CHICKEN POX

ACONITE

As usual, Aconite is indicated in the very first stages, before the rash commences. There is restlessness, anxiety, high fever with thirst.  (See fever.)

ANT TART.

The eruptions come out very slowly, often with rattling cough and chest involvement.  Expectoration is difficult to raise.  Delayed or receding eruptions, blue or pustular.  Patient is nauseous, drowsy weak and sweaty.

ARS ALB.

Chicken pox with large eruptions and lots of pus. Burning pains with extreme chilliness.  Pain and itching is worse after midnight.  Patient is restless and anxious, wants company.  Thirsty for frequent small sips of water.

BELLADONNA

Chicken pox with severe headache.  Patient is flushed red, skin is hot. Patient is drowsy but cannot sleep, has dilated pupils. They are sensitive to noise, light, jarring.  (See fever.)

BRYONIA

This is a good remedy if the rash is late in coming out, also if there is chest involvement, with a dry painful cough. (See Cough.) Sore limbs and body, muscles ache, does not want to move. Dry mouth and intense thirst. Patient is worse movement, wants to be alone and is very irritable.

MERC SOL.

Chicken pox with suppurating green vesicles.  Large eruptions with lots of pus.  Patient smells very offensive and breath is offensive.  Lymph nodes in neck are swollen hard.  Metallic taste in mouth.  Patient cannot find a comfortable temperature.  Patient is sweaty.

RHUS TOX.

Intense itching stinging sensation worse scratching.  Patient is very restless and cannot sleep.  Warm baths ameliorate symptoms.  Patient may crave milk. Generally, this is one of the most common remedies needed in Chicken pox.

MEASLES

ACONITE

Catarrh and high fever before the rash comes out.  Redness of conjunctiva, photophobia.  Nasal discharge, dry barking cough.  Itching burning skin, miliary rash.  There can be diarrhoea.  Patient is restless, anxious, tosses about.

BELLADONNA

Where the rash is bright red.  Throbbing headache, hot steaming fever.  Dilated pupils, delirious, cannot sleep.  Cases that simulate scarlatina.  (See fever.)

EUPHRASIA

Measles with profuse catarrh, and streaming burning tears.  Intense photophobia.  Intense throbbing headache which ameliorates when rash comes out.  Dry cough.  (Can seem like Belladonna but more copious discharges and feels better in open air.)

GELSEMIUM

Comes on slowly.  Patient is heavy, droopy, tired, apathetic.  Chill and heat follow each other especially up and down back.  Sneezing with excoriating nasal discharge.  Sore throat, harsh croupy cough. Severe headache better for urinating.  Patient is thirst less.

PULSATILLA

Measles where there is very little fever, and can be good in mild cases.  (It is especially useful in the later stages of measles.)  Yellow bland discharge of eyes and nose.  Profuse lachrymation.  Dry mouth but thirst less.  Patient is demanding, wants attention, is clingy.  Often feels nauseous, has diarrhoea.  Earache with measles is common.

MUMPS

BELLADONNA

Inflammation of right parotid gland, which is bright red, and hot. Violent shooting pain.  Face is bright red and hot.  Patient can be dazed, delirious with dilated pupils.  They may experience sudden lessening of swelling, followed by a throbbing headache and increase in delirium.

BROMIUM

Left parotid is swollen and hard.  All lymph glands are swollen, inflammation of glands come on slowly.  Patient is sweaty and sensitive to draughts.  Patient is weak and easily overheats.

JABORANDI

This remedy acts quickly to relieve the pain and limit the duration of mumps.  It is good when the mumps metastasise to testes or breast.  There is profuse sweating followed by intense thirst.  Great salivation and weakness.

LACHESIS

Affects the left parotid which is enormously swollen and sensitive to touch.  Pain is severe, patient cannot swallow. There is much throbbing in throat. Face is red and swollen.  (See sore throats.)

PHYTOLACCA

For inflammation of the parotids and submaxillary glands with stony hardness.  Pains shoot into the ear when swallowing.  Patient is worse for cold and wet conditions.  (See sore throats.)

PULSATILLA

This is good in the later stages of mumps or if complications result e.g., metastases in breast, ovary or testicles.  If mumps linger and child is weepy and clings to its mother.  Patient is not hungry or thirsty and wants fresh air.  Generally he is worse at night and after lying down.  The mouth is dry and the tongue coated.

RHUS TOX.

Affects left parotid and submaxillary gland.  These are highly inflamed and enlarged.  Cold sores always occur with mumps. Patient is easily chilled, worse for least uncovering. They ache and become stiff easily, so toss in bed to try and find relief.  They may want milk.

WHOOPING COUGH

(See cough section)

Don’t forget that in some countries whooping cough is a reportable disease so you may need to see your doctor!

ANT. TART.

Exhausting cough with lots of stringy very thick mucous that the child finds really difficult to cough up. They can cough to the point of vomiting in an effort to bring the mucous up. Will go blue (cyanosis) and gasp for breath for a while after the attack stops. Very bad rattling in chest.  Patient often falls asleep after a coughing attack. Often worse around 10pm to midnight.

ARNICA

If child fears the cough and weeps before or after a coughing paroxysm. Cough causes bloodshot eyes or nosebleed (epistaxis). Violent spasmodic cough may hold chest during the attack.  Can have an eruption of facial herpes during the illness (Rhus tox).  Dyspnoea with haemoptysis. Thick yellow mucous.

BELLADONNA

The usual rapid onset of Belladonna states, with bright red hot face, staring eyes. The patient may seem slightly ‘out of it’. Extremely violent coughing with pain in abdominal region and a very severe headache. May expectorate bright red blood.

BRYONIA

Where the cough is dry and worse after eating or drinking.  Patient can be thirsty though drinking can cause vomiting.  Pain of coughing may make child jump out of bed.  Patient may also hold their chest because of the pain and try not to breath because of the pain!  They are worse for any or the least movement, eating, drinking, lying down. They can also be very irritable.

CARBO VEG

Consider in children who have been inoculated or have low vitality and produce a low grade whooping cough.  Symptoms are burning pain in the chest, cold sweat, cold extremities, cold blue pinched face but despite the cold they do not want to be covered up.  Spasmodic dry hollow cough, violent coughing brings up a little yellow or bloody catarrh followed by retching.  Patient wants fanning to increase air movement about the head.

COCCUS CACTI

Patient is worse at night around 11pm, when hot in bed and first thing on waking in the morning. They are better for cool rooms and very light coverings.  Patient holds breath to prevent coughing.  Sips of cold water prevent cough.  Paroxysms of coughing end in vomiting up mucous which hangs like threads from the mouth.

DROSERA

Barking cough due to tickling or crawling sensation in throat.  Pain in chest is such that breath is held back when speaking or coughing.  Pain below ribs in pit of stomach when speaking or coughing, often holds chest.  Chokes for breath because paroxysms of coughing follow so fast. Goes blue during the paroxysms. Coughs to the point of vomiting. Patient is worse lying down, after midnight and after drinking. may feel better for sitting or walking gently.

IPECAC

Child becomes stiff, loses his breath, then becomes pale, relaxes and vomits mucous.  Child may feel continuously nauseous though tongue will be clean not coated. There may be epistaxis or haemoptysis with whooping cough.   Paroxysms of coughing.  Constant constriction in chest.  Suffocative coughing. Will be worse in the evening around 7pm, if the room is warm. Eating will aggravate the cough.  Cold drinks and the open air may help.

RUMEX CRISPUS

Very useful in coughs where there is an incessant tickling sensation in the throat pit especially in the late evening or if the patient goes out into the cold or open air from a warm room.