Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease: A Survival Guide for Parents

Our son ate lots of popsicles during Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease

Coxsackievirus A16, commonly known as Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease (HFMD), is a virus that typically strikes children under 5 years of age. Symptoms include fever followed by an outbreak of sores on the hands, feet, genital area, buttocks, and mouth.

Speaking from experience, the most difficult part of this illness is the discomfort your child will experience from the sores in his or her mouth. These sores prevented my son from eating and sleeping well for a few days. It was the most miserable I’ve ever seen him — far worse than the colds, ear infection, pink eye, and teething he’s endured.

From the information we gathered online, my wife and I thought we were doing right by giving our son acetaminophen (Tylenol) every four hours. According to most of the stuff I read, there’s nothing you can do except give a child pain medication and wait for the virus to run its course. A quick call to the doctor’s office, however, proved to be extremely valuable. So here are some tips based experience and medical advice received:

  • Motrin (Ibuprofen) is preferable to Tylenol in this case because in addition to reducing fever, it reduces inflammation, which really aids with the throat discomfort
  • A mixed dose of 3/4 teaspoon of Malox and 3/4 teaspoon of Benadryl before eating can help with swallowing
  • Cold liquids provide throat comfort and maintain hydration
  • Normal eating rules do not apply, so keep the child as well fed and hydrated as possible by offering him or her various foods
  • Your child may become an extremely picky eater during this ordeal; keep trying different foods
  • Popsicles, ice cream, yogurt, pudding, milkshakes, milk (with some fat and maybe Carnation Instant Breakfast), and avocados are all foods that can be served cold and help a child maintain a decent caloric intake level
  • Be prepared to comfort you child throughout the night

HFMD is not common in adults; however, my wife was lucky enough to catch it. It was much milder than what our son went through. She had a few bothersome canker-like sores in her mouth (but nothing in her throat) as well as insignificant sores on her hands and feet. She didn’t allow the HFMD to ruin a long weekend trip to Austin, though we did avoid certain cuisines because of the sores in her mouth.

Daintree Tea Review

Daintree Tea Review

Over a year ago, my mother-in-law brought back a pack of Daintree Tea from her trip to Australia. I stuck it in the pantry and forgot about it until recently.

Daintree Tea is a black tea grown in the moist, tropical climate of Far North Queensland on the Daintree Plantation — so it says on the packaging. It is not a blend, but a true representation of the environment in which it is grown.

The package contains 50 tea bags. With the tea bag in the mug, I poured boiling water over it and let it steep for three minutes.

Daintree Tea’s aroma is semi-sweet and earthy with a hint of vanilla. For a full-bodied tea, the taste was pleasantly smooth. It certainly is unique among the black teas I’ve sampled. I was left well caffeinated and wanting more.

Honey vs Sugar in Your Tea?

Honey vs Sugar

Many tea drinkers choose sugar as their natural sweetener of choice; it’s readily available, especially at the office where it’s placed conveniently next to the coffee maker or single-cup (wasteful) coffee contraption. Many others, myself included, use honey.

When comparing sugar and honey, does one surpass the other in health benefits? According to most independent sources I’ve found, no.

Calories

Both honey and sugar add calories to food. According to www.DrGourmet.com, one tablespoon of sugar contains 46 calories and one tablespoon of honey contains 63 calories. Because honey is sweeter than sugar, less of it can be used, which may even out the caloric intake.

Nutritional Value

The fact that honey undergoes less processing than table sugar makes it more appealing to some, but does it have any nutritional value over sugar? Most honey sold at grocery stores is pasteurized or heated to prevent yeast fermentation. Unfortunately, pasteurization removes honey’s vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and digestive-aiding enzymes.

Most evidence points to raw or unprocessed honey for significant health benefits over sugar. It retains its nutrients and is often touted for its anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-viral qualities. Allergy sufferers may even find relief if using locally harvested raw honey, according to some sources. Raw honey consumption is not without risk, however, because it may contain harmful bacteria that could lead to botulism.

Glycemic Index

Low glycemic index (GI) foods release sugars into the bloodstream more slowly than high GI foods. According to Livestrong.com, some honeys fall into the low GI category.

Yellow Box honey and locust honey have GIs of 35 and 32 respectively — both considered low on the glycemic index. Pure honey and clover honey, on the other hand, have high GIs of 58 and 69 respectively. Table sugar has a GI of 60.

Which to Use in Your Tea, Sugar or Honey?

I suppose it’s best to avoid using honey or sugar if possible, or gradually reduce the amount of honey (or sugar) used while learning to appreciate the tea’s natural taste. This is my current plan of attack for the strong black teas I consume. So far so good.

If you do need sweetener to counter your tea’s bitterness, choose the one that tastes better to you. You can always add more milk.

UPDATE 5/21/2012: I don’t believe I sufficiently covered the risk of raw honey. For infants, both raw and pasteurized honeys contain botulism spores that can be harmful to infants. Raw honey may contain chemicals, such as pesticides and fertilizer, that may lead to food poisoning. For those allergic to bee venom, raw honey can cause an allergic reaction. Thank you LIVESTRONG.com for this information. Despite all of its disadvantages, I’ve decided to give local raw honey a try to see if it can provide some allergy relief.

UPDATE 6/30/2012: I’ve used local raw honey everyday for about two months now without incident. I think it may be helping with my allergies, but I’m not certain.

Does Good Decaf Tea Exist?

I Love Decaf Tea Mug From Zazzle.com

Until recently, it never occurred to me to try decaffeinated tea. I mostly kept my tea consumption confined to daylight hours, never going much beyond mid afternoon.

As my love of tea has grown, so has the urge for a post-dinner cuppa. Naturally caffeine-free herbal varieties are okay, but they are no substitute for my beloved black tea.

What I didn’t realize initially was how difficult it would be to find a good decaf tea. While doing research, I quickly learned about the four most commonly used methods used to extract the caffeine from the leaf. The CO₂ process seemed superior to the rest because it (supposedly) best retains the flavor of the original tea leaf without the use of a known carcinogen.

English Tea Store — an online tea merchant whose products and service have never disappointed me in the past — sells a decaf Irish Breakfast tea from which (according to their website) the caffeine is removed early, at the green leaf stage, using CO₂. The leaves are then left to mature. It sounded promising.

A funky chemical-like odor was the first thing I noticed when I smelled the dry tea leaves — very unusual, I thought, considering what I read about CO₂ caffeine removal. Unfortunately, that smell translated directly into a funky flavor when brewed.

The body of this decaffeinated tea was as full as English Tea Store’s regular Irish breakfast blend; however, the aroma and taste were way off. Because this was my first attempt at decaf tea, I can’t judge this tea too harshly. I have to assume that a good decaf cuppa is unattainable. Or, maybe the carcinogenic method of caffeine removal (a Methylene chloride solvent) is worth considering.

Boppin’ with Upton Tea’s Mangalam Estate GBOP Assam

Upton Tea's Mangalam Estate GBOP Cl. Spl Assam

I finally tried my first pure Assam tea with Mangalam Estate GBOP Cl. Spl (TA46) from Upton Tea. That crazy “GBOP” part of the the name has nothing to do with any music genre or dance style; it merely refers to the grade of the tea leaf. Not quite clear to me is the the meaning of “Cl. Spl”.

GBOP stands for Golden Broken Orange Pekoe. Orange Pekoe designates the size of the tea leaf. When you put the word “Broken” in front of it, you get an even finer (smaller) leaf because it has been torn or broken. If you go even smaller in leaf size than BOP, you get fannings and dust (which you find in many tea bags). At the time of this writing, I cannot explain to you with any certainty what meaning “Golden” adds to the equation.

I brewed a 4-cup teapot, letting it steep about 3.5 minutes. The final product was amber in color.

Immediately noticeable was a malty characteristic, which I recognize from the many Assam-rich, name-brand teas I drink on a regular basis. On the back end was a mild fruity flavor. A little honey was required to temper the bitterness, but overall, this tea was quite enjoyable.