Rubella or German Measles

An infectious, eruptive, epidemic disease of viral origin, seen mainly in the spring and the winter.

It is highly contagious, spreading via airborne droplets from the nose and from saliva. Incubation takes from fifteen days to three weeks. Rubella is diagnosed from three signs: fever, a light rash appearing mainly on the face and neck, then on the rest of the body, and swellings behind the ears and near the nape.

The course of the illness is generally benign and lasts about a week, often unnoticed. This is a common illness without serious repercussions except at the start of pregnancy, when it can cause abortion or serious malformation (auditory, cardiac, and ocular) or mental deficiency in the future baby. Vaccination is advisable before pregnancy for women who have not had the disease in their childhood.

Standard anti-infective treatment

To be started as quickly as possible at the first abnormal symptom:

• Start with Aconitum-Homaccord@ (Heel), which contains Aconitum D2, D10, D30, D200, Eucalyptus D4, D10, D30 and Ipecacuanha D2, D10, D30, D200:
  - Available in drop bottles containing 30 and 100ml
  - Ten drops to be taken three times daily. Initially ten drops every 15 minutes
• Add copper as a trace element with silver and gold in colloidal form
• Six tablets of Pyrogenium 5c, once a day, in a single dose, for a few days
• Twenty drops of Lehning@ L52 in a little water, three or four times a day, if the patient already has a temperature
• Vitamin C: one gram a day in adults, 0.5 gram in children, for a fortnight
• To this standard treatment composed of three homeopathic remedies, one to three trace elements, and a vitamin, the homeopath may add remedies that are specific to each illness and fundamental for each personality ~

Dietary advice

To be strictly followed:

• Stop all heavy, greasy foods, particularly dairy products, fried food, and dishes with sauces
• Give the child plenty to drink
• Choose foods rich in vitamin C and copper
• Supplement the diet with wheatgerm and brewer's yeast, rich in group B vitamins and trace elements
• Give the patient plenty of garlic and onion, known for their anti-infective action

Some foods rich in vitamin C

Citrus fruits (lemon, orange, grapefruit), green vegetables (celery, green cab­bage++, cress, spinach, sorrel, parsley, horseradish), fruit, especially red fruit (strawberries, raspberries, redcurrants), and others (pineapple, blackcurrants++, guava, kiwi++). potatoes, green peppers, tomatoes...

A natural food

Brewer's yeast

- A living substance prepared from a microscopic fungus that acts as the ferment for beer. As a food it contains little fat, little sugar, and few calories. It is different from baker's yeast, and much better tolerated by the intestine. It contains group B vitamins, minerals (chromium, phosphorus, potassium, and selenium. ..) and essential amino acids

- Brewer's yeast reinforces immunity, has anti-infective properties, and restores the intestinal flora

- You will find it in health food shops and pharmacies as tablets, capsules or flakes (take care, it is very bitter).

Homeopathy

Sulfur to encourage eruption.

- Six tablets at 7c to be sucked once a day between meals

Pulsatilla

- Four tablets at 7c to be sucked like sweets, two or three times a day between meals

- You might want to ask your homeopathic pharmacy to prepare the following mixture: Gelsemium 7c, Kalium phosphoricum 5c, Pulsatilla 7c, Sulfur iodatum 7 c. Take (or give) four tablets twice a day for a fortnight

Sulfur iodatum

- Chemical origin: sulphur iodide
- Homeopathic remedy for the effects of rashes
- Its action is milder than that of sulfur

Oligotherapy

Essentially copper or copper/gold/silver combination.

• The combination can be found in many brands and presentations: colloidal minerals such as Organic Minerals(Colloidals) which contains 70+ trace minerals:
  - Available in 946ml bottles
  - Take 1-3 caps just before breakfast and/or evening meal
  - Children 1 teaspoon daily for each 20lbs of body weight
  
  Or Maximol (Ionized colloidals):
  - Available in 500ml bottles
  - Take 1/2 capful once or twice daily on an empty stomach then twice a day for two weeks

Some foods rich in copper

Seaweed, almonds, avocado, cocoa, cereals (especially whole wheat and whole rice). mushrooms, shellfish, oysters, crustaceans, calf and sheep liver++, dried fruit, nuts, fish roe, plums, tea...

Herbal treatment

Echinacea, an excellent anti-infective.

Eleutherococcus and ginseng, very good general tonics for adults.

Prescription: Ask for a 30ml bottle of a mother tincture of one of these plants to be prepared, or a mixture of both. Take 25 drops (for an adult) in a little water, twice a day for several weeks

• You can use Echinaforce (Bioforce), a tincture of Echinacea purpurea:
  - Available in 50ml and 100ml bottles of oral drops
  - Fifteen drops to be taken in a little water, three times a day by adults, seven drops three times a day by children (6-12 years old).

Plant essential oils

Eucalyptus, naiouli, thyme linalol can be given to children. Their main property is anti-infective.

- One drop of one of them to be taken in a spoonful of honey, twice a day

• You can use Lehning@ Gouttes aux essences@:
  - A preparation containing cinnamon, cloves, lavender, mint, thyme...
  - Available in 45ml and 90ml bottles - Twenty drops to be taken four times a day (adult dose). five to ten drops three times a day (children's dose), diluted in a small drink.