Roseola

A characteristic disease of young children is an illness known as roseola; affected children typically have a very high fever-sometimes reaching as high as 104° to 106°F, in addition other symptoms such as a mild pink and itchy rash sets in when the fever subsides. Running its course in about one to five days, the fever is often followed by the rash which may fade away quickly or in some cases could last about two to four days at a stretch. The rash first occurs on the chest and along the back of the person, spreading from these to the face and the extremities as it progresses. Some other symptoms that may be apparent in such individuals are the enlargement of the spleen and the swelling of the lymph glands in the neck. Also, other signs of the disease could be a sudden loss of appetite, nervous disorder like irritability, the presence of a sore throat, often accompanied by a runny nose. These other symptoms however, quickly subside as soon as the rash disappears.

The roseola infantum virus is pointed out by doctors as the culprit behind the disease; this viral agent is probably a member of the herpes family of viruses-akin to the human herpes virus type 6 and is responsible for all known cases of roseola. Children between the ages of six months to three years are the common demographic group that is attacked by the virus, and the disease particularly attacks these age groups only. The virus is believed to have an incubation period of about ten to fifteen days and is believed to be transmitted via respiratory contact, the roseola virus is known to be a highly contagious agent. For this reason even after the initial fever subsides, the affected child often remains infectious for about five days more.

The possibility of a seizure due to the high fever is potentially the most dangerous consequence of infection. For this reason a seizure is often the first sign that a child has roseola as the fever is unpredictable as a symptom as it can come on so suddenly, and disappear so suddenly.

Supplements and herbs

Increase the level of perspiration and reduce the chills in the patient by giving him or her combination herbal tea that can also lower the symptomatic fever. Prepare this combination herbal tea using the following herbs, the leaf of the lemon balm, the flower of the chamomile, the leaf of the peppermint, some licorice root, and the elder flower. Alternately you can use these herbs singly or in any given combination-the proportions of the herbs are as follow 1/2 teaspoon of licorice root and 1 teaspoon each of the other herbs. Dosage of the tea for children above two years of age or older should be about half a cup of the tea, taken four times, for a treatment of one day at a time. If the mother is breastfeeding, she can take a cup of tea herself, as for a child under two years of age; appropriate dose is about 1/4 cup of tea taken directly. This herbal tea must be drunk as warm as possible without being hot or scalding.

For your attention: allow at least one hour between the time you give a child a homeopathic medication and tea containing peppermint. This is because the very strong smell of the mint can interfere with the potency of the homeopathic remedy being used and render it useless.

A combination herbal formula of the immune-boosting herbs the Echinacea and the goldenseal can also be given to children to help them in recovering from the illness. Besides soothing the irritated mucus membranes, both these herbs posses bactericidal and antiviral properties, which are essential to a good immune system. Till the fever subsides, a single dose of the combination formula can be given to children at one dose, every two hours. This can be followed by a secondary dosage of the same amount given three times daily, for two or three days at a stretch. In addition you can also give the child soothing lukewarm oatmeal baths especially if the rash is itchy-this is an excellent topical measure.