Caregiving’s Unexpected Toll on the Health

Holidays pose elevated risks of sleep deprivation, lack of support, and improper self-care that threatens brain health in caregivers.
Caregiving’s Unexpected Toll on the Health
Caregivers face certain increased risks to their health that are exaggerated during the holiday season. Shutterstock
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Daphne Wiswell knew something was off when minor inconveniences in life—such as a flat tire—were giving her physical symptoms such as shakiness and the sense that a panic attack could happen at any moment.

Ms. Wiswell’s intuition was right that her body was out of balance. Most of her experience in understanding the human body, however, came from two decades of caring for various family members, including a daughter with multiple autoimmune forms of arthritis and her mother-in-law and mother on a short-term basis before each one passed away. It also included her son who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 2, a disease that leaves many parents in a constant state of hypervigilance. Ms. Wisell is also healing from her own autoimmune diseases.

Amy Denney
Amy Denney
Author
Amy Denney is a health reporter for The Epoch Times. Amy has a master’s degree in public affairs reporting from the University of Illinois Springfield and has won several awards for investigative and health reporting. She covers the microbiome, new treatments, and integrative wellness.
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