Chicken pox is one of the most common infectious diseases found in children under the age of ten. Infants under six months of age are less prone to chicken pox as they have some immunity against this disease. This disease occurs more frequently in cool weather conditions.
The onset of chicken pox usually begins with symptoms such as loss of appetite, a mild headache, low grade fever and a feeling of weakness. This is followed by spots or skin rashes that usually appear on the chest or the upper back. In more severe cases rashes may also appear on the lower extremities or the face. These spots turn into blisters and many of them become pustules and form scabs which fall off.
The extent of skin rashes varies from person to person. Some patients may have a few rashes while others may have them in the ears, mouth and the nose as well as over most body limbs. Once these rashes disappear within a few days the skin becomes clear and normal. The normal duration of this disease ranges from fifteen to twenty days.
Chicken pox is mainly caused by an infectious virus. This disease is milder in the earlier years of childhood and is cured easily but if an adult is infected by it the condition becomes severe in such cases.
Chicken pox spreads mainly by the inhalation of dust contaminated by dried scabs. It also spreads by contact with persons suffering from this disease.
Home Remedies for Chicken Pox: Certain home remedies have been found very useful in the treatment of chickenpox.
One such remedy is the use of cider vinegar. Half a cup of cider vinegar should be added to a bath of warm water. This will relieve irritating condition of the skin.
For relieving the itch caused due to chicken pox, a bath of oatmeal is considered as a very effective natural remedy. This bath is prepared by cooking one and a half cup of oatmeal in 1.5 litres of water for about fourteen minutes. This mixture is than put into a cotton bag and string is tied tightly around the top. This bag is allowed to float in a tub of warm water swishing it around until the water becomes silky. The chicken pox patient should splash in the water with a pouch of oatmeal in the tub. The water should go over all the scalds. But care should be taken to see that the patient does not catch cold.
For controlling the itch caused in chicken pox baking soda is an effective remedy. Some quantity of baking soda should be put in a glass of water. This water should be used for sponging the patient until the soda dries out. This will help keep him away from scratching the eruptions.
Another useful remedy for relieving the irritation of the skin is the use of green pea water. The water in which the fresh peas have been cooked can be used for this purpose.
A soup prepared from coriander and carrots has also been found valuable in chicken pox. About 60 grams of fresh coriander and 100 grams of carrot leaves should be cut into small pieces and boiled for a short time. After discarding the residue the soup should be taken once a day.
Application of Vitamin E oil into each place affected with chicken pox is also a very useful remedy. It helps in fading away the chicken pox marks and also has a soothing and healing effect on the skin.
Another useful remedy which has been found beneficial in the treatment of this disease is the use of mild sedative herbal tea. This tea can be prepared by any of the herbs like Basil (Tulsi), Camomile (Babunah), Lemon balm (Billilotan) and Marigold (Zergul). A little cinnamon, honey and lemon may also be added to this tea. This tea should be sipped slowly several times a day.
Thus we can conclude that various natural and home remedies have been found to be very effective in the treatment and cure of contagious diseases like chicken pox.
