Healthy Living

How to Treat Mononucleosis

How to Treat Mononucleosis?

Mononucleosis is also called the kissing disease, Pfeiffer disease, glandular fever, and Filatov disease. This infection results from the Epstein Barr virus, which is usually seen with having symptoms of the flu, where one experiences extreme fatigue on the body. These viruses are microscopic pathogens that have DNA that enter the body of a human being and reproduce, leading to infection of the person in the whole body. Once this virus gets into the body, it tampers with the normal body functioning leading to poor body functioning. This virus belongs to the herpes family, where most people are known to be affected by it. It is known to affect mostly people who have weak immunity. This virus is also known to cause other diseases, like cancers and other autoimmune diseases.  

The virus spreads through saliva, so it can be acquired not just through kissing but also by exposure to a cough or sneeze, or by sharing a glass or food with an infected person. Mononucleosis can occur at any age, but is usually common among adolescents. Symptoms of the disease include extreme fatigue, restlessness, sore throat, fever, swollen lymph nodes, swollen tonsils, rashes, headaches, and swelling of the spleen. In most cases, the symptoms are not severe and are controllable.

There is no specific treatment to aid infectious mononucleosis. Usually antibiotics or painkillers are prescribed to treat secondary infections.

Complete bed rest, regular intake of nutritious food, and plenty of fluids are recommended to aid recovery. Sticking to a diet is necessary to recoup. Include vitamin and mineral rich fruits like apples and vegetables like broccoli in your diet. Avoid junk food, meat, caffeine, and soft drinks. It is important to strengthen the immune system to mitigate symptoms.

Mononucleosis can be treated with natural home drugs instead of antibiotics that cannot help appropriately in eradicating this disease. A few items that can be bought from the market like coconut and garlic can be used to treat the disease. These fruits help one get off with the flu-like signs and symptoms that usually arise. Having enough sleep and taking a lot of water or fluids that are not sugary can also help one in recovering from the disease. Water also assists in ensuring the body is clean from any other germs that may be invading the system. Also, the use of salt water to clean up the mouth can kill the bacteria that could be found in the mouth. This could also prevent the throat from being very dry and hence relieve the soreness if one had a sore throat.

In using coconut oil or cranberry to treat the mononucleosis disease, one should consume two spoons of the coconut that has been harvested directly from the garden. This should be consumed very early in the morning when one wakes up and very late in the evening prior to going to sleep. This can help out in curing the disease. For the cranberry, one should consume 35 ml of it daily for almost seven days to notice the changes. This cranberry should not have any sugar added to it or any of the preserving reagents. The fresh cranberry from the gardens is the most preferred for treatment. This juice assists in maintaining the balance of fluids in the body and assists in getting off with the toxic substances that arise when this infection enters the body.

The natural antioxidant properties of apple cider vinegar help effectively eliminate infection and aid in boosting immunity. It is usually taken with honey. Green tea’s antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties are also known to be beneficial.

The infection often causes mild to high fever. In such situations, cold compresses can ease the discomfort and bring down the temperature.

Aromatherapy or gargling can also assist in curing this disease. Here one uses few drops of this oil, say lavender and eucalyptus, in taking baths through adding it to water. This helps in getting rid of the bacteria and viruses that could be on the body and keeps the skin moisturized. This could help out in curing this disease. Gargling could also assist in getting off with the sore throat issue. Here a half spoon of salt is added to a small portion of baking soda with warm water, and this is used before retiring to bed daily.

Using herbs could also help cure this disease. Here about one spoon of ginseng root, burdock root, cayenne, and goldenseal are boiled together in two cups of water. This is left for some minutes till it reduces to a single cup. This is left to cool and sieved, and the solution is then taken. This could immediately relief the sore throat, and it eradicates the virus from the body. Garlic is also known to treat most of the diseases, too. Taking three of the cloves of the garlic could assist in clearing off the disease in a week’s time. Garlic can also be used in food as a supplement. Three spoons of vinegar and honey could be taken in warm water, and it could help relieve a sore throat.

Sleeping enough could also contribute to getting off with the disease. One can also add lots of water to keep the body moisturized. The water could assist in making the body hydrated. Keeping the diet on the check could also help out in curing the disease by consuming fruits eggs, vegetables, and whole grain cereals. One should avoid drinking alcohol, consuming junk foods, and the smoking of tobacco. Sharing of utensils and food should also be avoided.

Mononucleosis tends to be a prolonged condition. While most signs and symptoms of the disease ease within a few weeks, it may take a few months to get back to normal. It is recommended that any activity that involves excessive physical exertion like sports be avoided during this period. It has been noticed that most people who have had infectious mononucleosis don’t get it again. However, in some cases it may reappear, especially among people with a weak immune system.