Homeopathy for Chickenpox

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Misty L. Trepke

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Homeopathic treatment of Chickenpox

Copyright 1997 Will Taylor, MD Homoeopathic Family Medicine

 

Chickenpox

 

While it is true that we cannot select a homoeopathic remedy merely

on the basis of the name of the disease - we need to select the one

remedy that is homoeopathic to the disharmony of the patient we are

treating - it is also the case that the epidemic illness of

chickenpox impresses a distinct enough stamp on the organism that

we - even in our individuality - have a small enough range of

common responses that it is meaningful to talk about them. With

some understanding of acute-care prescribing & a rather small

materia medica, it is possible to effectively treat most cases of

chickenpox at home.

 

Good resources for the materia medica (information on appropriate

remedies) needed for home prescribing for patients with chickenpox

can be found in any of the following books:

 

-Miranda Castro, The Complete Homeopathy Handbook (my favorite home-

care reference by a long shot - this takes a classical approach to

acute-care prescribing, and if you only have one home-care book, it

should be this one). If you find my comments below interesting, and

wish to procede with preparing yourself to do homoeopathic home

care, buy this book and perhaps one or two of the following list as

well.

 

-Phyllis Speight, Homoeopathic Remedies for Children

-Christopher Hammond, How to Use Homoeopathy

-Cummings & Ullman, Everybody's Guide to Homeopathic Medicines

-Dana Ullman, Homeopathic Medicine for Children and Infants

-Panos & Heimlich, Homeopathic Medicine at Home

 

Knowing that the following list does not include *every* remedy that

a homoeopath might use to treat patients with chickenpox, I would

recommend you have the following in your medicine kit to be

reasonably prepared:

 

(1) " An empty bottle " (I'm kindof teasing here) - not every person

with chickenpox needs to be treated, and in my experience most do

not. A very healthy response to this virus involves a small

smattering of spots, a runny nose, a low-grade fever & perhaps some

small drop in energy that may last a few days. If the picture of a

homoeopathic remedy does not emerge clearly in the child, don't

treat them. Give them hugs, fluids, baths with oatmeal* for

itching, one of those really neat bed-tables you make out of a cut-

out cardboard packing box with cut-outs for a bowl & cup, read to

them from Winnie-the-Pooh, etc. (especially " Wheezles & Sneezles "

from Now we are Six). For my oldest boy (now 10), raspberry sherbet

& a backrub is the most consistently effective remedy for any

ailment that comes along.

 

* - grind rolled oats in a blender or food processor, put a couple

tablespoons in a hank or dishrag & hang it from the faucet when you

draw the bath.

 

If the illness takes a course departing from this normal pattern of

response - e.g. excessive itching, horrible-looking eruption, a

disturbing cough, mental/emotional difficulties such as excessive

irritability or clinginess, difficulties with sleeping, or whatever,

the organism is asking for help, and the appropriate remedy will get

things back on track. The following short list of 8 remedies will

cover about 95% of the cases of chickenpox you'll encounter; the

remaining 5% will need any one of a huge variety of remedies at the

discretion of a trained homoeopath. I generally recommend that my

patients who stock remedies for home care get them in 12C

potencies. Most of the following will be in a kit put together for

homecare, such as the 50-remedy kit of 12C potencies put together by

Washington Homeopathic Products. Dosing, repetition of dose, etc.

are discussed in the home-care manuals above, most thoroughly in

Miranda Castro's book.

 

These are listed in order of the frequency with which I've

prescribed them for patients with chickenpox, from most frequent to

least frequent. The pictures below are fragmentary pictures of how

kids needing these remedies will look in a bout of chickenpox -

don't rely just on them, but use them as a jumping-off point in

working with your reading resources.

 

(2) Pulsatilla nigrans (perhaps 60% of the cases I've treated)

When the child has developed the disharmony calling for this remedy,

it is usually the mental/emotional and general symptoms of the

person that identify the match to this remedy. The classical

symptoms of " Chickenpox " are not that remarkable - modest rash,

modest fever. However, the child is weepy, clingy, wants to be held

& to sleep with the parent. The itching is worse from heat, such as

a hot bath or heat of the bed, so they are likely to uncover, sleep

poorly in a warm room, prever a tepid bath, etc. Bedtime is

especially hard, because of separation from the parents & warmth of

the bed, but it's just a hard time of the day for them anyway.

Despite fever they may not be very thirsty. There may be some

cough, worse on lying down at night & from the heat of the bed,

better with cooler & moving air & on sitting up.

 

(3) Rhus toxicodendron (perhaps 15% of the cases I've treated)

The striking symptoms indicating that the child is in a state

calling for this remedy are generally tremendous itching and a

physical and emotional restlessness. Bedtime may be hard again, but

this time because restlessness makes it difficult physically to lie

in bed & fall asleep. They may wake exhausted with busy dreams &

have to get up - they may come into the parents' room, but not so

much for the snuggle as out of restlessness driving them out of

their own bed. Itching is awful, especially at night, but not

because of the heat of the bed; itching is worse with cold, and

relieved by an extremely hot bath, worse when at rest, and they feel

they have to scratch & will excoriate their rash by scratching. The

pox may be expecially large & filled with thin or thick pus-like

fluid which may run when the blisters break. I have never seen the

red-tipped tongue keynote reported in the literature in this acute

presentation of a Rhus-tox picture.

 

(4) Antimonium tartaricum (<10%)

Here it is the cough that will most often alert you to the need for

this remedy. the cough may be very moist-sounding and rattly,

raising the concern about bronchitis or pneumonia (both of which may

complicate Chickenpox - this will often be the remedy when that is

the case, but do not ignore conventional medical supportive care

[i'm refering to supportive care, not to allopathic treatment] if

this is a concern). The rash may be large, and may weep a yellow

fluid crusting like dried honey - sometimes it is only the

appearance of an extensive eruption of this character that alerts to

the need for this remedy, even in the absence of problematic cough.

The child will often be mildly ill-tempered, not wanting to be

looked at or touched. A white coating is often seen on the tongue.

 

(5) Antimonium crudum (pretty unusual)

Very much like Antimonium tartaricum, above, but when the ill-temper

is much more evident.

 

(6) Mercurius vivus (or Mercurius solubilis) (<5%)

High fevers, at night, with profuse sweat. Large eruptions with pus-

filled blisters and pus-like discharge that may be irritating, with

soreness of the affected skin. Much redness about the eruptions.

Narrow range of temperature comfort - worse with cool and with

heat. These kids are normally pretty sick.

 

(7) Aconite

Usually a phase very early in the illness, folks in this state

generally are well past it & onto another phase of the illness by

the time they get into my office, so when I've given this it's

usually an 11pm phone prescription.Very sudden onset of high fever,

most often around 11pm to midnight, with fear, night-terrors or

nightmares, & tho apparently awake they don't respond as if they

were, being inconsolable in their fear. The illnes often begins

following exposure to cold wind. At this point, you probably

wouldn't know it's chickenpox yet, they probably won't break out

until the next day; if the rash has already come out, the symptoms

above eclipse the concerns that the rash might raise directly.

 

(8) Belladonna

Very hot, dry fever, without thirst, usually of rapid onset, worse

in the mid-afternoon & on into evening (3pm, fever on waking from

the afternoon nap). Dry, flushed red skin, burning up tho the hands

& feet may be cool. Headache. Twitchings & startings in feverish

sleep. Usually early in the illness, & tho the rash has often come

out at this point, the rash itself doesn't seem as significant as

the feverish symptoms above.

 

(9) Sulphur

Usually recognized as the remedy when the illness has dragged on

with slow recovery, the eruption crusty & weeping after scratching.

Warm, uncovering at night, worse from heat (itching & generally),

itching with redness about the eruption which is worse with heat of

bed or bath.

 

Good luck with your kids! Working with an illness such as this,

where you can exercise a classical homoeopathic approach within a

limited range of possible remedy pictures, is a great way to

introduce yourself to learning good homoeopathy.

 

 

Copyright 1997 Will Taylor, MD Homoeopathic Family Medicine

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