Home remedies for chickenpox

She is back ! Chickenpox is everywhere in classrooms and nurseries.

Childhood illness most often benign, it should not be taken lightly. Highly contagious, it can be dangerous, especially in adolescents, pregnant women or vulnerable people.

Chickenpox is caused by the varicella-zoster virus of the Herpesviridae family.

In toddlers, as impressive as their symptoms are, they usually only remain a memory, revived by the traditional and unavoidable family photo illustrating the face punctuated with red pustules of the youngest (and most often delighted because the chickenpox excludes the lucky one from going to school for at least a good week!)

Reminder of the manifestations of chickenpox (in case you forgot!)

The first symptoms usually appear two weeks after exposure to the virus (transmitted by the respiratory route or by direct contact).

Marked fatigue, glassy eyes, loss of appetite, a flare-up of fever … These are all signs that can indicate the onset of chickenpox. It’s time for the diagnosis, go to your doctor’s office.

After 24 to 48 hours, small reddish, swollen pimples appear on the child’s face, torso and abdomen. The pimples will multiply on the rest of the body and evolve for another week (vesicles, blisters), before giving way to scabs.

The sensitive period corresponds to the eruptive outbreaks of the pimples, because the itching can be very strong. You should try to relieve them at all costs, at the risk of the pimples becoming infected from being scratched.

Likewise, we must be vigilant with the final healing, so that the chickenpox does not leave a mark on the child’s skin.

Some tips for natural remedies and treatments to cure chickenpox

Tip 1 – As with any disease, it is good to support the body’s natural defenses:

• Have your child drink regularly and in quantity of water with low mineral content to help with natural eliminations.
• Make it enjoy fresh fruits rich in biocatalysts, dried fruits and oleaginous fruits rich in minerals. Promote digestible and invigorating meals: fresh vegetables and semi-whole grains of organic quality, light proteins …Wheat germ oil is preferred for its vitamin E content (antioxidant, immune support, connective tissues).
• A natural vitamin C supplement (Acerola, Camu-camu) is welcome.
• The combination of copper-gold-silver in Oligosol is an excellent anti-infective and supports immunity.
• 5 to 10 drops per day of grapefruit seed extract diluted in a glass of water, in two doses, will effectively support the body and allow better recovery.
• Likewise, magnesium chloride finds its place in this context, at the rate of one glass per day (after diluting a 20 G sachet in 1 liter of weakly mineralized water, to be stored in a glass bottle. ).

Tip 2 – Next, you have to “take care” of the pimples with a natural treatment:

When it comes to carrying out the “war of the buttons”, essential oils are probably the best allies as a natural treatment for chickenpox.

Tea tree (Melaleuca Alternifolia), pink geranium (Pelargonium graveolens) and fine lavender (Lavandula Angustifolia) are particularly recommended for their anti-infectious, healing and regenerating properties.

You can mix two drops of each of these oils with 6 tablespoons of St. John’s Wort vegetable oil for application to the child’s body.

Tip 3 – All that remains is to soothe the itching with a naturopathic treatment:

Baking soda is a very effective way to soothe itching, by diluting a glass in bath water or by making a lotion to apply to pimples (2 tablespoons of sodium bicarbonate in 40 ml of water).

Lime blossom infusion is also a way to calm itchiness: prepare 1 liter of infusion and pour it into the bath water.

St John’s Wort vegetable oil, with its anti-inflammatory action, will soften the itchy sensation. Be careful, it is photosensitizing; prefer its use in the evening to avoid exposure to the sun.

Honey, applied topically, is also a simple way to relieve itching while preventing infections.

Tip 4 – Heal and moisturize:

The superfine green clay will do wonders in speeding up the healing of pimples. Disguise your child as a Hulk by sprinkling it with dry powder, or prefer poultices to apply to spotty areas 10 to 15 minutes before bathing.

Argan vegetable oil is a great dermatological healing agent and can therefore be recommended.

Finally, the healing and deeply hydrating aloe vera gel is also a remedy of choice.

This list of tips is not exhaustive and above all it should be adapted according to the products you own or those you prefer to use.

Some products have multiple virtues. Grapefruit seed extract can for example be judiciously used internally as indicated, but also externally, applied to pimples (anti-infectious and healing). Likewise, magnesium chloride can be used as a body lotion, allowing it to dry naturally.

This list does not replace the advice of your doctor and pharmacist.

Warning: If you have a persistent high fever, go back to your doctor. It can be a sign of an infection.

Arnaud. C (Doctor of Pharmacy)