Chicken Pox

A highly contagious disease, chicken pox is a viral infection that is usually prevalent in small children, aged 3 to 4. Although the instances are few and far between, chicken pox can affect adults as well and in this case, it is much more severe than that in kids. Chicken pox can spread by direct contact or breathing in the air that has germs from an affected person's cough or sneeze. The most usual symptoms of chicken pox include low grade fever, mild headache, rash, loss of appetite and a feeling of weakness. It might be amusing, but the symptoms of chicken pos are not visible until it reaches the infectious stage. Vaccinations have reduced the instance of chicken pox, but the disease has not vanished altogether. Chicken pox is usually caused due to the virus called varicella-zoster. It might not be possible to completely cure chicken pox, as it would go on its own. However, the irritation and itching involved with it can be minimized, using some home remedies.

• A red, itchy rash that initially looks like insect bites
• Small, liquid-filled blisters that break open and crust over
• Abdominal pain
• Loss of appetite
• General feeling of unease and discomfort (malaise)
• Irritability
• A dry cough
• Low grade fever
• Mild headache
• Weakness
• Sore throat

• Inhalation of airborne respiratory droplets of an infected person
• Varicella Zoster Virus (VZV)
• Contact with broken chickenpox blisters
• Weak immune system
• Persistent wrong feeding of children

• One of the most effective ways of treating chicken pox would be using brown vinegar. Add ½ cup vinegar to lukewarm bathwater. Apart from lessening the irritation, it would also help heal the lesions.
• Add 2 tbsp marigold flowers and 1 tsp hazel leaves in a cup of water and steep them overnight. In the morning, grind it and apply the mixture on the rash. It would help relieve the itching.
• Put a bowl of water in a pan and add green peas to it. Place it on flame and set it to boil. Once boiled, strain the water and apply it on the affected area. This would relieve the irritation and itching.
• Sandalwood oil also proves helpful in treating chicken pox. Apply the oil on the rashes right from the time chicken pox appears till its last days. It would also prevent scars from blemishing the skin.
• Coat the affected area with honey. It would not only relieve you of the irritation, but would also heal the rash.
• Grind oatmeal into a fine powder. Add 2 cups of this powder to the bath water. For better results, add one to one and a half cup of baking soda to the same water. It would help in healing the lesions
• Consumption of carrot and coriander soup would be beneficial in the treatment of chicken pox. Take about 100 grams of carrots and 60 grams of fresh coriander and finely chop them. Boil this mixture for a while. Strain the concoction, cool it down and drink it once a day.
• Immerse a handful of neem leaves in your bath water. It would provide healing effect and cure you of irritation.
• Application of Vitamin E oil on the rashes is another effective home remedy for chicken pox. Not only does it help prevent the itching, but also removes the scars quickly.
• Make a tea using chamomile, basil, marigold and lemon balm. Add a pinch of cinnamon, honey, and lemon to enhance its healing property. Consuming this tea several times a day would be very beneficial.
• Mix 2 tbsp of queen of the meadow, 1 tsp of coltsfoot leaves and 2 tsp of marigold flowers in 2 cups of boiling water. After boiling the water for about 20 minutes, strain it. Cool the decoction and have it once a day.