10 Home Remedies For Chicken Pox

Chickenpox is a contagious disease that happens due to the varicella-zoster virus. It causes itchy, red, wet blisters all over the body and sometimes inside the mouth too. While it primarily affects young ones, chickenpox, which is also known as varicella, can develop in anybody who has been subjected to the varicella-zoster virus and does not have immunity.

You may become immune against chickenpox either by contracting the illness or by getting immunised against it.

The standard therapy followed for chickenpox in kids is to simply wait for the condition to finish its course while implementing appropriate home care measures to relieve itchiness and other symptoms; however, in some severe cases, additional treatment may be recommended.

If you or your kid gets chickenpox, keep an eye out for symptoms that might point to a serious form of this viral infection that may necessitate medical attention.

It is also essential that you tell your doctor about any ongoing medical concerns you or your kid are experiencing, as antiviral medicines may be given in some circumstances.

Teenagers and adults having chickenpox are frequently prescribed antiviral medications because they suffer from symptoms that are more severe and are more likely to develop complications than the children do.

Even if medicines are not suggested for your particular instance of varicella, there are some things you can do to minimise its discomfort.

Whether you have chickenpox or you are taking care of a child who does, you will need to know about the effective ways that are primarily focused on relieving pain and itching, reducing fever if necessary, and making sure the sores are not irritated in order for them to heal as rapidly as possible. Take a look at this article to know all about that.

Top 10 symptoms of chicken pox

1. Fever
2. Body Cramps
3. Rashes
4. Itching
5. Sore in mouth
6. Fluid- filled blisters
7. Fatigue
8. Headache
9. Crusts and scabs
10. Loss of muscle coordination

How does chickenpox spread?

Chickenpox can spread in the following ways:

• Through inhaling droplets that are airborne from an infected individual’s upper respiratory tract (these droplets become airborne whenever the person who has been infected sneezes or coughs)
• Through touching the fluid that comes from a chickenpox patient’s skin blisters (this is a less frequent way of contracting chickenpox).

List of 10 Effective Home Remedies to treat chickenpox

There are a number of steps you may take to alleviate the discomfort of chickenpox and make sure healing occurs as rapidly as possible.

Here are some of the handiest tips that would help you to lower the discomfort of chickenpox. Also, give them a try and see the symptoms disappear at a faster rate:

1. Wear Mittens

Before anything else, chickenpox causes severe itching. But when itched, the blister erupts and that can lead to contamination and further spread of the infection. Also, the skin can break and cause ulcers which can become a big problem. So discourage your child from scratching.

Help him by trimming his fingernails and also by making him wear mittens. At times, the itching happens involuntarily, so keeping the nails covered helps. This can also be followed by an adult who has chickenpox.

2. Apply Calamine Lotion

Calamine lotion really helps to stop the itching so it is a widely recommended chickenpox medicine.

Calamine cools down the skin and also helps the blisters to dry out sooner. This is an effective and age-old chickenpox treatment that shows wonderful results.

Dab or distribute the calamine lotion onto the itchy skin regions with the help of a cotton swab or a clean finger. Calamine lotion should not be used near or on chickenpox or on the eyes; moreover, applying it to the mucous membranes, including the nose, mouth, anus, and genitals, should be avoided.

 3. Eat Bland, Cold Food

The body is healing and so you need to assist it by eating nutritious food. Also, stay away from oily and spicy food as that may heat up the body and make the symptoms more uncomfortable.

Eating bland and cold food helps as such food is easier to chew and swallow, especially if there are blisters inside the mouth.

4. Have ice chips or popsicles

When your child has many blisters in the mouth and on the throat, having ice chips or popsicles can bring relief.

Offer your child some cold treats to get relief from the itching and oral discomfort. Adults affected by chickenpox can also try this out.

5. Take an oatmeal bath

Oatmeal has soothing, anti-inflammatory, and anti-itch properties, so you can apply oatmeal to your body when you have chickenpox. Don’t worry, bathing with oatmeal will not spread your chickenpox to other areas. You can also do the same for your kids.

Oatmeal bath ingredients can be found at your local drugstore, supermarket, or online. These are usually pre-measured pouches, which you can simply add to your bath water; moreover, preparing your own homemade oatmeal bath is easy. Follow these simple steps to make your own home-made oatmeal bath:

• To make an oatmeal bath, use about one cup of and around 1/3 cup oatmeal for older children and for small children, respectively. You can use slow-cooked, quick, or instant oats and grind them into small flakes with a grinder. Alternatively, you can place the oatmeal in a cotton or muslin pouch.
• Fill a bathtub with lukewarm water and add around one big spoon of grinded oatmeal into a glass of tepid water. When the oats absorb water, and the water turns milky, ground the oatmeal properly for its subsequent use. Put the oatmeal or the pouch of oats into the bath, and then, soak it for a maximum of 20 minutes.

Apart from rubbing oatmeal onto the skin directly, you can mix a handful of oatmeal into a bucket of lukewarm water and bathe with that. This bath can be given to babies as young as three months old as it is very safe and effective,

6. Take a soda bath

Another handy home chickenpox treatment is bathing in soda water. Mix about half a cup of baking soda into a large bucket of lukewarm water.

Bathe the child or yourself in that water and you will get instant relief from the itching. It also has antimicrobial properties, which help in a quicker recovery from infection.

The soda bath also helps to dry out the blisters and this makes the chickenpox go away at a faster rate.

7. Apply Neem Join

The neem tree, also known as Indian Lilac, is rich in antibacterial and antiviral properties. It provides immediate relief for itch. This powerful ingredient also dries blisters, thereby speeding the healing process. Just take a few neem leaves, grind them into a fine paste, and apply this paste to the blisters. Leave it for a few hours.

Alternatively, you may also prepare a neem bath simply by adding a handful of neem leaves to the bath water and soaking or washing in it.

8. Administer antihistamine medicines

If you search for the chickenpox medicine name, you will most likely find that chicken pox antihistamine helps to bring relief to small kids. You can give them an antihistamine syrup or some antihistamine pills, based on how old the children are.

Also, you can administer lotions that contain an antihistamine, as the drug helps to treat the symptoms of chickenpox and quicken up the healing process.

Before providing an antihistaminic medication to your kid, consult with your doctor to be certain that you do not exceed the recommended dosage of the drug/ointment.

9. Give fever medicines

If your child has a high fever, give him regular fever medicine such as paracetamol. The fever medicine will also help reduce the pain associated with chickenpox.

It is important to avoid using aspirin or products that contain aspirin to reduce fever in the cases of chickenpox. The reason for this is that the use of aspirin in children with chickenpox has been linked to a serious condition known as Reye’s syndrome, which can lead to brain and liver damage and even death. Additionally, ibuprofen should also be avoided as much as possible, as it has been linked to fatal bacterial infections of the skin.

Therefor, It is very important to remember that you need to speak to your doctor before you give any chickenpox medicine to your child. Call the doctor and confirm the medicine and the dosage and then give it to the child.  

10. Stay quarantined

As stated, chickenpox is highly contagious. You may transmit chickenpox to others 2 days prior to you start exhibiting symptoms and you can continue transmitting it till all the spots develop into scabs, which is generally five days following the onset of spots. This is why you need to stay quarantined along with your entire family when any member has chickenpox.

This is for kids and also is a part of the chickenpox treatment for adults.

Prevention of the spread of chickenpox

Vaccination is the most effective method of preventing the transmission of chickenpox. Give your children the chickenpox vaccine to protect them from future outbreaks of this illness.
Furthermore, avoiding direct contact with individuals who have the infection, washing hands frequently, and remaining at home while sick might limit the transmission of chickenpox.

If someone has never received the vaccine for chickenpox or has never had this disease, there is a high chance that a chickenpox vaccine could prevent the chickenpox infection when they are eventually exposed to the virus. In the event that a vaccinated individual contracts chickenpox, their symptoms are typically less severe.

Follow these guidelines and you will get effective relief from chickenpox. However, if the symptoms don’t go away within a week, or you notice your child is getting very sick, speak to the doctor right away. Visiting a clinic or hospital may not be a great idea, so speak to your doctor on the phone and follow his advice closely.

When to consult a doctor?

Chickenpox usually goes away on its own, so there is not much need to consult a doctor; however, in some circumstances, an individual should consult a doctor.
Some people are more susceptible to complications than others; therefore, they should see a medical professional as soon as the first symptom of chickenpox appears. These groups are:

• New-borns
• Pregnant women
• Individuals above the age of 12
• People with weaker immune systems
• People suffering from chronic skin or lung diseases
• Individuals taking steroid treatment

In addition, anybody who has serious symptoms should visit a doctor. Severe symptoms include:

• A high body temperature or a fever lasting for longer than four days
• Pus oozing out of the sores
• Bleeding rash
• Stiff neck
• Vomiting
• Severe pain in abdomen
• Difficulty walking
• Difficulty breathing
• Difficulty waking or confusing behaviour
• Severe cough

Chickenpox complications

Chickenpox can lead to the following complications:

• Scarring: Scarring, which can result in pockmarks on the skin
• Cellulitis: A kind of bacterial skin infection.
• Pneumonia: inflammation and infection of the lungs may occur in adults and be life-threatening
• Encephalitis: inflammation of the brain that is usually moderate but can sometimes be severe
• Bleeding disorders: although infrequent, they can be fatal in rare situations

Chickenpox and pregnancy

If a pregnant woman has chickenpox, both the mother and her foetus are at risk of serious complications, which include:

• Birth abnormalities, including abnormal brain and limb development
• Low birth weight
• Pneumonia
• Potentially fatal infection

Conclusion

Chickenpox is a common disease and it seldom causes any long-term side effects or other health issues. It, however, is a very contagious and uncomfortable illness so you have to be very patient while the body recuperates from the disease. A variety of home remedies that can be effective in relieving the discomfort and symptoms of chicken pox is available. These remedies include wearing mittens, oatmeal baths, baking soda baths, neem leaves, calamine lotion, and over-the-counter medications. Follow all the points mentioned above and your child (or you) will be totally fine very soon.

While these remedies can help alleviate the symptoms of chicken pox, it is important to note that they are not a substitute for medical treatment. If you or someone you know has chicken pox, it is important to consult a healthcare professional for a proper diagnosis and treatment. Additionally, practicing good hygiene and avoiding contact with others can help prevent the spread of the virus.