Simple Ways To Prevent And Cure Chickenpox

Chickenpox is a highly contagious viral disease found commonly in children. Chicken pox, or to give it its medical name,  varicella, is an extremely common skin condition, predominantly affecting children. Once a child has had chicken pox, they will almost always develop a lifelong immunity. As a consequence, 90% of all adults are immune to the virus. Children easily catch chicken pox particularly between March and May.

Here’s something to know about catching chickenpox:

- Chicken pox is caused by the extremely infectious varicella-zoster virus that is spread by droplet from a sneeze or cough or oozing blisters of an infected person.

- Children are at their most infectious one to two days before the onset of the rash.

- Symptoms manifest anywhere between 10 and 21 days after the first exposure. This means, it spreads very easily particularly through children in school.

- It remain infectious until the blisters have crusted over, this is usually five to six days after the rash first breaks out.

Easy ways to spot chicken pox:

Your child will likely first start showing symptoms of the flu, which are:

-         Feeling sick.

-         having a high temperature.

-         suffering from achy muscles

-         Suffering from a headache.

-         feeling unwell.

-         Losing appetite

After this, the child will breakout in a spotty, blistering rash. These spots can appear anywhere but are usually found on the face, chest/tummy, scalp, behind the ears, arms and legs. Throughout the infection, the spots will blister and become intensely itchy. After a few days, the blister will scab over. After a week or two the crusted blister will fall off. New waves can appear during the infection that is to say that the spots will be at different stages.

Stopping the spread of the infection:

Keeping your child at home from school or nursery is the best course of action, whilst they suffer from chickenpox. This will stop the spread to unaffected children they come in contact with. Try to keep your child away from public places, as chickenpox can be particularly dangerous for new born babies, pregnant women and anyone with a weakened immune system.

Easing the discomfort:

While there is no simple cure for chickenpox, your child can be made as comfortable as possible, while they ride out the infection. Here are some things you can do:

-         Mild painkillers such as paracetamol available over the counter in all pharmacy stores are an ideal relief from the fever.

-         Urge your child to avoid scratching the spots and blisters. This will avoid future scarring. Keeping your child’s fingernails clean and short will help with this.

-         Keep your child well hydrated.

-         Calamine lotion or cooling gels can ease the irritation (see below for how to use)

-         Ensure they wear loose fitting, cotton fabric to ease the urge to scratch.

Chickenpox Symptoms, Treatment & Prevention:

Early symptoms of chicken pox include Nausea, Loss of appetite, Headache, Muscle ache. These symptoms are followed by Rash, Oral sores, Malaise, Low grade fever.

Here is a summarized life-cycle of the pox:

Rash (10-12hours) – Small bumps – Blisters (intense itching) – Pustules – Scabs – Appearance of spots lighter in color and disappearing after few days.

Prevention

Here are some prevention tips that should help:

Vaccination - To help prevent chicken pox, doctors recommend that kids receive the chickenpox vaccine when they are 12 to 15 months old, and a booster shot at 4 to 6 years old. No child with eczema or any other skin disorder should be vaccinated as regards to smallpox and chicken pox vax Even someone in their family getting it can be deadly to them. No child should be vaccinated if any member of the family has eczema or other skin disorders. Parents of children with eczema should be notified at the onset of the disease of the danger from vaccination contact. If a sibling of a child with atopic eczema is vaccinated, he must be completely separated from that child for at least 21 days. Vaccination may be recommended at 2 months of age, especially for babies from strongly allergic families.

Other prevention methods include:

-         Basic hygiene

-         Quarantine the infected person, healthy lifestyle for a strong immunity.

-         Keep the child from scratching the infected areas to avoid infection by bacteria.

Treatment

These treatments will also help:

-         Cutting and filling fingernails to prevent the child from scratching and causing scars.

-         Wearing gloves

-         Drinking more water to reduce dehydration.

-         Paracetamol to control fever.

-         Measuring body temperature periodically.

-         Applying soothing lotion on rashes.

-         If chicken pox has got your child itching all over, try Antimonuim crudum 6 and Thuja occidentalis 30. One dose every 3 hours alternately, along with Bryonia 30 every other day. Those itchy red spots will be gone in no time.

Here is a list of the best home remedies for chickenpox:

-         Honey

-         Aloe vera

-         Ginger

-         Green pea

-         Oatmeal

-         Calendula

Help relieve the child’s itchiness, fever and discomfort by:

-         Adding two cups of oatmeal to a lukewarm bath

-         Patting (not rubbing) the body dry.

-         Putting calamine lotion on the itchy areas (avoiding the face, especially near the eyes and the genitals).

-         Using diphenhydramine for severe itching.

-         Giving the cold acetaminophen as needed to help relieve pain from the sores on the skin or in the mouth (do not give aspirin or thuprofen)

Seek medical care if the child:

-         Has a severe cough or trouble breathing

-         Has an area of the rash that seems to be infected: red, warm to the touch or leaking pus.

-         Is unusually drowsy or confused.

-         Seems very weak or ill.

-         Is unable to keep fluids down.

Still on the treatment, you can use Young Living essential oils to relieve the discomfort from chicken pox you can also add Lavender, Lemon Melaleuca & Thieves. A solve using calamine lotion with Lavender and Melaleuca added may be applied topically as well. Use 3 drops of each oil for each ounce of calamine. Using Thieves products around someone with chicken pox can reduce the danger of passing it on to others. Consider diffusing and using hand wipes. For flu-like symptoms, a tea using 2-3 drops of lemon oil and honey in a cup of warm water will provide calming relief. Baking soda/Lavender bath is another remedy. Add 1 cup of baking soda and 2 drops of Lavender to a warm bath tub of water. Mix well and a small child can soak/play in it while getting relief. 

Here are 9 natural home remedies for chicken pox that will help to fight symptoms and get your child back on his feet fast:

-         Use of neem leaves is a good remedy.

-         Sunshine helps in treating chickenpox.

-         Epsom salt reduces itchiness and inflammation.

-         Honey helps to reduce inflammation and irritation.

-         Use of baking soda mixed with water is a lso a good remedy.

-         Coriander and carrot soup aids in treating chickenpox too.

-         Jasmine flowers and leaves provide relief from itching.

-         Oatmeal bath reduce irritation and speeds the healing process.

-         Sandalwood essential oil improves the skin and protects against infections.

Here are some essential oil remedies for chicken pox for infants, toddlers, and children:

-         Lavender

-         Melaleuca

-         Chamomile

Usage:

-         Add 5-10 drops each of German Chamomile, Melaleuca and Lavender to 1oz Calamine lotion. Mix well and apply twice daily over affected areas.

-         Diffuse antiviral oil periodically throughout the day.

-         Bathing relieves the itching. Add 2 drops of Lavender with 1 cup of baking soda.

-         Thieves oil, add 20 drops of Thieves oil to 2tbsp calamine lotion and dab on spots. 

You can also use essential oil. Here are the Steps on how to use essential oil blend:

¼ cup distilled witch hazel lotion - astringent

¼ cup of aloe vera gel – anti inflammatory

7 drops of lemon essential oil – anti bacterial, astringent, anti-inflammatory.

20 drops of lavender essential oils – anti microbial, anti bacterial

7 drops of bergamot essential oils – anti-puritie, antibacterial, anti-inflammatry.

3 drops of perpermint essential oil – anti-infllamory, antiviral, astringent, antibacterial.

1tbsp of honey – antibacterial, anti-inflammatory.

Mix the essential oils with the honey in a lass bowl, add the aloe vera gel. Add the witch hazel and make sure it is all mixed properly. Pour into a spray bottle with a relatively fine nozzle. You don’t need to use all the essential oils listed in the above spray. It can be overwhelming when you see a recipe with lots of essential oils. Follow the dilution guide to make sure that you use essential oils and dilutions that are suitable for your child’s age. 

You can also soothe and heal chickenpox, naturally, with witch hazel, jojoba oil & Aloe Vera.

Use this quantity:

Tea tree oil-10 drops

Bergamot-10 drops

chamomile-10 drops

lavender-10 drops

sandalwood-10 drops

geranium-5 drops

clove-5 drops

witch hazel-2tbspn

jojoba/olive oil/other oil-1/2g

aloe vere-1/4g

So, here’s how you can get rid of Chickenpox using nature’s gift:

Honey: contains many antibacterial substances that play an important role in the treatment of chicken pox. It is also a very popular ingredient for every household so you may not have difficulties finding honey. Honey will reduce the itchiness caused by chickenpox and eliminate blisters at the same time. You can use raw honey directly on the skin area which chickenpox affects several times on a daily basis. Honey is always an excellent remedy against diseases caused by virus such as chickenpox and allergies.

Epsom salt: with anti-inflammatory property, epsom salt is one of the best home remedies for chickenpox. The amount of magnesium and sulfate which are present in Epsom salt is very helpful to support you in getting rid of the itchiness and irritation triggered by chickenpox. In addition, it prevents the growth of the virus inside the body and you will get rid of chickenpox naturally after a short time.

- prepare two cups of Epsom salt.

Pour them into warm water; put your body inside the mixture in 15-20 minutes. Or take a shower with it, then use a soft and clean towel to you’re your body dry. Remember not to use the towel too hard on the skin.

Epsom salt is extremely effective for diseases with rash symptoms such as shingles.

Baking soda: you can actually speed up the treatment of chickenpox with the help of baking soda. It is available in almost every kitchen and you do not need to spend much time on preparing this home remedy for chickenpox.

You should use only half a spoon of baking soda. It should be mixed with a cup of water. A cotton ball can be soaked in the mixture if possible to get the best results.

Brown vinegar: The health benefits of brown vinegar are even known long before its cooking advantages. The acetic acid of brown vinegar can stop the development of virus and eliminate it quickly. Besides, it will eradicate the blisters and prevent the appearance of scars after the treatment of chickenpox.

Mix brown vinegar and warm water with the ration 1:2. The mixture should be mixed with your bath water.

Sandalwood oil: natural oil whose properties are similar to those of tea tree oil is sandalwood oil.  It has many antiviral and antibacterial substances that are needed in the treatment of chickenpox. If applied directly on the skin, sandalwood oil can prevent inflammation as well. But to maximize the benefits, you should use sandalwood oil with turmeric powder.

Mix 3-5 drops of sandalwood oil with a spoon of turmeric powder. The mixture should be applied over the skin carefully. Remember not to touch the blisters too hard.

Green pea: is one of the excellent home remedies for chicke pox because it can help sufferers overcome the most severe symptoms of this disease. The itchiness triggered by chickenpox can be wiped out easily after several times of applying green peas.

200g of green peas should be mixed with water. Boil the mixture after that. When the pea become softer, the mixtures should be drained. After the mixture is cool, have the body soaked in this mixture in order to alleviate all the irritations you have to suffer from.

Here’s a powerful anti-scar remedy. This prevents scars from forming & may even reduce the appearance of old scars. It is especially effective if you’re suffering from chicken pox or shingles.

Here is what you need to make it:

¼ cup of warm coconut oil - Coconut oil is super soothing and its medium chain fatty acids make it a powerful, natural antiviral.

1tbspn castor oil - Castor oil has been used for millennia to heal scars and prevent the formation of scar tissue.

500mg vitamin E oil - Vitamin E helps prevent the formation of scar tissue.

How to apply:

a) First, warm the coconut oil until it’s a liquid.

b) Mix 1 Tbsp of 500mg Vitamin E Oil, Castor Oil & 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Coconut Oil in a small container.

c) Mix together and apply generously to the affected areas 2 to 3 times per day.

Trust me, if you diligently follow these steps, you will have no issues with chickenpox and your kids!