Hand, Mouth & Foot Disease And Its Ayurvedic Treatment
Abstract
Bacteria and viral diseases are very common nowadays. These diseases easily spread from one person to another by common means such as sneezing, coughing and touching communicated things etc. Hand, foot and mouth is a viral illness in which sores are present in the hand, foot, mouth and other parts of the body also. This disease can spread with weakness, loss of appetite and low grade fever. Here in this article we will discuss this disease in detail and its ayurvedic management also.
Introduction
Hand, foot and mouth is a contagious disease and is more common in children under the age of five. It occurs generally in summers. It can easily spread through direct contact with saliva, mucus, and faeces of an infected person. This disease was first reported by Robinsons and Rhodes in 1958. In initial stages this disease is mild but goes away on its own after some time. This disease is highly communicable and spreads very fast from one person to another. It is mainly caused by Coxsackievirus. This disease can spread from unwashed hands or contaminated faeces. The common symptoms shown by this disease are high-grade fever, sores, skin rashes and blisters. This disease can be preventable by some methods such as regularly washing hands, and avoiding close contact etc. Let’s discuss in detail.
Causes
Hand, foot and mouth diseases spread easily from one person to another by
- Direct contact
- Due to cough and sneezing
- Contact with contaminated objects
- Contact with secretions such as saliva or nasal mucus
- Faeces
- Fluid from blisters
Basically this disease is caused by viruses. These viruses belong to the enterovirus family. Most common viruses that cause this disease are as follows
- Coxsackievirus A16
- Coxsackievirus A6
- Enterovirus 71
Symptoms
Fever and flu like symptoms
These symptoms appear after 3 to 5 days after transmission. Following are the symptoms shown by this disease are
- High grade fever
- Loss of appetite
- Sore throat
- Tiredness
Mouth sores
These sores are very painful. Firstly they are very small and red spots but after some time that blister comes painful. Due to formation of these sores following signs may appear
- Difficulty in eating or drinking
- Patient wanting only cold fluids
- Excessive saliva
Skin rash
In this skin rashes may appear on the hands, feet and other parts of the body.
Diagnosis
- Physical examination
- Throat swab culture and sensitivity
- Stool sample culture and sensitivity
- Blister fluid culture and sensitivity
Complications
- Dehydration
- Neurological complications
- Viral meningitis
- Encephalitis
- Acute flaccid paralysis
- Non neurological complications
- Loss of finger and toe tails
Treatment
Symptomatic treatment:- In this symptomatic treatment should be given to the patient
- Analgesics
- Antipyretics
- Anti-itching creams
- Cold therapy
Prevention
Wash hands often
wash your hands after contact with any object or surface. People should wash their hands for a minimum of twenty seconds.
Teach good hygiene
Teach good hygiene to your child
Disinfect common areas
Always clean high traffic areas and surfaces that are in direct contact with people such as door knobs, and playing items
Avoid close contact
hand, foot and mouth disease is highly contagious so avoid close contact with infected person
Ayurvedic overview
Ayurveda is a vedic science which deals with management and prevention of acute and chronic diseases. It is one of the oldest traditional systems of medicine. As we all know the entire universe is made up of five elements i.e. Aakash, Vayu, Agni, Jal and Prithvi. These five elements form the three basic humours of the human body i.e. vata, pitta and kapha. In ayurveda the concept of prakriti is mentioned which is based on the mental and physical constitution of a person. According to ayurveda hand, mouth and foot diseases cannot be correlated with any specific disease but its symptoms can be compared with shakuni graha explained by acharya sushrut. In shakuni greh children have painful sores in the mouth, sores all over the body, mouth sore and fever etc.(Reference:-sushrut utar sthan 27;10)
This disease can be managed by some ayurvedic therapies such as prishek, abhyanga, lepa, mukhpak, ghritpan, and dhupan etc. (reference sushrut utar sthan 30;3,ashtang sangrah 6;31)
As we have learnt that it is a communicable disease and spreads easily from one person to another. So In ayurveda it can be correlated with sankramak rog (as described in sushrut nidansthan 6;32-35).
The herbs which are useful in the management of this disease are guggul, haridra, giloy, vilav, tulsi and shyonak. These herbs mainly reduce the symptoms of this disease and boost the immunity of patients. Let’s discuss these herbs in detail.
Guggul
It is an ayurvedic herb and has antiinflammatory and antioxidant properties. Paste of guggul is locally applied on skin diseases. It also reduces the redness and itching on the skin.
Haridra
It is also called gauri and has many health benefits. According to charaka it is of five types. Its leaves are narrow at the base and bright yellow from inside. It is widely used for skin diseases. So it is a very important herb for the management of this disease.
Tulsi
This herb is very useful in itching or rashes. You can simply make it into paste and apply it over the skin. It also has antimicrobial effects and is helpful in the management of bacterial and viral disease.
Thus these herbs are very useful in the management of hand, foot and mouth disease. All these herbs are present in Plant Ayurveda’s product.
Herbal remedies for hand, mouth and foot diseases by Planet Ayurveda
Planet ayurveda is a worldwide company which treats humans as well as animals. This is a GMP certified company. All the medicnes made by this company are natural and free from side effects. This company makes medicines under the observation of MD ayurveda doctors. Planet Ayurveda makes medicine in the form of tablets, syrup and churna. All the products are gluten free. In case of hand, mouth and foot diseases following products are offered by Planet ayurveda.
Product list
- Septrin tablet
- Curcumin capsules
- Amritarisht
- Mahamanjisthadi kwath
1. Septrin tablet
It is a herbal formulation manufactured by Planet Ayurveda consisting of natural herbs. The main ingredients of this tablet are guggul (Commiphora mukul), pippali (Piper longum), marich (Piper nigrum), sonth (Zingiber officinale), tulsi (Ocimum sanctum) and haldi (Curcuma longa). This formulation has antimicrobial, analgesics, antiseptic and antipyretic properties which helps in fight against viruses. It also has anti-inflammatory properties and also promotes immunity. Thus septrin tablets are very useful in the management of skin disease.
Dose: 1 tablet twice daily with plain water after meals
2. Curcumin capsules
These capsules consist of Standardised extract of haridra (Curcuma longa). Haridra has wonderful properties that help in the management of bacterial and viral disease. As we know this herb is traditionally famous in our homes and very helpful in all allergic reactions. It also heals the ulcers and rashes from the affected part. Thus this product is widely used in the management of skin disorders.
Dose:1 capsule twice daily with plain water after meals
3. Amritarisht
It is a classical ayurvedic formulation which is made up of natural herbs in the form of syrup. The main ingredients of this syrup are giloy (Tinospora cordifolia), bilva (Aegle marmelos), shyonak (Oroxylum indicum), gambhiri (Gmelina arborea), patla (Sterespermum suaveolens) and agnimantha (Clerodendrum phlomidis) etc. This syrup is very useful to boost immunity therefore helps the body to fight against various infections. It is also very helpful in reducing the fever.
Dose: 5ml twice a day with an equal amount of water after meals
4. Mahamanjisthadi kwath
Mahamanjisthadi kwath is an ayurvedic syrup that is very helpful in the purification of blood. The main ingredients present in this kwath are haritaki (Terminalia chebula), bibhitaki (Terminalia belerica), tikta (Solanum indicum), vacha (Acorus calamus) and devadaru (Cedrus deodara). This formulation mainly purifies the blood and helps in the management of bacteria and viral infections. It also boosts up the immunity and gives strength to the body.
Dose: 5 ml twice a day after meals.
Conclusion
This disease mainly occurs due to low immunity in children. Bacteria and viral diseases are very common nowadays. These diseases easily spread from one person to another by common means such as sneezing, coughing and touching communicated things etc. Hand, foot and mouth is a viral illness in which sores are present in the hand, foot, mouth and other parts of the body also. According to Ayurveda, this disease can be correlated with shakuni greh and sankramak rog. Here in this article have discussed hand, foot and mouth disease in detail and its ayurvedic management also.
