Hitoshi Maeshima, ICDP trainer (appears sitting in the middle on the photoabove) lives and works as a medical doctor in Tokyo. In early May 2020, Hitoshi wrote to ICDP about the following experience:
As part of my work as a doctor, I regularly visit 7 care homes for older people. During one of my visits to a care home I was asked to explain some medical findings about infectious diseases that have recently been particularly feared: – What is the mechanism by which new coronavirus pneumonia suddenly becomes severe, and how can it be prevented or treated? According to the clinical course, the severity of coronavirus pneumonia is reported to occur suddenly about ten days after infection. Approximately ten days after infection, antibodies begin to appear in the patient’s body. The virus antigen and its antibody react in the patient’s lungs to form an antigen-antibody complex, which leads to the production of various cytokines. The original role of these cytokines is to more effectively remove this complex from the body. However, sometimes cytokines are overproduced, causing a cytokine storm. Cytokine storms are immune overreactions and immune runaway. The main cause of the cytokine storm is the excessive function of the cytokine IL6. This was investigated in a pathological condition called juvenile rheumatism. It is known that an inhibitor of IL6 can prevent or treat the cytokine storm. The severity of new-type coronavirus pneumonia and its treatment are partially possible with IL6 inhibitors. IL6 inhibitor was invented about 15 years ago by the Japanese Doctor, Chuuzou Chuuzou, whom I met at the Conference of Japanese Internal Medicine.
After explaining the above story, I conducted an ICDP meeting that was attended by three nurses, one care manager and one doctor. I explained the different aspects and characteristics of ICDP. We discussed how ICDP puts empathy at the basis of human communication. Empathy makes one more sensitive to the feelings and thoughts of the other person, whether in the communication between the child and caregiver, the older person and caregiver, or in general adult to adult communication. After our discussion, a participant nurse, whose daughter is 3 years old, said that ICDP is extremely useful to her in her parenting role. A care manager who has a teenage daughter said she now feels motivated to learn to better express love to her child.
ICDP is about strengthening the formation of loving relationships. By raising children in this way, it can be expected that they will in the future make the human society richer in humanity. – Hitoshi Maeshima