Natural Remedy for Chickenpox
Most children contract this childhood disease before age nine. It is caused by a virus and manifests itself as a fever and headache, usually starting between seven to twenty one days after exposure to the virus.
Twenty-four to thirty-six hours later, small round “pimples” appear on the face and body. They are filled with fluid and look like water blisters.
The fluid leaks from the swollen areas of the skin, forming a crust. These eruptions continue in cycles, lasting from three days to one week.
The blisters and crusts are infectious and itchy, and scratching them can lead to infection and scarring.
Natural Remedy for chickenpox
Once the scabs are gone, the individual is no longer infectious. Chickenpox usually runs its course in two weeks.
Adults who contract the infection tend to have more severe cases than children do, although the infection can be serious in newborns.
One bout with chickenpox generally will provide immunity for a lifetime against the illness. Rarely will there be a second attack.
However, the virus that causes chickenpox, Varicella-zoster, is the same virus that causes shingles in adults. This virus can lie dormant for years, then resurface as shingles in adulthood. A person can contract chickenpox (but not shingles) from direct contact with a shingles rash.
Do not give any cow’s milk or formula to a feverish infant. Better, use pure, freshly made juices that have been diluted with a combination of 4 ounces of steam distilled water and 100 to 1,000 milligrams of vitamin C for each 4 ounces of juice.
Infants who are six months old or older can have almond or soy milk, available in health food stores.
- Give a sick infant lots of water to prevent dehydration.
- Take care not to scratch the pocks. Keep a child’s nails short and clean, and bathe the child often.
- Put mittens on a young child’s hands if necessary.
- Wet compresses help to control the itching; use these often.
Keep infected children separated, and keep an infected child away from elderly people, newborn babies, and pregnant women who have not had chickenpox.