Healthy Tips on Malaria,Dengue & Chikungunya

We all have been enjoying the rains, getting wet on the streets, eating hot bhajias or even hot golden corn. Little did we expect that we would be under the huge malarial attack with that tiny sized insect – the Mosquito!! The onset of monsoon along with the warm Indian climate brings with it a rise in monsoon-related ailments such as dengue and malaria.

FACING THE MOSQUITO MALAISE
Malaria mostly affects people with weak immune system. The name "mal 'aria" meaning "bad air" in Italian) is caused by the bite of a female anopheles mosquito which may inject the malarial parasites into our blood stream while sucking blood for its food. Once in the blood, the parasites travel to the liver and enter liver cells to grow and multiply. During this "incubation period", the infected person has no symptoms. After as few as 8 days or as long as several months, the parasites leave the liver cells and enter red blood cells where they continue to grow and multiply. Toxins released when the red cells burst are what cause the typical fever, chills, and flu-like malaria symptoms.

General diet guidelines for treatment during Malaria:
Diet is of utmost importance in the treatment of malaria: The diet can be incorporated in 3 phases -
-Fast on orange juice and water: To begin with, you should stay on orange juice and water for a few days, depending on the severity of the fever. This can help improve the immunity and help in subsiding the malarial attack.
-Fresh-fruit diet: Once the fever has subsided, try to stick to an exclusive fresh-fruit diet for the first few days including of orange, grapes, grapefruit, apple, pineapple, mango and papaya. Milk may then be added to the diet gradually.
-Well-balanced diet with lots of fresh fruits and raw vegetables: Thereafter, gradually move to a well-balanced diet of natural foods, consisting of seeds, nuts and grains, with emphasis on fresh fruits, and raw vegetables. Also include lots of water or thin fluids throughout the day to flush out the toxins. In fact a glass of lukewarm water mixed with half a freshly squeezed lime and a teaspoon of honey must be taken daily as a routine. One should avoid strong tea, coffee, refined and processed foods, fried foods, condiments, sauces, pickles, white sugar,white flour, and all products made from them. He should also avoid all non-vegetarian foods, alcoholic drinks and smoking.
-Cold pack application to the whole body: This pack is made by wringing out a sheet in cold water and wrapping it round the body. This pack should be applied every three hours during the day while the temperature is high and kept on for an hour or so.
-Prevent mosquito bites, cleanliness of surrounding areas: Malaria can be prevented by protection against mosquito bites, cleanliness of surrounding areas, and ensuring that there is no pool of stagnant water lying around. In fact you can spray a layer of kerosene on all water bodies near the house–including ponds to prevent mosquito larvae from breeding.

DENGUE AND CHIKUNGUNYA
Dengue and Chikungunya are both caused by the bite of Aedes Egyptii Mosquito that breeds only in clean fresh water.The mosquito flourishes during rainy seasons but can breed in water-filled flower pots, plastic bags, and cans yearround.One mosquito bite can inflict the disease.We are lucky that the virus is not contagious and cannot spread directly from person to person. There must be a personto-mosquito-to-another-person pathway. Dengue is diagnosed by a special blood test that takes a day.

Symptoms of Dengue:
Dengue fever is an acute illness with sudden onset of symptoms such as headache, fever, exhaustion, severe muscle and joint pain, swollen glands and rash. The presence of fever, rash, and headache (and other pains) is particularly characteristic of dengue. Victims of dengue often have contortions due to the intense joint and muscle pain, hence the name "break-bone fever". After being bitten by the specific mosquito, the signs and symptoms of dengue appear within 3 to 15 days. Dengue begins with chills, headache, pain upon moving the eyes, and lower backache. Painful aching in the legs and joints occurs during the first hours of illness. You will notice that the body temperature rises quickly as high as 104 F but the heart rate and blood pressure lower further.The eyes become reddened and a pale pink rash comes over the face and then disappears.Fever and other signs of dengue last for two to four days, followed by a rapid drop in body temperature with profuse
sweating. This precedes a period with normal temperature and a sense of well-being that lasts about a day. A second rapid rise in temperature follows. A characteristic rash appears along with the fever and spreads from the extremities to cover the entire body except the face. The palms and soles may be bright red and swollen.

Chikungunya is similar to Dengue since it is caused by the bite of the same mosquito. The symptoms are also similar,although body ache is not that severe. In some people, there can be persistent involvement of the joints or even a mild form of paralysis after an attack of Chikungunya.

Tip to reduce Malaria Infection:-
Consuming juice of 12-15 Tulsi (Basil) leaves with 1 Tbsp. black pepper powder helps to reduce the severity of the Malarial infection.

Tip to cure Malaria:
In a glass of water, add a tsp of cinnamon powder, a tsp of honey and a dash of pepper powder. Boil this concoction and have it after it cools down a bit.