In our residential school (Lokshala), children live in a hostel and the kitchen runs together. For some time skin diseases have been spreading repeatedly among the children: itching, scabies, ringworm and eczema-like problems. Once one child gets it, other children get it within a few days.
With medicine it stays better for a few days, but then it starts again. We take care of cleanliness, yet the problem does not stop. Our kitchen makes simple, inexpensive food, which daily includes milk, jaggery, kadhi, fruits and vegetables.
From the Ayurvedic point of view, why do these diseases keep recurring? What changes in the kitchen and the hostel would reduce the problem? What safe Ayurvedic measures can be taken for the children?
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Direct answer: The main reasons skin diseases keep spreading in a hostel are usually the spread of infection (such as scabies and ringworm, which spread by contact), dampness and poor hygiene, and, according to Ayurveda, Viruddha Ahara (incompatible food combinations). Treating all the children together, strict hygiene rules and changes in the kitchen usually bring the problem under control.
Understanding the problem
Scabies and ringworm (fungal infection) spread quickly from one child to another through clothes, towels, bedding and close contact. If only one or two children are treated and the other children or the bedding are left out, the infection comes back.
The Ayurvedic view
In Ayurveda skin diseases are explained under Kushtha (the group of skin diseases). Charaka Samhita names Viruddha Ahara (taking substances together that should not be combined) as a main cause, such as milk with sour fruits, salty food or kadhi; milk with fish; curd with bananas. Heavy work right after meals, a cold bath right after exertion, daytime sleep and indigestion also vitiate Rakta (blood) and the skin. In this, Pitta and Kapha rise and cause itching and eruptions.
Practical steps for the hostel
- A doctor’s examination of all affected children and those living with them, and treatment together if needed.
- A separate towel, comb and clothes for every child; no sharing.
- Wash bedding, sheets and clothes in hot water and dry them in the sun.
- No wearing damp clothes; dry the body well after bathing.
- Keep nails short, bathe daily.
Changes in the kitchen
- Do not serve milk with kadhi, sour fruits, salty snacks or onion-tomato vegetables in the same meal; give milk at a separate time.
- Less stale and fermented food.
- Green vegetables, dal, use of turmeric, seasonal fruits.
Medicine and external care
Bathing with water boiled with neem leaves, and blood-purifying herbs such as turmeric, Manjishtha and Khadira are considered useful in skin diseases in Ayurveda. For children, the right medicine, dose and duration will be decided by the Vaidya after examining the condition. In contagious problems like scabies, take Ayurvedic care as support along with the doctor’s treatment.
When to see a doctor immediately?
- Pus in the eruptions, fever or swelling
- Infection near the face or eyes
- Rapidly spreading rash in young children
- No improvement within two weeks despite treatment
Related Questions
How does scabies spread?
Through close contact, bedding and clothes; so everyone living together needs treatment at the same time.
What is Viruddha Ahara?
Substances that spoil digestion and blood when taken together, such as milk with sour or salty food.
Is bathing with neem water safe?
Usually yes, but if it irritates the skin, stop and seek advice.
In short: Skin diseases in a hostel usually recur because of the spread of infection, dampness and incompatible food. Treating all children together, separate towels and clothes, washing in hot water and not serving milk with sour or salty food reduce the problem.
You can consult in person or online for more guidance.
Dr. Nikul Patel (B.A.M.S.)
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