Homeopathy for Measles

The CDC Measles Tracker

Incubation period: 7-14 days.
Infectious period: 4 days before, and 4 days after the rash appears.

Measles is the most serious of the childhood illnesses, typically lasting about 2 weeks in total. Children need careful nursing during each stage of the illness to reduce the likelihood of complications developing.

Measles is also highly contagious: the most contagious of all the childhood illnesses. It is spread by ‘aerosols’ from a child who coughs or sneezes droplets into the air and they can hang around for hours.

It starts with a fever (usually a high fever or 103/104) with cold-like symptoms (runny nose and a cough), and sore, red eyes (conjunctivitis) for 3-7 days. After about 2 days you will see tiny white spots (with a red base) inside the mouth (inner cheeks or lips). These are Koplik’s spots, and they confirm this is measles. They last 2-3 days.

As the Koplik’s spots start to fade the characteristic rash comes next and this lasts 5-7 days. It consists of flat or raised red spots and bumps that start on the face and spread down the body. They can grow and merge, forming larger splotches.

The recovery stage (convalescence) usually lasts about a week, as long as there are no complications. These include ear infections (otitis media), severe coughs (including pneumonia), and encephalitis (inflammation of the brain), and secondary bacterial infections such as strep throat.

Do

• Take time off to nurse a child with a fever and cold symptoms if they have been in contact with a measly friend or relative.
• Keep a feverish child hydrated and encourage them to sleep as much as they want.
• Keep a ‘measly’ child with sore eyes out of bright lights (close curtains and dim the lights). TVs are fine as long as their eyes don’t hurt when watching them. Set their phones or tablets to dark or night mode.

Don’t

• Take your child out shopping or fun. They need a low-key, unexciting life for a few days, to give their bodies the best change of healing.

Seek help if …

• A baby under a year old contracts measles.
• The cough lasts longer than a few days and doesn’t respond to home prescribing.
• The illness is accompanied by a bad earache, headache or sore throat.

Homeopathic Help for Measles

Yes, homeopathy can help. Most home homeopathy kits—including this affordable, Basic Remedy Kit that has just 18 remedies including all 6 of these lovely, healing remedies in them.

You’ll notice the following remedies all overlap so you want to pay attention to more than a couple of symptoms. For example, you would hesitate to give Aconite to a child who has a sudden onset, a high fever, restlessness, and no thirst. People who need Aconite are very thirsty so that symptom goes against the remedy! Belladonna has the sudden onset, the high fever, restlessness … and a lack of thirst so it’s a better fit.

What will happen if you give Aconite I hear some of you saying? Nothing bad that’s for sure. There’ll probably be a little healing stimulus so your child may show a few signs of improvement but they won’t last. Belladonna on the other hand will have an amazing healing response that will be noticeable to everyone. People may say “What did you give your child?  Can I have some for mine?”

Potency & Dosage

• Give in a 6C or 30C potency (or 200C if experienced).
• Repeat the indicated remedy every 1-4 hours (more often if more severe).
• Give less often if there are improvements.
• Change the remedy if you have given 6 doses with no response.
• Get help if the remedies you have given aren’t helping or if your child is getting worse.

Homeopathic Help

Homeopathic help is just a call away. Use one of these brilliant services at any stage of this illness if your child is suffering and you are at a loss. And especially if you are a single parent or have more than one child.

Swift Homeopathy Acute Care Clinic offers affordable help for those needing homeopathic advice for urgent complaints. They are available by phone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Worldwide.
https://www.swifthomeopathyclinic.com/

Homeopathy Help Now have a brilliant team of homeopaths (with various levels of experience and training) offering classical homeopathic treatment. They are especially skilled in working remotely with children who are sick with any of the childhood illnesses. They also offer a sliding scale for people who need it (these are typically students of their Academy working under supervision).
https://homeopathyhelpnow.com

The Top Homeopathic Remedies for Measles

Aconitum napellus (Aco.)

• Symptoms start suddenly with a high fever with chills.
• Dry hacking or croupy cough.
• Sore, red, inflamed eyes that are sensitive to light.
• The rash can itch and burn.
• Unquenchable thirst for cold water.
• Restless, anxious and afraid.

Apis mellifica (Apis mel.)

• A high fever with burning heat. Better when uncovered.
• The eyes are red, sore, and the lids are swollen (puffy).
• The rash is slow to appear.
• Not thirsty (refuses drinks).
• Feels better for cold anything and worse for heat of any sort.
• Restless, tearful and whiny.

Belladonna (Bell.)

• Symptoms start suddenly with a high fever, chills and no sweat.
• Fever with burning heat. Radiates heat. Worse when uncovered.
• Dry, hacking or barking cough that’s worst at night.
• Bloodshot eyes are sore/burning, watery and sensitive to light.
• Headache: pains bursting, throbbing worse for noise and light.
• Sore throat: terrible, sharp pains on swallowing,
• Earache with sharp pains that radiate to the neck and face.
• Face red, tongue red with white dots, eyes shine/pupils dilated.
• Not thirsty (refuses drinks).
• Restless: agitated and easily upset/angry.

Bryonia alba (Bry.)

• Symptoms are slow to start.
• A painful, dry cough and dryness in general predominates.
• The rash is slow to appear
• Headache: pains bursting behind eyeballs/forehead.
• Very thirsty for large quantities of cold water, infrequently.
• Everything is worse for movement and better for pressure.
• Irritable—extremely—especially if ‘disturbed.’

Gelsemium (Gels.)

• Symptoms are slow to start.
• High fever with chills (up and down the back) and no sweat.
• Headache with great heaviness of the head and blurred vision.
• Rash is red and very itchy.
• Not thirsty (refuses drinks).
• Tired, heavy and sluggish and doesn’t care about anything.

Pulsatilla nigricans (Puls.)

• Symptoms are changeable.
• Fever is dry and burning.
• Cough is dry at night, loose in the day. Has to sit to cough.
• Eyes ache, burn, itch and water.
• Not thirsty (refuses drinks).
• Everything is better for fresh air and worse for heat.
• Weepy, whiny and clingy. Changeable moods.

According to Dorothy Shepherd (Homoeopathy In Epidemic Diseases—Kindle Edition): “Protection against measles is usually found in Pulsatilla 6 or 30, nightly from the third or seventh day after contact, until after the danger of infection is past; that is on the fifteenth or sixteenth day. I have found this to answer extremely well in various nursery schools where we had to deal with toddlers under the age of five, the most susceptible and dangerous age. … Morbillinum 30 has been used as a prophylactic in measles.” This should be given at monthly intervals unless a child is incubating the measles or might be doing so. ber!

© 2025 Miranda Castro

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Miranda Castro

Author, teacher, homeopath! I am a British homeopath who has been living in the US since 1994 and in Florida since 2002. I am author The Complete Homeopathy Handbook, Homeopathy for Mother and Baby (Homeopathy for Pregnancy, Birth and Your Baby’s First Years in the US), and A Homeopathic Guide to Stress. I believe that homeopathy is 'medicine for the people' and my articles are packed with healing insights and homeopathic help. I live, write and garden in Gainesville Florida!

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