Effective Tips That Can Help Recover From Dengue Faster

Monsoon, along with the seasonal respite it brings, is also when diseases like dengue thrive. Transmitted by the bite of an Aedes mosquito infected with a dengue virus, it can lead to high fever, severe headaches, fatigue, breathlessness, vomiting and even nausea.

While one of the best ways to prevent dengue is to not let mosquitoes breed in stagnant water and avoid mosquito bites, it is also important to follow certain diet and lifestyle habits to recover faster.

Some diet tweaks can go a long way in recovering comfortably post-dengue, suggested ayurvedic practitioner Dr Dixa Bhavsar.

What should you do?

Rest

“The patient needs sufficient rest in order to recover and improve their immunity which gets critically low here,” she said in an Instagram post.

Water

Drink at least 3-4 litres of water throughout the day. Fruit juice (with no sugar) is fine as well. “Plenty of fluids is the key to heal quicker,” said Dr Bhavsar. She also mentioned that one can include fluids like buttermilk, tender coconut water, lime water, fennel water, fresh fruit juices without sugar, and with the pulp intact can be extremely effective.

Foods to eat and avoid

Eat citrus fruits like amla, kiwi, oranges, and pineapples. Also pomegranates and papayas. “Not to forget vegetable soups. Eat light home-cooked food like khichdi and mung-dal soup. You can have buttermilk. Avoid wheat rotis; but jowar rotis can be eaten as they are light to digest. No processed and fast food at all. Also, avoid sugar (as it delays healing),” she said.

Remedies

Drink papaya leaf juice (20 ml twice/thrice) a day. “It is best for improving platelets. It’s bitter in taste so you can add some honey. Giloy juice along with amla and wheat grass juice also helps in improving patient’s immunity and platelets,” she mentioned.

What else?

Once you feel better, try to exercise in the sun as and when possible to get some vitamin D.

“Eat balanced, healthy meals devoid of white sugars and processed food. Dengue can relapse because there are many different strains of the virus, and adequate protection against mosquito bites will go a long way in avoiding future attacks,” she mentioned.