16 Sep Hands Foot Mouth Natural Remedies
Are you looking for hands foot mouth natural remedies? I got you, mama!
Last year, I had this. Me, the person that doesn’t get sick often, but when I do it’s a ‘childhood’ illness. 😛 It was crazy painful + I wouldn’t wish that on anyone, but what do I do when I get sick? Research. Put my science-y nerd brain to work (even if I was feverish) and figure out – how can I support my immune system while it fights this junk?
What Is Hands Foot Mouth
Hands foot mouth is a virus that is the coxsackievirus. Like I mentioned above, it’s not often that an adult gets it as it’s mostly a childhood illness and a highly contagious one at that. (Heeeelllloooo preschool!) Unfortunately, HFM has an incubation period up to 6 days + they CAN be contagious during this time + of course, they are contagious once symptoms start. You can also be contagious for days to weeks after you’ve had the virus. The symptoms look like..
- Fever (Make sure to read about what we recommend with fevers – a fever is one of our bestest friends when we’re fighting something!)
- Sore Throat
- Sports on Hands + Feet
- Sores in the mouth (yeeaaaahhh, OUCH! There are usually MULTIPLE + it’s painful to swallow, eat, drink.)
- Smaller appetite
- Fatigue
How To Support Your Body With This Virus
Elderberry Syrup – While elderberry syrup is heard a lot with avoiding the flu, it’s a great immune system booster with potent antiviral properties. You can learn how to make it on our blog! People always ask us how much to use + to be honest, we’re pretty giving when we’re sick and use elderberry. I don’t measure much. But you can start with a couple of teaspoons every 2-4 hours for kiddos and a couple of tablespoons every 2-4 hours for adults when sick. And if you don’t want to make it, you can buy the syrup already made!
Vitamin C – VItamin C is a nutrient that I’m SURE you’ve heard of helping support your immune system. When you’re fighting something, you need all the help you can get! I like liposomal vitamin C for optimal absorption + take about 500-1000mg a day while sick. You can also go up to your vitamin C tolerance levels, which is taking it throughout the day until you get the ‘runs’. For kiddos, the drinkable kind is easier!
Vitamin D – Another immune necessary nutrient + while I see plenty of vitamin D deficiencies, it’s always smart to have this as a supplement! Vitamin D holds antiviral properties + upregulates antimicrobial peptides. I love pairing K2 with vitamin D (as they are best buds!) to give optimal absorption and balance. This one tastes like orange + my kiddos love it!
Probiotics – The majority of the immune system is in your GI, so supporting your gut is needed to have a good working immune system. We love all the different strains with lactobacillus + bifido in Klaire Lab’s Ther-Biotic Kids.
Echinacea Extract – Echinacea is one of my FAVORITE extracts to give to my kids when they are fighting off something. Echinacea has potent antiviral properties. Echinaea can be given to kids 2 years old and up. I don’t like taking echinacea as an EVERYDAY supplement, but is super supportive when fighting a virus!
Houttuynia cordata – This Chinese herb was the most anti-viral – effective against the most popular HFM coxsackievirus strains (EV71 + CVA16).
We found Houttuynia cordata Thunb. was the only remedy with potent antiviral activity against both EV71 and CVA16.
Evidence Based Contemporary Alternative Medicine
This is found in Asian dishes + not as common you’ll find here in the U.S. I cracked open my herbal textbooks + couldn’t find this herb much and to see if it was okay for kids. So, I don’t have a concrete answer for kiddos, but adults it is okay!
Lifestyle
- Bone Broth – Nothing is more soothing to a sore throat (or sore mouth for that matter) than a warm cup o’ bone broth (or a soup!). Bone broth is super nourishing for your mucosal linings all the way from your mouth to your intestines. It’s also a super simple easy to digest protein, if you + your kiddos aren’t feeling too hot + don’t have much of an appetite. Kettle + Fire is our favorite, you can go get a case for your family over here on their website + use code NUVITRU for 20% off! We also love Kettle + Fire for their pre-made soup versions!
- Coconut Water – Coconut water is one of my favorite ways to re-hydrate! Coconut water is naturally a great source of electrolytes and necessary vitamins that you’ll need when sick, like vitamin C.
- Marshmallow Root Tea – I loooove this herb due to the soothing properties in the mucosal lining from the mouth all the way to the gut, as it supports the GI immune system SIgA. Sweeten it with a little bit of raw mankua honey that has immune supporting properties too! I love to buy mine from Mountain Rose Herbs!
- Chamomile Tea – Another tea that can reduce inflammation overall in the body + give a soothing feel to the mouth.
- Tons of rest
- Hand washing can prevent the spread of it!
While there aren’t many direct answers in studies with natural remedies, just overall supporting of the immune system, eating real wholesome foods, sanitary prevention, can help your household stay protected and ease the discomfort + shorten the virus. XO
