Home Remedies for Scabies
Scabies are a tiny mite that burrows under your skin and lays its eggs in the tunnels that it creates. The symptoms of scabies are intense itching, usually after you go to bed for the night, and small red raised bumps along with grayish wavy lines on the body. Scabies are very tiny and difficult to see, but the marks that are left behind are easy to spot.
Diagnosing Scabies
The diagnosis of scabies involves taking a scraping of the skin in the affected area and examining it under a microscope. The doctor is looking for eggs, feces or the mites to determine if scabies is the cause of the symptoms. Because the mites are so tiny, a microscope or magnifying glass is the only way to see properly see them.
Typically the treatment for scabies is a pesticide that is prescribed by your doctor. Many people prefer to use a natural remedy for scabies instead of the chemical pesticide that is given by doctors. The pesticide must be used for several days to ensure that the mites have been eliminated. There are a number of home treatments that have been used in the treatment of scabies that do not have the harmful toxic effects that the insecticide remedy prescribed by the doctor does.
Home Treatment for Scabies
One of the most important parts of your scabies treatment is eliminating the mites from your home environment. Your bedding, clothing and towels that have been used by you or anyone in your home that has scabies must be washed in hot water. The temperature of the water should be at least 120 degrees Fahrenheit to kill the scabies that have infested your bed and clothing. Without treating your environment, any treatment that you use on your body will be completely ineffective.
Tea tree oil is commonly used as a home remedy for scabies. One of the most effective home remedies for scabies that has been found consists of a paste made from Neem leaf, mustard oil and turmeric powder in equal amounts. This is put on the body and left on for at least one hour. The treatment should be repeated for ten days until all of the scabies marks and bumps have healed on the body. Your clothing and bedding can be soaked in water that has been boiled with Neem as well for an extra added protection for your bedding. Once the itching has stopped, it is important to continue to check for an sign of a re-infestation of the scabies. All it takes is one of the mites to get back on your body to start the cycle all over again.
If any of these treatments do not work, it is important that you visit your doctor. Untreated scabies can lead to infection and damage to the skin from constant scratching. Prevention is one of the best treatments for scabies. Scabies can happen to anyone. It occurs when there is a close contact with a person who has the mites. It most often occurs to those living in close quarters and in school children where there is a great deal of close contact.