A Tribute to Mom’s Healing Touch

Mom had the special healing touch, and it was not just the chicken soup. Whenever I did not feel well, I would always go to my mother. Let’s face it, her food was always tastier than mine, and her bed was always more comfortable. Mom had the special healing touch.

I was fortunate to have not sustained any major wounds or injuries during my childhood. This was quite an amazing feat given my bicycling without a helmet, roller skating without knee pads, and assisting my dad in multiple home renovations projects using electric power tools. The worst fright was a superficial abrasion sustained after having daintily fallen and scraped my left radial wrist against the toe pick of my ice skates. My dad scooped me up and brought me home to mom. My parents were not physicians, but through my childhood eyes, they could do everything … especially mom.

“Wash the wound with soap and water. Pour hydrogen peroxide into the wound and if it bubbles, that means that it was infected and the germs are being killed. Leave the wound uncovered and open to air to allow a scab to form … and don’t pick at it.”

How did those remedies and concoctions truly work? I simply accepted and believed it all then, but now I realize that my healing had more to do with being a healthy 10-year-old with no risk factors, rather than anything else.   

We’ve come a long way in our understanding of “germs,” and our body’s response to injury. As healthcare practitioners, we appreciate the elaborate cytological and humoral events associated with the response to injury. We acknowledge the four phases of wound healing—namely, hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation, and remodeling. We recognize that the underlying conditions of the host, such as nutritional deficiencies, diabetes, and renal disease, may impact the progression of any of the phases. We have developed many algorithms and acronyms to classify and manage the acute, subacute, and chronic wounds. The understanding of the pathophysiology of wound healing has allowed for targeted therapeutic interventions for the different phases of healing, such as the use of silicone sheets for scar remodeling. We continue to learn more about biofilm and its impact on wound healing. There are so many exciting dimensions to this field of study.

I know much more now than my mom ever did. Yet, I do admit and recall that mom had a special healing touch, and the kiss on the forehead was magic.

Monique Abner, MD, CWSP, is affiliated with Wound Healing & Hyperbaric Medicine, part of Tower Health Medical Group, in Wyomissing, PA. Dr. Abner's professional affiliations include the American Board of Wound Management, the American Society of Plastic Surgery, Diplomate of the American Board of Plastic Surgeons, member of the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society, and member of the Association for the Advancement of Wound Care.