(NaturalHealth365) A polio-like, paralyzing disease has stricken hundreds of children across the country – leaving parents worried, and medical investigators baffled. Acute flaccid myelitis, or AFM, has appeared in 34 states to date, with the latest outbreak – involving six children – taking place in Minnesota.

Since August 2014, when the increasing incidence of AFM became apparent, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that it has confirmed 386 cases nationwide. Although symptoms of AFM can resemble those of polio, all AFM patients have tested negative for that disease.

Today, we’ll explore how best to protect your child from this rare but serious condition.

Polio-like disorder can create sudden weakness in arms or legs

AFM affects the spinal cord, causing weakness in one or more limbs. Other symptoms can include drooping eyelids, facial weakness, slurred speech, difficulty moving the eyes and difficulty in swallowing.

Experts say AFM symptoms are similar to complications of poliovirus, non-polio enteroviruses, adenoviruses and West Nile virus.

While the CDC is actively investigating the disease, the agency acknowledges the cause is unclear. The CDC lists “viruses and environmental toxins” as possible causes – with an enterovirus known as EVD68 as the most likely culprit.

However, the CDC has found no single pathogen to be consistently present in the patients’ spinal fluid.

The CDC acknowledges it has not determined who is at elevated risk for AFM – and admits it doesn’t know the long-term consequences.  Some patients have recovered quickly, while others continue to have paralysis. And, in severe cases, the disease can be fatal.

The official case definition for acute flaccid myelitis is “acute limb weakness, developing after August 1, 2014, along with an MRI showing a spinal cord lesion that is restricted to gray matter and spanning one or more spinal segments.”

Natural health experts say, ‘AFM merely another label’

According to Jack Wolfson, D.O. and Heather Wolfson, D.C. – a husband-and-wife team of holistic doctors known as The Drs Wolfson – AFM is not new, and the increase in rates of the condition is due to mere terminology.

According to The Drs. Wolfson, poliomyelitis, acute flaccid paralysis, transverse myelitis, Guillain-Barre Syndrome and myasthenia gravis are “labels” given to people with sudden weakness.

“Doctors needed another name for childhood paralysis,” the pair explains. “What used to be called polio is now labeled AFM.”

In fact, they theorize that Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s polio may have actually been Guillain-Barre Syndrome, and could have resulted from a vaccine – or from exposure to pesticides.

What is certain, they say, is that the oral polio vaccine, itself, is a known cause of acute flaccid paralysis. Although the vaccine has been withdrawn from the US market, millions around the world are still given it.

Moreover, The Drs. Wolfson point out that Merck Pharmaceuticals admits that its hepatitis B vaccine can cause myelitis (inflammation of the spinal cord associated with polio).

The warning, tucked away on the fifth page of the monograph (under the heading Nervous System Disorders) states that “the following adverse reactions” – which include Guillain-Barre Syndrome, myelitis, muscle weakness, and multiple sclerosis – “have been reported with the use of the marketed vaccine.”

Isn’t it ironic that a vaccine meant to prevent paralysis could be responsible for creating that very effect?!

Could high-dose vitamin C be the answer?

According to some natural health experts, vitamin C – antiviral, antioxidant, antibiotic, anti-inflammatory and immune system-boosting – deserves consideration as a potential treatment for AFM.

In the 1940s, vitamin C pioneer Dr. Frederick R. Klenner reported successfully treating 60 polio patients with injections of massive doses of the nutrient.  Dr. Klenner’s therapy featured a 2,000 mg injection of the sodium ascorbate form of vitamin C every six hours, supplemented by 1,000 to 2,000 mg by mouth every two hours.

The treatment, the doctor reports, was stunningly effective, with all patients recovering completely in three to five days.

“The frequent admission of massive doses of vitamin C was so encouraging in the early days of the 1948 epidemic of poliomyelitis that a review of the literature was begun,” Dr. Klenner reported.

Fortunately, many forward-thinking alternative health clinics now offer high-dose vitamin C therapy for a variety of diseases.

Protect your child against AFM – naturally

Helping your child to consume an organic diet, while minimizing his or her exposure to environmental toxins and pesticides, is of paramount importance in helping to avoid viral diseases.

Your child should also get sufficient sleep (experts say children need at least 10 hours) and appropriate exercise.

High-quality supplements, as recommended by your integrative doctor, are another piece of the puzzle – with vitamins C and D of particular value in promoting immune strength and avoiding disease.

The CDC advises warding off viruses with frequent handwashing, proper covering of coughs and protection against mosquito bites.  Of course, they also push the use of highly-toxic vaccines as a ‘preventative’ strategy.  But, in reality, the poisonous substances found in vaccinations actually threaten immunity and overall well-being.

Bottom line: beware of conventional ‘wisdom.’

While AFM is still a rare disease – with experts placing the odds of a child developing it at less than one in one million – it is nonetheless a good idea to stay vigilant for signs and symptoms of the condition. If your child experiences any signs of AFM, contact your healthcare provider immediately.

Sources for this article include:

TheDrsWolfson.com
VitaminCFoundation.org
KARE 11.com