they were going to have it. We have to be there and treat them and diagnose them, and then also provide support for their parents, and, you know, rapidly educate yourself during this time.

So my advice to them would be: You did it, you’re doing it, and a great job. You know, we’re grateful to our medical community, and give yourself some credit during this time, because it’s not been easy. So my message would be one of complete support.

Kevin Pho: So I’m going to end off by asking both of you the same question. Ana, what is your take-home message that you want to leave with the KevinMD audience?

Ana Pal: My take-home message to the audience is mostly to really focus on wellness as a whole. I think in medicine, we as clinicians often get very pigeonholed, and sometimes we have a hard time seeing the forest for the trees, because we are treating medical illnesses, you know, day to day, and, like Sammy said, we’re front lines. I think it’s important to focus on everything as a whole: your mind, body, and environment. The meditation article was just another outlook on things we can do day to day to really make sure we’re taking care of ourselves, our mental health, and our physical health as well. And so I think the take-home is you’re doing a great job. Keep doing what you’re doing, and really try to utilize this time to focus on yourself and to provide the most resources for families out there.

Kevin Pho: Samira, what is your take-home message?

Samira Hodges: Similar to Ana’s, obviously, one of support and gratitude. Also, you know, going through your career, especially for the younger physicians right now, I would like for them to know that you’re going to evolve a lot. How you come out, fresh out of residency, is very different than how you feel several years down the line and how you feel at the end of your career. And, you know, we have evolved also, Ana and myself, and have learned how important self-care is and how important it is to be able to take care of ourselves so we can take care of our patients. So that would be my take-home message.

And it all really comes back down to the article. It’s not only for parents, but for anybody at this time, this, you know, critical time, when we’ve been faced with such a huge challenge: What do we do? This is what we want to share with your audience, that we have found this really helpful for ourselves and in our day-to-day practice. We would like to share that with your audience and anyone who’s willing to listen, that it really is a great thing to try to incorporate in your life, because you will reap all the benefits.

Kevin Pho: And together, you’re both known as the PediPals. Samira, how could people reach you?

Samira Hodges: You can find us on social media. As Ana said, you know, it wasn’t our preferred original platform, but we finally joined 2020. So we can be found on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, and our tag is @thepedipals. We also have a website, thepedipals.com. You can message us through there. So yeah, just Google us and you’ll find us.

Kevin Pho: Ana, Samira, thank you so much for sharing your time and insight, and thanks again for being on the show.

Samira Hodges: Thanks for having us.

Ana Pal: Thank you so much.

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