Home remedies | Scarlet treatment

Home remedies

Home remedies are primarily used to treat the symptoms of scarlet fever. The bacteria themselves should be treated with antibiotics, otherwise serious complications can occur. The most pronounced symptom of scarlet fever is fever, which can also cause chills.

A sufficient fluid intake is particularly suitable as a household remedy. Tea, juices and chicken soup or vegetable broth can be used for this. If the fever is particularly high, cold calf compresses are also a good way to relieve the symptoms.

However, they should not be used if the person concerned has just had a chill or the hands and feet are cold. Sore throats, which can also occur in the context of scarlet fever, are usually well treated with tea for colds. For example, ginger tea with honey is well suited to relieve sore throats.

The tea contains anti-inflammatory substances that fight the bacteria and at the same time relieve the sore throat. Cold or warm cloths can also be wrapped around the neck (depending on what seems more pleasant for the person concerned) to relieve the discomfort. The application of warm compresses is suitable for relieving muscle pain. Joint pain, on the other hand, is best treated with cold compresses. Cold compresses, curd or cabbage wraps can be used for this purpose.

Homeopathy

Homeopathic remedies can be used to treat an infection with scarlet fever. Belladonna, Phytolacca americana and Apis millifera are effective against fever and sore throat. Ipecacuanha is used when nausea and vomiting occur. Since scarlet fever can cause serious complications, antibiotic therapy is absolutely recommended despite some justified concerns. Compared to antibiotics, antibiotics offer much better protection against the sometimes life-threatening late effects.

Duration of the treatment

Scarlet is treated with antibiotics and should be kept for a full 10 days. As serious complications can occur without adequate therapy, it is essential that the 10-day treatment is carried out completely until the end. If the treatment is terminated prematurely, organ diseases of the heart, liver, kidney and brain can occur despite the administration of antibiotics. Under certain circumstances these are life-threatening and result in lifelong consequential damage.

What can happen if scarlet fever is not treated?

The complications of streptococcal infections such as scarlet fever can have serious consequences that can lead to organ failure and even death. The complications mainly occur when the immune system reacts strongly to the infection and starts to turn against the body a few weeks after the actual scarlet fever. This post-streptococcal syndrome can affect the heart, liver, kidneys, joints and brain.

At the heart, the acute rheumatic fever leads to an infection of the heart muscle or the inner skin of the heart. This can lead to cardiac insufficiency and valvular heart disease, which is life-threatening if left untreated. The liver and kidneys can also be severely affected and even fail after an infection with scarlet fever.

In this case, antibiotic therapy must be administered, sometimes a kidney replacement procedure (dialysis) must be temporarily used to treat the complications. Joints are usually also affected when rheumatic fever occurs. This is known as polyarthritis, in which individual large joints can be very painful.

Scarlet fever can cause diseases of the brain such as PANDAS, minor chorea and Tourette’s syndrome. All these complications can lead to life-long limitations, and if left untreated they can often be fatal. Adequate treatment of scarlet fever is therefore essential.