How to Treat Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease, Naturally

Every year, parents and young children are plagued by Hand, Foot and Mouth disease (HFM-Enterovirus 71), as it easily spreads through day care centers and kindergarten classes. It’s not usually a risky infection to the general population, but it brings great misery to families, is highly contagious, and can be hazardous to the immune-compromised. Here’s a review of it’s symptoms and typical course; knowing the effective anti-viral protocols are especially helpful with HFM, as there are no pharmaceutical medicines for it.

HFM is an infection common to young children that was identified in 1965; annually there are small regional outbreaks, and about every 3-4 years there is a severe outbreak world-wide. It’s most contagious during the first week of illness, and is defined as an emerging pathogen (growing more common, and perhaps more virulent). It is generally not treated in conventional medicine, and there is no vaccine.

**It’s usually spread..**

…through respiratory droplets, or contact with an infected persons bodily fluids. *It is excreted in feces for weeks or months after an infection. It initially colonizes the GI tract.*
***Herbal Antivirals,*** Steven Harrod Buhner

The first signs of HFM is usually a fever and sore throat. This is why it’s exceedingly important to pull back from public gatherings at the first sign of illness, especially in the younger set. As parents, in our hopeful denial we are sometimes tempted to fit in this just one last important function, or to avoid disappointing others. But breaking the cycle of this contagion takes some intention, and it matters. Although susceptibility is much less after age of 10 because of the immunity developed by early exposure, it can be quite serious to vulnerable individuals with compromised health.

Common additional symptoms with HFM infection include:

Headache
Fatigue
Malaise
Ear pain
Body rash
Oral ulcers
Loss of appetite
Vomiting
Blisters on the palms of hands or soles of feet, and sometimes also nostrils and buttocks.

To give you an idea of why it’s so valuable to boost your child’s immune system, and to be proactive in protecting your community by heading home at the first symptoms of illness….

In the rare event that it does increase in severity, it may invade the spinal cord and ascend to the brain where it produces high levels of cytokines. (SHB*).

However, you are not at the mercy of HFM. There are many lifestyle, supplemental and herbal options to expand your holistic medicine chest and improve the vitality of your child’s immune system so they are more likely to remain robust and resistant. Some of these suggestions may seem rote, but I assure you that as simple as they sound, they make a tremendous difference!

Prevention in general, especially during cool seasonal transitions, includes:

Making the choice to calm down the schedules where you can.
Washing hands with old fashion soap and water frequently, and washing toys often if they are exposed to multiple young children.
Making sure your children are getting plenty of sleep, which is when cellular repair and restoration takes place.
Keeping them hydrated with pure water, not sodas or even processed juices.
Minimizing, or better yet, eliminating sugar from your diet. If HFM is ‘going around’, then this is really important. Sugar actively sabotages immune function, and creates an internal microbial landscape that feeds and cultivates pathogens.

**Avoid:**

Letting the kids get damp and deeply chilled outside due to being underdressed. A balaclava, bandana or a cuff off an old turtleneck can provide essential warmth to their neck (and the lymph beds there) in blustery winds.

Dr. David Brownstein’s anti-viral protocol is powerful action at the first sign of infection. The following dosage is for adults, assume ~#150 and adjust for your child’s weight. Orally, for the four days:

Vitamin A, 100,000 IU. (SKIP IF PREGNANT)
Vitamin C, 1,000mg every hour until bowel tolerance (loose stools)
Vitamin D3, 50,000 IU. (SKIP OR GREATLY REDUCE IF PREGNANT, as per provider guidance)
Iodine, 25-50 mg per day.

Other essential nutrients for immune and anti-viral activity include zinc and selenium, follow the suggested dosing on the bottle. If the kids are struggling to stay well, or there’s quite a lot of illness ‘going around’, I might work on improving my children’s immune systems by doing a much reduced dosage of these nutrients daily.

The following are just some of the detailed protocols from Steven Buhner’s highly recommended book, Herbal Antivirals: Natural Remedies for Emerging & Resistant Viral Infections. Read there for further explanations and additional herbal approaches, it’s the first reference I would seek if things got more serious.

Combine equal parts licorice, houttuynia, and porcelain berry. Dose is 1-5 ml, 3-6x day, depending on severity & age of child.
Tea of ginger juice, neem leaf, honey, squeeze of lime, pinch of cayanne. 3-6x/daily.

Specific symptoms:

For blisters: Lemon balm infused oil or cordial, applied topically as desired.
For fever: Boneset tea, 4-6x/day.
For diarrhea: Pomegranate juice has many specific benefits here (see his book), Cranberry-pomegranate combo also.
In general (not Buhner’s): Internal use of colloidal silver, such as Argentyn 23.

What we feed the family, and in what food combination, is a big part of their health as well. Excessive carbohydrates adds to immune compromise, as the pathogens flourish with them just like with sugar. While it’s challenging for those families stretching their food dollar with filling carbs, it’s most ideal to focus on protein and vegetables at most meals, using carbs as treats or meals in themselves. Contrary to what we may have been taught, serving carbs at every meal is not necessary or best.