The house has been struck by chicken pox,
after a winter of full on illnesses this seems like the last insult to injury.
But unlike the last litany of mystery bugs and viruses, Chicken Pox is
something I know how to deal with. It’s a familiar childhood illness,
ubiquitous and predictable. However knowledge on how to minimise Chicken Pox
effects is starting to wane and as such I am putting together a Chicken Pox
guide to help parents deal with this virus in a proactive and effective manner.
Typical medical practice for managing chicken pox (Varicella zoster virus) is
to prescribe acyclovir as an antiviral in the early stages, paracetamol for fever, antihistamines
for itch and pinetarsol baths for itch as well. My concern with the first three
at least is the pressure they put on the liver and kidneys and the fact that
some of the adverse effects seem as bad if not worse than the infection itself.
I also worry that it is commonly children that are affected by Chicken Pox and
very rarely are these drugs tested on small children, Acyclovir in particular
is not recommended for under twos.
So if you want to take an alternative route
here is my guide to managing Chicken pox at home.
First here is a little overview on how chicken pox manifests:
The Varicella zoster virus is extremely
contagious and has an almost 90% hit rate in people with no prior immunity. The
virus incubates for 10-21 days and you become contagious a couple of days
before the spots appear (sneaky isn’t it, this virus knows how to get around).
Chicken pox is usually spread by airborne droplets (coughing) and from the
liquid in the blisters. While it is highly communicable it is considered mild
and self limiting unless a complication arises. These complications usually
occur in compromised individuals who do not manage the illness well. Chicken pox is usually diagnosed by the
distinctive vesicular rash which forms primarily on the face, torso and groin
though it can appear anywhere including on the eye, in the ears and in the
mouth and throat. The rash forms fluid filled blisters which will eventually
burst and crust over. Once all the blisters have crusted there is no longer a
chance of contagion though your child may not be accepted back into society
until the marks have faded. (unclean unclean). Often people with Chicken pox
will have a low grade fever and nausea, usually manifesting up to four days
before the spots appear.
If you are pregnant, immune compromised or
have had a course of steroids recently then you are at high risk of
complications and seeing a doctor is advisable. If you are none of these and
you feel confident to manage the disease then it might be best to keep your
germs to yourself and stay out of the doctor’s waiting room.
Things to watch out for:
The rash does not start crusting after 5 days of infection and continues to
worsen
The fever worsens after a few days of
infection and does not let up
The blisters seem reddened or infected
Child seems listless and worsens instead of
improving
So how do you treat Chicken Pox?
First
stage: Exposure and Incubation
If your family have exposed and you feel
you may be incubating chicken pox (fever, runny nose, tiredness) then don’t be
a hero. Keep your kids at home and stay away from infants, pregnant women and
the elderly.
The first thing to do is ensure anyone
affected is well hydrated, keeping fluids up is very important.
The second thing to be aware of is
nutrition, people who are low in the amino acid L-lysine are at risk of
complications and increased severity of infection. Taking an additional
supplement of lysine while Chicken pox is circulating and once infection is
established is a good idea, these supplements are far more effective in the
incubation stage than when the pox has erupted. Also ensuring a strong immunity
by maintaining Vitamin D levels and maintaining good nutrition is a must.
Poorly nourished children who are low in essential nutrients are at a much
higher risk of complications.
So to
summarise supplements
Vitamin D
Vitamin C
Vitamin B complex
L-Lysine
Recommended dosage is 1000iu daily for
Vitamin D and 12mg of L-lysine per Kg of body weight in children over two.Taking Sodium ascorbate or Lipospheric Vitaman C in
a bolus dose when contact with Chicken pox can bolster the immune system, up to
2000mg over the course of the day can be easily tolerated though exceeding this
can cause an upset tummy, there is no hazardous upper limit with Vitamin C
though large doses can cause your bowels to be a bit more hasty. These doses
are a guide only. No upper limit has been established with Lysine, though
higher doses have been associated with gallstones.
If you prefer not to supplement then you
can stock up on lysine rich foods such as eggs, dairy, most nuts, red meat,
beans, fruit and veg, brewers yeast, mung bean sprouts and spirulina. It may also
be wise to avoid foods rich in L-arginine as arginine uses a similar pathway
for uptake in the body as lysine, therefore food high in arginine may increase
lysine requirements and reduce availability. Foods rich in arginine to be
avoided are chocolate, fish, coconut, wheat flours, carob, peanuts chickpeas,
raisins, brown rice and gelatine.
Getting sunshine will increase your D
intake but ensure it is large areas of skin for periods of 10-15 minutes at a
time, longer exposure will slowly reduce Vitamin D synthesis. Vitamin C can be
obtained though fresh fruit and vegetables, kiwifruit in particular is a good
source, but it must be fresh.Taking a B
complex is a good idea too, or eating vitamin B rich foods, such as avocados, oats, organ meats, legumes and brazil nuts.
Its really important to understand that
these supplementations or diet changes are a short term course of action to limit
the severity of Chicken pox and not a long term lifestyle choice.
Second
Stage: Rash appears
Once the rash appears treatment of Chicken
pox is more about ameliorating discomfort, preventing itching and reducing risk
of complication.
The skin is performing an important role at
this stage by maintaining an environment that prevents the spread of infection.
Our skin is usually dry with a high salt concentration due to sweat. These
conditions are not favorable for bacterial growth. Sweat and sebaceous skin
secretions also contain substances that kill bacteria. The skin is also associated with the lymph system as aperipheral lymph organ and acts as part of the adaptive immune response. It’s
important to let the skin do its job. The key to avoiding secondary infections
and complications, is to assist this natural defence system. Things that
prevent your skin from doing its job include over-bathing, poor nutrition, inappropriate
care of sores, dirty fingernails and scratching. A lot of common chicken pox
treatments actually increase risk of infection. Instead here is a list of
treatments that will reduce risk and aid healing.
Skin
Ph
Skin sweats salts and maintains a Ph that
is hostile to bacteria. Destroying this balance can lead the way to infection.
Avoid baking soda baths, as even though they reduce itch they will change the
ph and make the skin vulnerable. Heavy soaping and drying is also a bad idea.
If you are using baths to reduce itch then after each bath restoring the skin
Ph is a must. Daubing your child gently with a saline and cider vinegar mix
will help restore the right acidity and avoid bacteria from spreading. If your
child will tolerate it you can put this mix into a spray bottle.
Saline Vinegar mix
1 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
Lavender
oil, Lavendula officinalis:
Lavender is fabulous for skin healing,
preventing infection and promoting healing. I source a local Pacific Blue genus
of Lavender that is low in camphor from arbordale lavender farm. This is gentle
enough to be applied neat but diluting it 1 part lavender oil to 9 parts
carrier oil is a best to avoid evaporation. This mixture can be applied
directly to the pox sores to take the itch out. I have used this on my boy and
he hasn't scratched once. A note on lavender, a study was done which indicated
that Lavender essential oil and tea tree oil were linked to breast tissue
growth in boys. This study was very poorly conducted and included only 3 test
subjects with absolutely no research done on what other products these children
were putting on their skin and in one instance one of the lavender products
cited as being an issue only negligible amounts of actual lavender in it. There
is far more science to indicate that artificial fragrances are an issue. In any
instance, the use of lavender oil for chicken pox is short term and for any
danger to the endocrine system to be present it would have to be long term
chronic use.
Chickweed, Stellaria media
Chickweed is a very cooling and soothing
herb, many chicken pox creams and lotions include this as a primary ingredient
as it will help stop the itching. Chickweed is a common weed (no surprises
there) and you may find you have it in the garden. If you do then you can actually
make your own chickweed itch salve. Here is the recipe.
Chickweed salve
1 litre of olive oil (extra virgin organic
if possible)
100 grams of beeswax
2-3 cups of chickweed (packed down)
Collect your chickweed after the morning
dew has lifted when it is nice and dry. Avoid harvesting it after rainfall.
Once picked shake excess dirt off of it and leave it to wilt somewhere cool and
out of direct sunlight. It should be withered in a couple of hours but
overnight is ideal. Once it has withered pack it into a clean glass jar and
cover with olive oil. Be sure to get any air-bubbles out and to cover any plant
material with at least an extra centimetre of oil. Put the jar somewhere warm
and dark for a couple of weeks. 3 days will do at a pinch. You can gently warm
the oil in a saucepan before pouring it over the chickweed which will make the
process faster, but this degrades the oil. Better to be patient.
Once the chickweed has infused into the oil
you melt the beeswax in a saucepan and add 100mls of the oil. Once it is all
liquid you can add the rest of the oil slowly, do not allow the oil to overheat
for the reasons stated above, once all combined pour it into containers
promptly before it sets. If you can’t be bothered with the balm step it’s fine
to use it just as an oil.
Homeopathy
Not everyone’s cuppa but if you are that
way inclined then the following remedies can be of use. Homeopathy can be used
to manage all stages and manifestations of pox.
Rhus tox: This is the key
homeopathic remedy for Chicken pox and should be offered in 30c or 200c potency
when itching worsens
Mez: This is the top remedy for itch and relentless scratching.
Varicella
nosode: This is a remedy made from the Varicella
virus. You would take this to try and avoid catching Chicken pox but because in
homeopathic literature Chicken pox is considered a beneficial virus to have had
this is only suggested if you are a non immune adult who has been exposed to
the virus or taken once the rash has erupted to bolster immune response.
Ant
tart - Great remedy for restless children who
fidget a lot and have intense itching that worsens when scratched.
Ant
crud – Sulky
irritable children with a white coated tongue. The sores would be burn and itch
and would be thick with a honey like discharge.
Merc
sol – For any infection of sores, particularly
sores that weep
Loose
clothing
My son has spent the whole week in his
pyjamas, loose but warm cotton clothing that absorb any excess moisture and
breathe easily. It is also soft enough to not irritate any of the sores yet
loose enough to breathe. If your child is still in nappies then give them as
much bare bum time as possible and if they are not dry through the night
instead of putting night nappies on I would put a waterproof layer on the bed
and a couple of towels to absorb any
moisture as nappies can heat the area up and irritate any spots. If you use
cloth then a temporary switch to disposable is advisable.
Colloidal
oats, Avena sativa:
Often Doctors will recommend colloidal
oatmeal in the bath water to resolve itchiness. Rather than buying colloidal
oatmeal it’s a simple matter to grind up some whole oats in your blender or
spice grinder and putting it in the water. I avoid commercial oat, skin
products as these often contain parabens and chemicals. Bog standard oats from
the supermarket are cheap and effective. Don’t use soaps in the oatmeal bath, a
few drops of oil will keep the skin from drying out too much. Remember to
rebalance the Ph afterwards.
Hygiene
Trim the fingernails as soon as the first
blisters appear, and keep the hands clean to prevent infection. For very severe
itching you may want to gently bandage the hands at night and keep your
children distracted during the day with gentle but engaging physical activity,
puzzles, activity toys and art are ideal - things that keep the hands busy. My
son found baths really helpful so I moved a plastic tub into the lounge for him
to bathe in, it kept him in the family space so he wasn’t alone and allowed me
to keep an eye on him.
Stage
three, crusting.
Once all of the blister have crusted your
children are no longer contagious. This does not mean you can just leave them
to it. This is the worst stage for scratching and scarring.
To help with itching you can continue to
use the remedies above but if you notice any slow healing spots you can use
Vitamin E or Calendula oil to help out, just dabbed on the spots.
Things
to avoid:
Calamine -this is a mixture of zinc oxide
and ferric oxide that can be purchased over the counter at most pharmacies. It
is quite drying and can cause scarring. It has no active medical properties
except as an antipruretic to relieve itching. I avoid this as it will not help
the pox heal.
Gentian violet -also known as Methyl violet
it is a triarylmethane dye that has antibacterial, antifungal and anthelmintic
properties. As a topical application it can help prevent infection and heal up
sores without the sting associated with other applications. But it is also
messy and can stain skin or even tattoo open wounds. It has also been linked to
cancer in lab animal testing.
Tight clothing and hair in the face - keep
hair tied back and clothing loose, anything tight or constricting can irritate
the sores. Vigorous hair brushing is also a bad idea as it can burst any
blisters on the scalp..
Junk food - nutritionally void food and
simple carbohydrates that are high in arginine will hinder recovery.
Over bathing - his will change the skin Ph,
baking soda baths without redressing the balance are a big no no.
Vigorous towel drying - this can burst the
blisters. Sun drying is the very best but the next best is wrapping gently in a
towel and getting your children to lie or sit still until they are bone dry
before dressing.
Febrifuges like paracetamol and nurofen,
these will inhibit your immune response which is the opposite of what you want
to happen.
Recovery
Once the spots start to fade you may notice a boost in their demeanour and a development leap. This is normal and rather lovely.
Hopefully the threat of Pox isn't as intimidating as it was previously with this resource on hand.
