Medical Miracles - 19

 

Two-Year-Old Girl Born Without A Windpipe Receives Artificial Trachea Grown From Stem Cells

About A Disease For Today - 8

 

Aches, Pain, Fever

FEVER - HOME REMEDIES

FEVER - HOME REMEDIES

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Fever is the body's natural defense mechanism and a good sign to indicate that the body is fighting against invading organisms, but it can also occur from overexposure to heat or cold. When the body temperature goes over the normal level (which is 98.6 degrees F in the mouth and 97.6 degrees F in the armpit), it is termed as 'fever'. Some of the other symptoms which indicate that a person is suffering from fever are - hot, dry or flushed skin, chilliness, shivering, a rapid or slow pulse, malaise, bodyache, decreased appetite, thirst, headache, cold and cough etc.  If the person feels hot and sweaty, taking a lukewarm bath will help the body to cool off slowly. Consult your doctor, if the fever lasts for more than three days or if the temperature is more than 101 degrees F or if the fever is associated with severe headache, stiff neck, rash, confusion, back pain, excessive vomiting, excessive diarrhea, painful urination or in cases where the patient becomes vague or comatose along with the fever.  

HOME REMEDIES 

1. Eat minimum if required, but drink more fluids. Light coffee and tea are useful beverages to bring down the fever and increase the perspiration, because of the caffeine content in it. Give more of warm soups (preferably vegetable and onion juice), ginger ale and diluted fresh fruit juices (especially ones made from apples, oranges, grapes, cherries and pineapple).

2. The juice of half a lemon and a tablespoonful of honey when mixed with some warm water provide energy to the person.

3. Orange juice is the ideal liquid food in fevers, since it provides energy, increases the urine output and thus helps to flush out the toxins from the body naturally. In the start of the fever it is useful to keep the person only on  warm orange juice, given every two hours for a period of twelve hours and then slowly start giving the person all kinds of fruits for a day or two, followed gradually by a well-balanced food diet.

4. Half a glass of fresh grapefruit (chakotra) juice should be taken with an equal quantity of water twice daily. It not only quenches thirst but will also remove the burning sensation produced by the fever.

5. Soak about twenty-five raisins in half a cup of water and then crush them in the same water. They are then strained and the skin discarded. The raisin-water thus prepared becomes a tonic, to which half a teaspoonful of  limejuice is added to enhance its taste and usefulness. This should be taken twice daily.

6. Mix half a teaspoon of turmeric powder in a glass of warm milk and take it twice daily.

7. Tea made from fenugreek (methi) seeds is to be taken twice daily. It acts as a useful cleanser and is a soothing drink during fever.

8. Coriander seed (dhania) decoction with little milk and sugar is also useful.

9. Chew a few garlic cloves or have a little bit of garlic juice three to four times daily to decrease the fever.

10. Cumin seeds (jeera), preferably in the powdered form, in combination with old jaggery are given in the form of small pills at bedtime to induce perspiration.

11. Mix a quarter teaspoonful of pepper powder with a teaspoonful of honey and a teaspoon of ginger juice and give it to the patient three to four times daily.

12. The juice of holy basil (tulsi) leaves mixed with some ginger juice should be taken twice daily for relief. Adding crushed ginger to tea during its preparation also helps.

13. Mix a few teaspoonfuls of onion juice and honey in equal quantities, and add a pinch of black pepper to it and take it thrice daily.

14. A liberal intake of rice starch (liquid) acts as a diuretic and thus reduces the fever after increasing the urination.

15. The juice of tender leaves of tamarind (imli) tree is useful.

Dengue Fever

Dengue Fever

Dengue fever is a viral illness caused by infection with 1 of 4 types of the dengue virus. When a person recovers from dengue infection they develop a long-term (not always lifetime) immunity to that type, but not the other 3 types. If the person is infected again with a different virus type, they may develop the more severe form of the illness known as dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF).

It is spread by the bite of an infected dengue mosquito (usually the Aedes aegypti species). There is no spread from human to human. Only the female mosquito transmits the virus. They are most active during daylight hours. They rest indoors in closets, behind curtains and other dark places. Outdoors they rest where it is cool and shaded.

It usually takes 3 to 14 days (commonly 4-7 days) between getting bitten by a dengue virus infected mosquito and becoming sick.
Dengue fever
Dengue fever is more commonly seen in older children and adults. It is characterised by abrupt onset of high fever lasting 3-7 days, severe frontal headache, pain behind the eyes and muscle and joint pains. Other symptoms may include loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea, a blanching rash and sometimes minor bleeding (eg from nose and gums).The acute symptoms of dengue fever last up to 10 days. Some people may experience repeated episodes of fever.
Full recovery may be slow and associated with weakness and depression. It is rarely fatal.

Dengue haemorrhagic fever( DHF)
DHF is most commonly seen in children under 15 years of age but can also occur in adults. It begins with the same symptoms as dengue fever but is followed by rapid deterioration, bleeding and cardiovascular collapse 2-5 days later.

The duration of DHF depends on the severity of the illness and response to treatment. It can be fatal.
What is the treatment?
There is no specific treatment or vaccine. Supportive treatment includes plenty of oral fluids and paracetamol for relief of fever and body aches and pains. Aspirin and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs should not be used as they can affect blood clotting. Anyone with DHF should be hospitalised for fluid replacement and observation.

Personal Protective Measures
1. Avoid areas of likely mosquito activity

2. Wear loose light coloured clothing with long sleeves, trousers and socks

Use repellents containing di-ethyl-toluamide (DEET) or picaridin as supplements to protective clothing

3. Ensure flyscreens in houses, caravans and tents are in good repair

4. Use mosquito coils and electric insecticide vapour mats or mosquito lanterns in enclosed or sheltered areas.

5. Empty and apply surface spray to any old unused container that has held water eg tyres, plastic containers, black sheet plastic or pot plant drip trays. Store any containers upside down and undercover or under a domed tarpaulin in good repair.

6. Avoid using saucers or drip trays under pot plants. Let pots drain directly onto the ground or make sure saucers are emptied at least once/week. Wipe their inner surface firmly with a cloth several times or fill with sand, or apply surface spray or methoprene insecticide pellets.

7. Empty bird baths and pet drinking water at least weekly and wipe as above, or use methoprene pellets.

8. Cover and completely seal septic tanks, rainwater tanks or other large water storage containers. Use methoprene briquettes in unsealed tanks as a temporary measure.

9. Dispose of rubbish around the yard that may collect water eg; plastic sheets or old tarpaulins, pot plant holders, old wheelbarrows, old tyres, and plastic containers of any type.

10. Ensure roof gutters drain freely so that pools of water are not left at any low points. Throw a small amount of methoprene pellets on to the roof above problem gutters.

11. Fishponds with fish do not breed mosquitoes. Tadpoles do not eat mosquito larvae. Keep fishponds and frog ponds stocked with fish and do not spray surface spray onto or at the edge of fishponds.