How often do you come across people suffering from Dengue? Recently, I encountered many cases, promoting me to pen down some valuable information that can help you prevent and recover from Dengue.
Most of us know dengue is associated with fever, but there’s much more to understand.
The name ‘dengue’ originated from the Swahili word for “bone-breaking fever” or the Spanish phrase for “the walk of a Dandie.” The dengue virus belongs to family Flaviviridae and has four serotypes transmitted by mosquitoes of Aedesaegypti species.
In recent years, the spread of unplanned urbanization, with associated substandard housing, overcrowding, and deteriorating water, sewage and waste management systems, has created ideal conditions for increased transmission of the dengue virus in tropical urban centers.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 50 to 100 million dengue infections occur each year worldwide.
Symptoms of Dengue Fever:
Dengue causes a wide spectrum of illness, from mild asymptomatic cases to severe, fatal dengue hemorrhagic fever/dengue shock syndrome.
Symptoms, which usually begin four to six days after infection and last for up to 10 days, may include sudden high fever, severe headaches, severe joint and muscle pain, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, skin rash, mild bleeding (such as bleeding nose or gums), blood pressure drops down as the circulation of blood in the vessels is also affected.
A decrease in platelet count is often observed 3 days after the fever starts.
In severe cases, the virus reproduces rapidly, affecting vital organs like the bone marrow and liver.
As the old adage goes “PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE”!!
Here are some of the preventive measures:
1) Avoid heavily populated residential areas, if possible.
2) Use mosquito repellents, vaporizing mats, and mosquito coils.
3) Wear appropriate clothing: Minimize exposed skin by wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants tucked into socks.
4) Use bed nets during sleeping and tuck them properly under the mattress.
5) Make sure window and door screens are secure and free of holes.
6) Eliminating or avoiding stagnant, standing water where the mosquitoes can reproduce are some of the effective strategies to prevent it.
7) Maintain proper Hygiene and Sanitation.
Treatment:
Dengue is a self-limiting viral disease, meaning it typically resolves on its own with adequate hydration and pain control. Severe cases may require hospitalization and intensive care. Many doctors also recommend home remedies to manage symptoms and speed recovery.
Home remedies for Dengue:
There is no specific diet for dengue, but the following home remedies can help alleviate symptoms and aid in recovery:
1) Water: This is of utmost important as extreme dehydration is very prominent in Dengue. Water can heal symptoms like headache, muscle cramps and furthermore help to eliminate toxins from the body.
2) Papaya leaf juice or Papaya leaf extract: They have an ability to increase the platelets in bone marrow. Here is the way to use them: Wash the leaves, take out the center vein and crush leaves in a grinder with adding little bit of water and consume every 6 hours daily.
3) Neem leaves: Steeping the leaves and drinking its brew helps to increase the platelet and WBC count thereby improving the body’s immunity.
4) Carrot Juice: Taking 2-3 spoons of carrot juice having mixed with beetroot juice twice a day helps to boost up the count of platelet count very soon.
5) Omega 3 rich foods like walnuts, flaxseeds, fish boost your immune system.
6) Fresh Fruits and Veggies typically orange juice, amla juice, and grapefruit can promote the antibody production, release the toxins, stimulates cellular repair because of Vitamin C content.
7) Eating Garlic: Chewing two cloves of garlic or drinking hot garlic vegetable soup can decrease the multiplication of viruses.
8) Eating a well- balanced diet with majorly focusing on green leafy veggies can ward off the infection.
9) Also a simple solution to the monsoon Illness is to boost up our immunity by our popularly known
“Dadjiji ka Kadha- Grandma’s home remedy concoction”. You can check out this link on how to prepare the concoction:
Homemade Remedy For Monsoon Illnesses – Decoction Syrup or Kadha Recipe
10) Most importantly REST. The more your rest, the better the production of platelets.
11) Since it is an Infection, have cooked vegetables instead of raw.
Foods to be avoided:
First and foremost, stay away from unhealthy food like refined sugars, junk food and processed food. Having these foods can cause drop in platelet count.
Secondly, try to avoid the food which is oily, spicy and salty. I know it may spoil the taste of your mouth, but lime juice plays the trick here.
Thirdly, caffeine and alcohol should be avoided to prevent dehydration.
Lastly, avoid meat as it is difficult to digest.
So let’s prevent ourselves from Dengue before we catch hold of it! For further information or guidance, reach out to our certified experts by subscribing to GOQii’s Personalised Health Coaching here.
#BeTheForce
Should women workout during their menstrual cycle? It’s a question asked by most women who have either started working out, have been in sports or trekking, etc. How can a woman or girl stop working out for a span of 4-6 days, especially the ones who are active? There could be varied opinions on the same.
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