Can you eat Chicken and Eggs during Chicken pox?

Chicken pox is caused by the varicella-zoster virus. Chicken pox is highly contagious disease and generally affects children. When a person is infected with chicken pox you will see a breakout of rashes all over the body which appears in the form of pus filled boils.

The person infected with chicken pox will have low appetite. The first 2 days the child will feel weak and fatigued. He’ll not feel like eating much quantity of food and will rely on liquid diet. After the fourth day the child will improve on food intake.

The number of blisters will keep increasing as days progress. You will see fresh ones near the genitals, palms, feet and sole, mouth and scalp area too.

The most important question that will come to your mind is with regard to the kind of food your child can and cannot consume. Make sure that his/her diet includes foods that are rich in nutrients, vitamins and minerals. Importance is placed on eating fruits and vegetables.

Foods to avoid during Chicken pox

• In India people avoid eating non-vegetarian foods like chicken, meat, fish and eggs etc. Considered to be hot and aggravate the boils.
• Quantity of salt is reduced to avoid itching. Ghee addition, oily foods are avoided to ensure proper digestion. Spicy foods are totally avoided to minimize itching and easy digestion.
• Avoid citric fruits and juices as it may cause itching.
• Avoid wheat flour, by-products of wheat-All purpose flour (maida), bread as it will increase heat in the body.
• Do not use dhals -tur dhal, moong dhal, chick pea (chana) etc as it can cause pus in the boils. Usually potato is also avoided along with masalas while cooking vegetable curries.

Foods to eat during Chicken pox

• Consume fruits and vegetables in plenty. Banana, Water melon, berries, guava are ideal. Avoid citric fruits as it may cause itching.
• Eat curds, drink butter milk to cool the body.
• Serve porridge with coconut chutney ( Thenga chammandhi Recipe; Grind ½ cup grated raw coconut, shallots:5 (or) ½ an onion, small piece of tamarind,1/2 tsp of grated ginger, ½ tsp chilli powder, 2-3 curry leaves, salt: to taste, Grind all ingredients with 3 tsp of water).
• Use non stick pan to make dosa, appam. Puttu is a steam cooked rice recipe, ideal during chicken pox. Mix with yellow color small banana.
• In South India people consume rice in the form of puffed rice or flattened rice mixed with chopped banana or fruits.

Do’s during Chicken pox

• Drink lots and lots of water and keep body hydrated.
• Spread neem leaves on the bed cover such that the patient’s skin will be in contact with the leaves.
• Use neem leaves to avoid itching sensation. Gently fan the spots with neem fronds (tender leaves) if you feel itchy. The essential oils from neem leaves will provide soothing feeling.
• If itching is severe, mix 1 tspn of baking soda in 2 glasses of water and then sponge the body with this solution.
• After the rashes have dried, a lengthy bath can be planned for your child. Heat water in which neem leaves and fresh turmeric has been added I day in advance. The next day heat the same water and then bath. This water has medicinal properties with antibacterial properties as well.
• Wear loose, light colored cotton clothes. Also recommended to use light colored bed spreads.
• Doctors advise to apply Calamine lotion over the boils to get relief from itching. Gives cooling affect.

Dont’s during Chicken pox

• Do not scratch vigorously and break the boils. Water will ooze and infection will spread further. It will also lead to ugly scars.
• Do not leave the person unattended during the initial 3 days. The weakness will be severe and the patient will faint with exhaustion due to fever and body pains.
• Do not send the infected person out of the house-school, play school or work as it is contagious.
• Do not bathe till all the boils and rashes have dried. Skin should not come in contact with water. Avoid medicated soaps.

The Ayurvedic name for chicken pox is Laghu Masurika. Generally speaking, the disease would take between 10 and 15 days to run its course. Ayurveda recommends fanning with neem leaves, application of neem paste, honey on the blisters. Oatmeal soak is another option for sponging the body.

Chicken pox is a contagious disease and can spread quite easily from person to person. Doctors too inform that the chicken pox virus spreads when the rashes starts falling. The most contagious time is during the initial 2 to 5 days of the illness. The chicken pox virus may spread through contact with infected droplets that are released into the air while coughing and sneezing.

As chicken pox is caused by a virus, antibiotics are not helpful. Usually treatment for chicken pox involves topical applications in order to reduce discomfort caused by the rash. Medication may also be given to reduce fever and pains.

Neem leaves play a key role in Ayurvedic treatment for chicken pox. Neem has antiviral properties and hence combats the varicella zoster virus. It quickens the drying of the fluid in the blisters, and reduces the itchy and scratchy sensation that the chicken pox blisters cause.

Massive cleaning is to be done in the home after the infected person has had bath and no further symptoms are seen in the other family members.

There is another condition called shingles which is another form of chicken pox affected by the nerves. Read more in upcoming article.

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High chances to catch Shingles after recovery from Chickenpox

What is Shingles?

Shingles is caused by the varicella-zoster virus – the same virus that causes chickenpox. After recovery from chickenpox, the virus remains in the body and lies dormant in the central nervous system; which is made up of the brain and spinal cord. The virus may reappear in people of all ages who have previously had chickenpox.

The blisters are usually limited to one or more bands, called dermatomes, on one side of the trunk, around the waistline, or clustered on one side of the face.

The inactive virus may not cause problems for years, if ever. Shingles is most common in people over the age of 50, about half of all cases occur in men and woman age 60 years and older. The risk of disease increases as a person gets older.

How does Shingles occur?

Most people have chickenpox at some stage (usually as a child). The virus does not completely go after you have chickenpox. Some virus particles remain inactive in the nerve roots next to your spinal cord. They do no harm there, and cause no symptoms. For reasons that are not clear, the virus may begin to multiply again (reactivate). This is often years later. The reactivated virus travels along the nerve to the skin to cause shingles.

Typically individuals will develop one episode of shingles in their lifetime. The pain from shingles can be mild to severe, including burning, shooting pain or itching generally on one side of the body, does not cross over the midline of the body and visualizes as a rash or blisters. This indicates the dormant virus has reactivated and traveled from the nerves along a path to the skin, causing inflammation along the way. This pain can sometimes last for months post healing.

What are symptoms of Shingles?

The varicella-zoster virus usually affects one nerve only, on one side of the body. Symptoms occur in the area of skin that the nerve supplies. The usual symptoms are pain and a rash. Occasionally, two or three nerves next to each other are affected.

The pain is a localized band of pain. It can be anywhere on your body, depending on which nerve is affected. The pain can range from mild to severe. Other symptoms of shingles can include: fever, headache, sick feeling, extreme weakness, nausea, chills, fatigue, joint pain, faint due to weakness, etc.

The usual course of the illness is outlined below.

• Pain, tingling, numbness, itching on a specific part of the skin, on a single side of the body.
• A rash will typically appear 1-5 days after the pain begins.
• Red spots emerge that develop into itchy fluid-filled blisters.
• The rash has the appearance of chickenpox but only on the band of skin supplied by the affected nerve.
• The rash may involve the face, eyes, mouth and ears in some cases.
• Sometimes the blisters merge, forming a solid red band that looks like a severe burn.
• New blisters may arise for up to a week.
• Inflammation/swelling may be caused in the soft tissue under and around the rash.
• People with lesions may feel spasms of pain at the gentlest touch or breeze
• The blisters will gradually dry up, form scabs or crusts and begin to fade in 7-10 days
• Minor scarring may occur where the blisters have been.
• A shingles episode can often last between 2 and 4 weeks.

Is Shingles contagious?

Shingles is not spread through coughing or sneezing but through direct contact with fluid from the filled blisters. Before the blisters develop and after the crusts form, the person is not contagious.

You can catch chickenpox from someone with shingles if you have not had chickenpox before. But most adults and older children have already had chickenpox, and so are immune. You cannot get shingles from someone who has shingles.

Preventative measures for Shingles include:

• Keeping the rash covered
• Minimal scratching or contact with the rash
• Regular hand-washing
• Avoiding contact with Pregnant women who have never had chickenpox or varicella vaccine
• Avoiding contact with Premature or low birth weight infants

Ayurvedic treatment for Shingles

Many people opt for Ayurvedic treatment for Shingles because it has no side effects. Ayurveda, which is often called the Mother of all Medicine recommends few ointments on the skin. One of the most common herbal remedies for shingles includes application of a paste of turmeric powder on the affected area. Being a natural antiseptic, turmeric speeds up healing and relieves the sufferer from pain. The other popular home remedy is application of 1 cup of aloe vera gel mixed with 1 tspn of honey. Apply on the affected area 2 times a day.

Shingles is less contagious than chickenpox. The risk of spreading the virus is low if the rash is covered. However the infected person may require rest due to body pains and a general ill feeling.

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