Chickenpox and Sunshine
By Dr. Mercola
If your child comes down with a case of the chickenpox, which is, by
the way, a mild disease without complications for the vast majority of
healthy children, a healthy dose of natural sunlight may be just what
the doctor ordered.
In tropical countries, chickenpox is actually far less common, and
less easily spread, than in countries with cold seasons -- and increased
exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light, i.e. sunshine, appears to be the
reason.
Sun Exposure May Help Stop the Spread of Chickenpox
After examining data from 25 studies on the varicella-zoster virus,
which causes chickenpox, University of London researchers found a clear
link between UV levels and the prevalence of chickenpox, with chickenpox
rates far less common in the tropics where exposure to sunlight is
common year-round.
In temperate regions, chickenpox also tends to flare up more often in the cold-weather months, when sunlight is scarce.
Writing in the Virology Journal, researchers noted:
"Chickenpox is seasonal in temperate zones, with the highest
incidence seen in winter and spring. One explanation for this
seasonality could be the significantly higher levels in ultra-violet
radiation (UVR) of approximately 10-25-fold seen in summer in temperate
zones, which could inactivate virus either in vesicular lesions or after
their rupture."
The effect is likely two-fold, as not only is sunlight able to
destroy many viruses directly, but it also enables your body to produce
vitamin D, which gives you further anti-viral and immune-boosting
benefits.
Many are not aware that prior to the advent of antibiotics about 70
years ago one of the only effective treatments for tuberculosis was
sunlight. In fact there were many TB solariums that were created
specifically to use sunlight to treat TB. The sun exposure produced
improvement in those with TB similar to the mechanisms discussed in this
article for chickenpox.
UV Light Shown to Reduce Spread of Chickenpox in Schools Over 60 Years Ago
You may have heard the advice that hanging your laundry outside to
dry in the sun is one of the best ways to get your clothes truly clean
and fresh, and this is true because sunlight is a natural disinfectant.
Along those lines, direct sunlight exposure on your skin may also
provide "disinfectant" benefits such as deactivating viruses, including
chickenpox, by breaking down their cell walls.
In fact, a study published in 1949
revealed that ultraviolet radiation successfully reduced the
transmission of the chickenpox virus in U.S. schools, helping to limit
its spread! And some air purification and water treatment systems
currently use ultraviolet light to eliminate airborne or waterborne
pathogens.
Sun Exposure Increases Your Vitamin D -- Another Virus Fighter
The other reason why people in the tropics may be less likely to
catch and spread the chickenpox is because their year-round sun exposure
allows them to maintain healthier levels of vitamin D. In cold-weather
climates, on the other hand, vitamin D deficiency is an epidemic.
If you're vitamin-D-deficient, and many are, your immune system will
not activate to do its job. Contrary to common belief, vitamin D does
much more than just support healthy bones; vitamin D functions in many
different tissues and affects a large number of different diseases and
health conditions. So far, scientists have found about 3,000 genes that
are regulated by vitamin D – that's more than 1 in every 10 genes in
your entire genome!
Just one example of an important function that vitamin D up-regulates is your ability to fight infections, including the flu. At least five studies show an inverse association between lower respiratory tract infections and vitamin D
levels. That is, the higher your vitamin D level, the lower your risk
of contracting colds, flu, and other respiratory tract infections. It
makes sense, therefore, that this would extend to other viral infections
like chickenpox as well.
As I've stated before, your body was designed to benefit from
sunlight exposure. Given adequate levels, your skin is able to produce a
wide range of infection fighting substances, including defensins,
cathelicidin, and the lesser known cholesterol sulfate. As Dr. Stephanie Seneff, a senior scientist at MIT, explained:
"I think of the skin as a battery – or solar panel you might say –
taking in the sun's energy and saving it in the form of the sulfate
molecule storing the energy in the sun … I have a lot of thoughts about
what sulfate does. One thing I'm quite sure of is that cholesterol
sulfate is highly protective against bacterial and virus invasions.
That's why sun exposure protects you from infection. It strengthens your
immune system. That cholesterol sulfate is incredibly important to
immunity."
The important factor when it comes to vitamin D is your serum level,
which should ideally be between 50-70 ng/ml year-round. For more tips on
how to optimize your vitamin D levels -- ideally through sun exposure
or the use of a safe tanning bed -- see this past article How to Get Your Vitamin D Levels to a Healthy Range.
However, keep in mind that for children, becoming infected with the
chickenpox virus is not necessarily something that should be avoided, especially by way of vaccination, as natural exposure provides subsequent, and safe, long-lasting immunity.
Sunlight Might Not Be Best Once You Have Active Pox Lesions
Although it is wonderful to have confirmation of the power of vitamin
D in the treatment of infectious diseases that have typically been
fought with vaccines, there is one caution about using sunlight as
therapy for someone with active lesions.
Actually this is true for any open wound on the skin regardless if it
is caused by a viral infection or a traumatic wound. Sunlight will tend
to cause the wound to scar, so it is probably best to actually avoid
sunlight if you have pox lesions. However, anyone exposed to the virus
without lesions could still use sunshine as a therapy. So if you or your
child has active pox lesions it would likely be better to take oral
vitamin D at the rate of 8,000 units a day for a typical adult and
proportionately lower based on weight for a child.
Is Natural Exposure to Chickenpox Preferable to Vaccination?
As is true with many new and potentially unnecessary medical
interventions used on a widespread basis, there are often unintended,
adverse consequences. The chickenpox (varicella) vaccine is a perfect
example.
Chickenpox is highly contagious but typically produces a mild disease
characterized by small round lesions on your skin that cause intense
itching. Chickenpox lasts for two to three weeks, and recovery leaves a
child with long-lasting immunity. Further, some healthy children may
have only minimal symptoms (such as a low fever and headache) without
manifestation of blisters, indistinguishable from a mild case of the
flu.
So, even in the vast majority of children who do NOT get the
chickenpox vaccine and who have negative or unknown chickenpox
histories, they wind up immune to chickenpox anyway. In fact,
researchers have concluded that most 10-year-old children with negative
or unknown histories of chickenpox are already immune!
Up to 20 percent of adults who get chickenpox develop severe
complications such as pneumonia, secondary bacterial infections, and
brain inflammation (which is reported in less than one percent of
children who get chickenpox). Most children and adults who develop these
serious complications have compromised immune systems or other health
problems. Still, it is because chickenpox can be serious in adults that
it is often regarded as preferable to get it as a child, as opposed to
later in adulthood. Using a vaccination to prevent chickenpox in childhood is proving to be problematic, however, for several reasons:
- Chickenpox vaccine provides only temporary immunity, not the
longer lasting immunity you get when you recover naturally from
chickenpox.
- The vaccine is not 100 percent effective. When the chickenpox
vaccine was licensed for public use in 1995, the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) estimated it was 70 to 90 percent effective in preventing disease.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) later reported, "The
effectiveness of the vaccine is 44 percent against disease of any
severity and 86 percent against moderate or severe disease."
But the vaccine may be LESS effective than that—around 40 percent—according to an investigation of a chickenpox outbreak among 23 children at a New Hampshire daycare center. The outbreak began with a child who had already been vaccinated.
- The chickenpox vaccine can cause serious injury and death.
Four percent of reported adverse events (about 1 in 33,000 doses) after
chickenpox vaccination involve serious health problems such as shock,
encephalitis (brain inflammation), and thrombocytopenia (a blood
disorder). At least 14 deaths have been reported. In fact, there are at
least two dozen documented adverse effects of chickenpox vaccination in the medical literature.
Another Unintended Consequence of Chickenpox Vaccination
After contracting and recovering from chickenpox (usually as a
child), your natural immunity gets asymptomatically "boosted" by coming
into contact with infected children, who are recovering from chickenpox.
This natural "boosting" of natural immunity to the chickenpox virus
helps protect you from getting shingles -- a painful and potentially
serious disease -- later in life.
In other words, shingles can be prevented by ordinary contact, such
as receiving a hug from a grandchild who is getting or recovering from
the chickenpox. But with the advent of the chickenpox vaccine, there is
less chickenpox around to provide that natural immune boost for children
AND adults. So, as chickenpox rates have declined, shingles rates have
begun to rise, and there is mounting evidence that an epidemic of shingles is developing in America from the mass, mandatory use of the chickenpox vaccine by all children.
For more information on varicella and chickenpox vaccine, see the National Vaccine Information Center’s new Chickenpox page.
If Your Child Comes Down With Chickenpox …
First, don't panic. Remember this is a common illness that is
typically mild if your child is otherwise healthy, and it should resolve
in two to three weeks without complications or medical treatment.
During this time, a cool or lukewarm bath with baking soda added may
help to relieve symptoms, such as itching. Be sure your child does not
scratch any sores, as this can lead to scarring or infection (putting
gloves or socks on your child's hands may help with this).
Also, be sure you do NOT give aspirin to your child, as this is
associated with the development of Reye's syndrome, which can cause
brain damage and death. Also avoid ibuprofen, which is linked to more
severe secondary infections in children with chickenpox.