Note: Homeopathic Treatment requires strict individualization. Please do not take any medicine without consulting your physician/homeopath.
Chicken Pox, also called varicella, contagious viral disease that
affects mainly children. According to the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC), more than 4 million people develop chicken
pox each year, and more than 95 percent of Americans will have had
chicken pox by the time they reach adulthood.
Chicken pox - CAUSE
Chicken pox is caused by varicella-zoster virus, a type of herpes
virus. The virus spreads through the air via infected droplets emitted
from the nose or mouth while coughing or sneezing. Touching the
fluid from a chicken pox blister can also spread the disease. Chicken
pox is contagious for approximately seven days during a person’s
period of infection. Contagiousness begins about two days before
symptoms appear and continues until all blisters have formed scabs.
Doctors recommend keeping the infected person isolated from others
during those seven days.
Chicken Pox Sign and Symptoms
Typically, chicken pox begins with a low fever, headache, rash,
and a general feeling of sickness, or malaise. The rash, which usually
covers the face, scalp, and trunk of the body, starts as red bumps
but quickly develops into small blisters. The rash and the blisters
are extremely itchy. As the disease progresses, the blisters break
open and form scabs, which fall off after about one to two weeks.
The incubation period—the time between initial infection and
the first appearance of symptoms—is approximately two weeks.
Chicken pox - TREATMENT
& HOMEOPATHIC MEDICINES
Antim tart., Rhus tox, Kali mur., Pulsatilla, Aconite, Ars-alb,
Apis, Belladona, Sulphur etc are known to work in cases of chickenpox.
Chicken pox - CONVENTIONAL
TREATMENT
Treatment of chicken pox is usually limited to bed rest, acetaminophen
for relief of fever and discomfort, and measures that soothe the
itching, including lukewarm baths and application of topical medicines
such as calamine lotion. Excessive scratching can cause infection
of blisters, which can lead to scarring. Acyclovir, an antiviral
drug, is used to treat severe cases of chicken pox, particularly
in patients with a weakened immune system.
REFERENCE WORKS
Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, 14th ed, McGraw-Hill
Davidson's Principles and Practise of Medicine, 17th ed, 1996,
Churchill Livingstone
New Manual of Homeopathic Materia Medica & Repertory, William
Boericke, 2nd revised ed., 2001, B. Jain |
