Good Diets for Mumps
Mumps patients should avoid going to school or work until their symptoms disappear. This is so because the disease is highly infectious and can easily be spread to other people. This step is more important within the first five days of infection.
Mumps
Like many other viral infections, doctors often advise patients to let mumps run its full course since antibiotics don’t have any effect on viruses. If you’re not experiencing complications, then you can possibly recover from mumps within two weeks. Fortunately, there numerous home remedies that can be used to relieve its symptoms.
Common home remedies to treat mumps include:
- Aloe Vera is an excellent remedy for many health conditions, including mumps. Pick fresh Aloe vera leaves and slice them, extracting some gel. Gently rub the gel on the affected areas of your face. This will help alleviate the swelling, inflammation, and pain.
- Make a paste from ginger and apply it on the swollen regions of your face or ears. This will play an important role in improving your condition.
- Cold therapy is another excellent way to relieve the inflammation triggered by mumps. Ice packs should also soothe the area, and this suppresses the pain naturally.
- Get sufficient rest until the fever disappears. Avoid too much talking, so your jaws can get enough time to rest and relax. This will significantly reduce the pain as well as the swelling.
- Take some pain relievers like paracetamol and ibuprofen to relieve the discomfort brought about by mumps. Nevertheless, children shouldn’t be given medications that are recommended for adults.
Diet
Chewing can be difficult for people suffering from mumps. Therefore, while you’re sick, it is imperative to observe a specific diet for your condition, which often consists of soft, easily-chewed foods. Again, it’s important that you consume foods that are highly enriched in nutrients to speed up the recovery process. Some of the highly suggested foodstuffs for mumps patients are:
- Certain spices like black pepper, ginger, and garlic
- Soft foods such as runny oatmeal, creamy potatoes, and rice porridge
- Non-citric fruits and sugar-free vegetable juice
- Soup and broth-based foods, particularly chicken or vegetable soup
- Foods highly enriched in vitamin C, for example cantaloupe, leafy greens, and mangoes
There are certain foods that worsen mumps and shouldn’t be consumed. For instance, even though oranges might contain lots of vitamin C, they’re highly acidic and can accelerate the release of saliva, which aggravates the pain triggered by mumps. Therefore, food items that are acidic should completely be avoided. Processed meat isn’t only impossible to digest, but it as well exerts a lot of pressure and strain on the jaw. In addition, since it’s loaded with additives and preservatives, processed meat can have adverse effects on the body, especially if your immune system isn’t sufficiently strong. Oily or fatty foods can also worsen mumps-related symptoms, hence they should be avoided.
Other Suggestions
Mumps itself isn’t the cause for concern, as long as no serious complications are existent. Unfortunately, there’s no specific way through which such complications can be prevented. Therefore, it’s advisable that you carefully watch out for any possible complications, so that whenever they are suspected, immediate treatment plans are launched. Mumps patients should avoid going to school or work until their symptoms disappear. This is so because the disease is highly infectious and can easily be spread to other people. This step is more important within the first five days of infection.
