Mumps Symptoms
What are mumps? Mumps is a viral illness. Mumps happen due to the swelling of the parotid glands, which is just below and in front of the ear. Sometimes it happens because of the swelling of the salivary glands under the jaw.
Risk Factors of Mumps: Children between the ages of two and twelve are the most susceptible to mumps. Adults who are unvaccinated can also contract mumps. Those affected with mumps are contagious for anywhere between a week to two weeks, after the symptoms set in. Airborne droplets or direct contact with an infected person can cause mumps.
Symptoms of Mumps:
• Swelling or soreness of parotid glands, whether on one side or both
• A person may feel mild discomfort or pain while swallowing or opening the mouth
• Fever that lasts for a few days
• Sore muscles
• Appetite loss
• Headache
• Dull or intense earaches that intensify with chewing
• If adolescent boys and men get mumps, then either one or both testes might swell up for a few days
• Stiff neck, lethargy and aversion to light
• Vomiting, nausea and upper abdominal pain
• Pain in the lower abdomen in women
Treatment: Mumps can be treated with analgesics for the pain and medicines for the fever. Doctors recommend drinking a lot of fluids to prevent dehydration from anorexia and fever. If swallowing becomes a major problem, then a drip with I.V. fluid may be necessary.
Home Remedies:
• You can use the leaves of the Sacred Fig tree as a way to cure mumps. The leaves can be dabbed with clarified butter and warmed over a fire, before bandaging them on the inflamed areas.
• Indian Aloe can be used as a cure too. Peel a piece of aloe leaf and warm it before sprinkling it with some turmeric and extract of Indian Barberry. Bandage this over the inflamed area.
• You can grind the seeds of asparagus with fenugreek seeds along with a little water. Alternatively you can soak the seeds in a bowl of water and then grind them. Apply this paste over the inflamed area.
• Make a paste of dry ginger and water and apply it over the swollen area to reduce the pain and inflammation.
• Combine a few leaves of the ginger tree with turmeric, grind this into a paste, and apply externally on the inflamed area.
Diet:
• You can dilute orange juice with 50% warm water. You can do the same with other fruits like vegetables, grapes, pineapples, apples and lemon.
• It is important to eat a well-balanced diet so that the body gets all the nutrients. You must include a lot of fruits and veggies in your food too.
• If you have trouble chewing, you can also blend your vegetables or have them in a soup for easier ingestion.
