The Dialogic Quesstion - Essay Example

The Dialogic Question The case study is about Xong Mary Hang, a one year old girl. The girl lives with her parents and grandparents.The mother of Xong is sixteen years old and attends high school while the father is eighteen years old who is employed. The two young parents are unable to raise Xong because of their schedules. The grandparents have taken the duty of raising Xong while the young parents attend to their various schedules. The case examines the factors that are responsible for the deteriorating health of the young girl (Culhane-Pera, 2003).

The case showcases the various points of conflict in child rearing that emanate from age difference. The matter of Xongs’ deteriorating health was brought to light by the mother. The mother noticed the change in her daughter’s health, and this realization prompted her to consult a health professional, Dr. Anderson. The doctor questions the mother in order to elicit a response from her which will assist her in making the diagnosis for Xong.During the question and response session between the mother and the doctor, it comes to light that Xong was not eating solid food such as rice, meat, or vegetables, but survives on milk for her day and night meals.

Closer examination revealed that Xong was had a hemoglobin count of 9.2 which is less than the normal hemoglobin range of 12-14. Xong was also found to be underweight and having a pale yellow skin. This led to the doctor making the diagnosis of iron deficiency. The doctor based this diagnosis on the responses she had elicited from the young mother. The doctor believed strongly that the excessive consumption of milk and lack of a balanced diet was responsible for iron deficiency. The doctor prescribed iron supplements for Xong, and advised the young mother to offer Xong less milk and she should use a cup and not a bottle.

This should be coupled up with a balanced diet.The doctor recommended monthly check up visits for Xong and her mother in order to track her medical progress. During the subsequent visits, the condition of Xong kept on deteriorating with each passing month. This was because of the difference between the grandparents and the parents of Xong. The parents understood the adverse effects of the condition of Xong and what were causing it while the grandparents did not understand the medical implication of Xong’s condition.

The grandparents were not ready to implement the doctor’s recommendations of less milk using the bottle, and the administration of iron supplements. They did not believe that Xong’s condition was medical related. The grandparents were of the opinion that if they stopped feeding Xong with milk would starve her to death. This was informed by their experiences of losing children to starvation (Culhane-Pera, 2003).The doctor advises the mother to adopt iron injections for Xong. This was afforded to counter the unimplemented diet and iron supplement remedy.

The mother allowed for the health professional to make weekly visits to provide health education, services and evaluate the situation. After two weeks of the injection, the child’s health status improved. Dr. Anderson’s examinations revealed a rise in the level of hemoglobin and a change in the size of the spleen. The improvement that was noted resulted due to the administration of injections. The sad thing is that the improvement did not result from a substantial change in nutritional behavior and cultural beliefs and practices (Omohundro, 2007).

ReferencesCulhane-Pera, K. (2003). Healing by heart: clinical and ethical case stories of Hmong families and Western providers. Amsterdam: Vanderbilt University Press.Omohundro, J. (2007). Thinking Like an Anthropologist: A Practical Introduction to Cultural Anthropology. New York: McGraw-Hill .