Measles
Measles, a highly infectious disease, is very common
in childhood. It is so common at this stage of life that nearly all children
everywhere in the world go through this brief period of red spots. The disease
appears in epidemic form, often in the winter season.
Symptoms
The first symptoms which appear during 7 to 14 days
after exposure to the virus are feverishness, cold, watering of the eyes and
dry cough. Rashes appear on the skin in three to five days after the onset of
these symptoms. These rashes, which consist of small rounded spots with
reddened skin in between, initially appear on the sides of the face and the
neck and then gradually spread all over the body, appearing last on the
extremities. Initially pink in colour, these rashes grow darker as time passes.
Measles is usually accompanied with slight fever and
diarrhea. In rare cases of great severity, high fever and delirium may occur.
Complications which can arise from this disease include pneumonia, bronchitis,
and ear abscess. One serious but rare complication is the inflammation of the
brain.
Causes
Measles is one of the most contagious diseases,
caused by a virus. The measles virus is so infectious that in cities, children
catch this disease before they reach the age of five years. Mothers generally
pass their antibodies to their children which immunize them passively. This protection,
however, does not last beyond the six months. Measles is easily transmitted in
the early stages through the invisible droplets of moisture which are
discharged from a patient’s nose or mouth when he coughs or sneezes.
The real cause of this disease, like other diseases
of childhood, is , however, wrong feed and unhygienic living conditions.
Measles is thus a natural healing crisis aimed at cleansing the infant organism
of the toxins and deleterious and products resulting from the assimilation of
the vast excess of starchy and sugary foods consumed by young children today.
Treatment
In the beginning of the treatment, the patient should
be given juices of fresh fruits like orange and lemon frequently. This is
sufficient as the child suffers from lack of appetite during this period. He
should be kept in a well ventilated room. As light has a detrimental effect upon
the eyes during measles, because of the weakened condition of the external eye
tissues, the child should have his eyes shaded or the room should have subdued
light. The treatment should aim at bringing down the temperature and
eliminating the toxins from the system. This can be achieved by administration
of warm water enema every morning, application of mud packs on the abdomen
twice a day in the morning and evening and repeated application of chest packs.
Lukewarm water baths can be given every day to ease itching. Addition of
extracts of neem leaves to this water will prove beneficial. As the condition
improves, the child can be placed on an all fruit diet for a further few days. Thereafter
he may be allowed to gradually embark upon a well-balanced diet.
Home Remedies
Certain home remedies have been found beneficial in
the treatment of measles. The most valuable amongst these is the use of orange.
When the digestive power of the body is seriously hampered, the patient suffers
from intense toxemia and the lack of saliva coats his tongue and often destroys
his thrust for water as well as his desire for food. The agreeable flavour of
orange juice helps greatly in overcoming these drawbacks. Orange juice is the
most ideal liquid food in this disease.
The juice of lemon is another remedy. It also makes
an effective thirst-quenching drink in measles. About 15 to 25 ml. of lemon
juice, should be taken diluted with water for this purpose. Turmeric (haldi) is
beneficial in the treatment of measles. Raw roots of turmeric should be dried in
the sun and ground to a fine powder. This powder, mixed with a few drops of
honey and the juice of a few bitter gourd leaves, should be given to the
patient suffering from measles.
Powdered liquorice (mulethi) has been found valuable
in relieving the cough, typical of measles. The child patient should be given
this powdered liquorice mixed with honey. The use of barley (Jau) water has
proved beneficial in case of troublesome cough in measles. This water should be
taken frequently sweetened with the newly drawn oil of sweet almonds. The seeds
of eggplant (baingan) are stimulant. According to Dr. Sanyal of Calcutta , intake of half
a gram to one gram of these seeds daily for three days will help develop
immunity against measles for one year.
Children having measles should not be allowed to
mixed with others. They should be given complete rest. Hygienic condition along
with the above mentioned treatment will lead to speed recovery. Medications
should be strictly avoided.
Source: www.healthlibrary.com through www.scribd.com
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