Question
An 8-year-old child is experiencing leg cramps during sleep at night and hand cramps during the day, and hospital checks have not revealed any calcium deficiency. I want to know what diseases can cause hand and foot cramps.
Answer
The child has recently had a fever or high fever, and has noticed hand and foot cramps in the past two days. From a traditional Chinese medicine perspective, 3-5 AM is the time when the lung meridian is active, and combined with the previous cold and fever, it may be due to yin deficiency, leading to symptoms of inability to nourish. You can try using 6 grams of peony root and licorice root to decoct water for drinking, and when available, use lily, pear, and rock sugar to make water for consumption to nourish the lung yin. I hope this helps in understanding the issue of “an 8-year-old child experiencing leg cramps during nighttime naps and hand cramps during the day.” I hope this is helpful to you, and wish you good health.