How many of you remember the song “I Got the Chicken Pox for Christmas”? I am wishing all of you the healthiest of Christmas seasons this year but, being a JIC (just in case) type of person, this is my ‘present’ to you… Homeopathy for chicken pox!
THE OLDEN DAYS (My Life as a Parent)
In my parenting days, every child in my parenting circle ‘got the spots’ at one point or the other. I even mistook a couple of dandy rashes for chicken pox until the boys got the ‘real thing.’ There was no mistaking what it was! The fever, as so often is the case, started in the middle of the night with my oldest son. It was a high fever that broke about 6-8 hours after it started. The spots started appearing shortly after and, although I cannot remember what we gave for the ‘itch,’ I seem to recall there were only a few spots…quite manageable.
It was almost exactly two weeks later that my youngest son got the fever…middle of the night again. And guess what? Two weeks is about how long it takes for the virus to incubate! This time, though, there were WAY more spots and a lot more itching. Most parents find that each child to get the chicken pox thereafter will get it worse. I think we used Calamine lotion for my youngest but, because he had such sensitive skin, the lotion was more of a problem than the itch. (I REALLY wish I had known about homeopathy!)
The most important information I can give you…
THE FEVER
– Let the fever run its course if your child is not too uncomfortable or in pain. You can use Belladonna or Aconite if your child’s fever symptoms ‘fit’ the symptoms of the remedy. You can find the Belladonna symptom picture in my free e-book chapter and you can read a brief introduction to Aconite in fever.
– Once the fever breaks and your child breaks out in a good sweat, wash the bedclothes but NOT the child. The body is SO magnificent that the immune system produces sweat that has its own antibiotic. This “natural” antibiotic protects the skin from secondary bacterial infections like Staphylococcus and Group A Streptococcus (GAS). Click HERE to read what Hilary Butler has to say about chicken pox and fever.
THE SPOTS
– Once the spots appear, you can do one of two things: wait OR start observing your child’s symptoms. Watch out for behavior such as weeping and being clingy, loss of interest in playing, not wanting to be looked at, restless, and crying. When practicing homeopathy, these observations become very helpful in figuring out what remedy is needed. What do they want to eat or drink? What makes the itch better or worse? Does your child want warm or cool cloths on the spots? Does you child get easily chilled or does fresh air feel good? A hot bath maybe? These are all indications for a specific homeopathic remedy to help your child heal from chicken pox.
– Then have a look at this handout for the top remedies used in chicken pox. It’s likely that you will find one to fit your child’s symptom picture. If you have more than one child, you may need different remedies for each child. The beauty of homeopathy is that you can individualize treatment to find exactly what your child needs to help heal – rather than one prescription anti-viral medication for everyone. If you can’t find a suitable remedy, phone your homeopath.
Sick Kids at Christmas…Really?
No one wants ‘chicken pox for Christmas,’ but it can happen. If your child happens to be susceptible to the chicken pox virus, he or she just might get chicken pox during the holiday season. Sickness at Christmastime (or anytime for that matter) is not anyone’s idea of a good time but, in the long term, at least your child will have the gift of lifelong immunity to the chicken pox virus.
With homeopathy, you will be able to help your child through this moment in time. And that, my friends, is a great gift.
