Natural Health with Merrilyn Hope

Common Childhood Infectious Diseases

These listed childhood illnesses are common amongst children under the age of ten.  In fact, the earlier that children get these infectious diseases, the less likely they are to suffer complications and adverse side effects.  My mother always thought that it was best if we were exposed to these illnesses at an early age, and she made no effort to protect us against getting them, as we were never so sick if we had them young.  And, once you had the virus, your immune system was made strong naturally, through combatting the disease, and so we never had a recurrence.

The common childhood illnesses came just once.  We welcomed getting the common infections  such as Mumps, Chicken Pox and Measles as a child,  because if you escaped getting these diseases as a youngster, then you could expect to have an incredibly strong and debilitating dose of the disease if you got it when you were an adult.

Should I Vaccinate My Child Or Not? This is a serious question, and it should be carefully considered before charging ahead with vaccination.  One good alternative is Homeopathy.  Consult your Doctor, your Homeopath, your Ayurvedic medicine practitioner, or another health professional to help you decide.

These days, vaccinations, or immunisations,  have complicated things.  Children’s immune systems are weakened by having these innoculations, and immune systems become lazy  when they are repeatedly bombarded with vaccination bugs.  Also, having the vaccination does not necessarily mean that your child will be protected from the disease.  I have heard of many instances, where the child has had a severe infection straight after having the vaccination for it:  The vaccination actually brings on the condition in some people.

The List of Common Childhood Diseases is as Follows. I have listed some Homeopathic alternatives which are worth consideration in the treatment of these illnesses.  Homeopathy is a safe, more natural method  of combatting these illness than vaccination.  Homeopathic Treatment will not cause long-lasting damage to the immune system.

Chicken Pox:  This has red spots which turn to blisters.  The ‘pox’ begins on the trunk, like Scarlet Fever, and then spreads to the face and limbs.  Its incubation period is between 17-21 days after coming into contact with the virus.  Isolation is recommended for around two or three weeks after the onset of the infection, which is when you can expect the scabs to come off the sores, and the skin to heal.  The Chicken Pox is an itchy infection, and children should be discouraged from scratching themselves, as this will make things worse.

Diphtheria:  This is characterized by a sore throat, like Scarlet Fever.  It also has a coated tongue, like Scarlet Fever in its early development.  Bad breath, sickness and choking, and difficulty breathing are symptoms of Diphtheria.  Its incubation period is between 1-5 days after contact.  The isolation period recommended in the old household medical books is about 6 weeks.   Your doctor will advise you on this.

‘German’ Measles:  This is characterized initially by a cold in the nose with a sore throat.  After two days of these symptoms, an irregular rash appears over the body.  Swollen glands, sore neck, and conjunctivitis may be present.  The incubation period for German measles is anything between 2 to 4 weeks.  The isolation period for German Measles is given as  3 weeks in the old text books.  It is important to prevent expectant mothers from coming into contact with the German Measles, as it could have serious consequences.

‘English’ Measles: This type of Measles was more mild than the German variety.  It is characterized by  a rash which appears in small areas of pink patches, after about the 4th or 5th day of being exposed to the disease.   The pink patches grow gradually larger and spread over the body.   Other characteristics are a feverish cold with a runny nose, which usually develops after the rash has appeared.   The eyes become irritated and red.  Small white spots appear inside the mouth on the cheeks.  Isolation should be for about two weeks after the onset of Measles.

Mumps: This condition also affects the throat to begin with.  The throat is sore and there will be difficulty in chewing and swallowing, resulting in loss of appetite.   Other symptoms are likely to be:  Swollen neck glands, pain under the ear, and sore inner ear. The Incubation Period may be between two to four weeks after coming into contact with the disease.  A period of around 4 weeks isolation for Mumps is recommended

Scarlet Fever: Of course you should see your doctor.  But  Homeopathic Belladonna has been proven to be effective in preventing Scarlet Fever in times of an epidemic.  It can also help alleviate the symptoms, and quicken the recovery,  if your child should succumb to this disease.  This illness is characterized by a sore throat in the initial stages.  The tongue starts off white and furry, but changes to a bright red after a couple of days.   Temperature, fever, vomiting, pains in the stomach are symptoms of this disease.  The red rash, which appears within 24 hours of the onset of the disease,  appears first on the trunk of the body, then spreads to the limbs, and finally, to the face.  This rash is made up of tiny red spots.  The Incubation period is between 2 to 5 days.  Isolation is recommended for around 2 weeks after the rash first appears.

Whooping Cough:  This is another of the Childhood infectious diseases.  It often begins like flu,  with a head cold and running nose with the eyes red and streaming.  Loss of appetite and vomiting may accompany the condition   However, the condition is much more serious than simple flu.  Young children, and babies especially, can ‘go down’ very quickly with whooping cough. Babies can easily die of Whooping Cough, so it is important to have treatment handy, and to head for the doctor if you suspect Whooping Cough.   Whooping Cough can come on very suddenly, in the wee small hours of the night when most doctors surgeries are closed.   Your child suddenly finds it difficult to breathe, and makes a wheezing, whooping sound as he or she fights to breath in, and this frightens the life out of you. Of course, you MUST see a doctor, or another health professional such as a homeopathic doctor, or get to the hospital immediately.  But as soon as the alarm has been set off, and you realize that your child has whooping cough, then you can immediately start giving them Homeopathic Drosera. By the time you get to the hospital, you might find that the Drosera has already worked, and that there is no need for further medication. The disease often ends as quickly as it began, with Drosera.   I used the Homeopathic Remedy Drosera for these occasions, and it never failed me.  Drosera is one of those magic Prophylactic remedies for Whooping Cough, which means that it is a preventative of the disease.  Because it is a Prophylactic, you can give your child several doses of this, over several days, the minute that you realize there is a Whooping Cough epidemic around.  Taking Homeopathic Drosera as a preventative can mean that your children may avoid getting Whooping Cough in times of an epidemic.  Keep it in your medicine cupboard, to use in times of emergency, and for the periods when the Whooping Cough virus is going around the schools.