Please Help: Chickenpox And Oatmeal Bath

[staceyh]

My son cannot have gluten, dairy, corn. His personality goes to "the dark side" for 3 weeks when he has these substances. He got chickenpox on Christmas day. Does anyone know if he can take an oatmeal bath without being affected? I'm trying to find something to help the itching!!! He also has Asperger's/high functioning autism. Any help is appreciated!

[dilettantesteph]

No. Almost all oatmeal is contaminated with gluten. There are some companies that sell gluten free oatmeal, but I haven't heard about any oatmeal baths made from them. Maybe you could make your own.

[Juliebove]

You can make your own with gluten-free oatmeal. Simply powder it up using a Magic Bullet, blender or mortar and pestle. But be careful when he gets out of the bath! This mixture will make the tub very slippery.

[Gemini]

  staceyh said:

My son cannot have gluten, dairy, corn. His personality goes to "the dark side" for 3 weeks when he has these substances. He got chickenpox on Christmas day. Does anyone know if he can take an oatmeal bath without being affected? I'm trying to find something to help the itching!!! He also has Asperger's/high functioning autism. Any help is appreciated!

This opinion may not be popular on this forum but it's the correct information, Stacey. Gluten cannot be absorbed through the skin so taking an oatmeal bath will not cause anyone to be glutened. However, as your son has autism it may be difficult to give him an oatmeal bath without the risk of it getting into his mouth and swallowing it. That is the only way he runs the risk of being glutened. You are the only one who can make that decision but if you feel that may be impossible, I wouldn't do it.

[RiceGuy]

Thing is, even if the oats are gluten-free, there's no guaranty that your son won't react. That could be worse than the pox, so you may want to test with a cup of certified gluten-free oats, and have him put his finger in it for a little while. I'm sure you know your child's reactions, and the time it takes for them to manifest. There may be a skin reaction though, which you might not have seen before. But as I think of it, fingers are probably less sensitive than say, a forearm or abdomen. So it might be more assuring to test one of these areas instead.

I haven't looked up why oatmeal is supposed to work, but if it's because it draws out stuff from under the skin, perhaps a mud bath would work. I know it works for bee stings and the like. If it's the same basic principle, then I'd think other grains could work too. Bentonite clay baths are also said to be good for certain things, I'd guess for similar reasons.

[bigbird16]

Poor kid. Baking soda in a lukewarm bath helps to reduce the itch (same as oatmeal or corn starch, but no harm to the gluten- and corn-free person if swallowed).

Take care,

Kat

[Takala]

Calydryl lotion- Calamine lotion with added antihistamine Benedryl- the potion of the Gods for poison ivy and poision oak, should work on chicken pox.

Maybe give him some Claritin antihistamine, also, for the itching.