How to Treat Rubella Naturally

Rubella is normally a minor communicable disease characterized by a pink-red rash. However, it has an 85 percent chance of causing birth defects when contracted by a woman in her first trimester of pregnancy. The vaccine for rubella was developed in 1969 and today 91 percent of the population in the United States is immune. The following steps will show how to treat rubella naturally.

Instructions

• 1

  Provide supportive care for most cases of rubella. No specific anti-viral agent currently available for rubella and it usually resolves by itself. Specific symptoms should be treated individually.

• 2

  Administer acetaminophen or ibuprofen to reduce fever. A cup of tea can be made from 2 to 3 tsps. of white willow bark for a similar effect. Medication that contains salicylates should never be given to a child because it can cause Reye's syndrome.

• 3

  Encourage bed rest for cases involving severe arthritis of weight-bearing joints. A non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug such as ibuprofen may be given for arthritis or joint pain. A standardized preparation of hay flower containing about 0.4 percent coumarin may be applied externally for joint pain.

• 4

  Maintain adequate fluid and electrolyte levels for patients that develop encephalitis.

• 5

  Take vitamins and minerals such as A, C and E in addition to quercetin, selenium and zinc to maintain the immune system. Quercetin is a bioflavonoid with anti-viral effects but no clinical trial has specifically investigated its role in the treatment of rubella. Elderberry also has been shown to have anti-viral properties.