What We Can Do to Fight Dengue

August 28, 2011 by INQUIRER.NET in HEALTH & FITNESS with 0 Comments

Nearly two years ago, Christine E.V. Gonzalez, a naturopathic medicine practitioner with a Ph.D. in natural health and holistic nutrition, faced death from dengue.

At the wake of two young girls – ages 11 and 14 – who died of dengue, she embarked on an advocacy on the prevention and control of the viral disease through health education. She has written her third book—“Dengue Fever on the Rise” – from which this article is excerpted.

Gonzalez emphasizes that there is no single cure-all plant or drug in the management and control of dengue fever. While there is no vaccine (yet) to prevent infection or drug treatment for those infected, early diagnosis and a combination of measures will and can prevent dengue death.

In addition, she issues this advisory:

Don’t take the Tylenol brand of paracetamol or acetaminophen when you have dengue, but take Biogesic which is a milder form of paracetamol instead.

Tylenol has been found to be toxic to the liver, and since dengue virus causes transitory hepatitis, using it has caused sudden, severe and medicinally induced hepatitis, which is believed to have caused some deaths.

Avoid acetylsalicylic acid like aspirin and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) like ibuprofen. They can increase the risk of bleeding.

Whenever possible, it is best to go to the hospital if you have dengue. Dengue may require blood and/or platelet transfusion and often intravenous hydration.

Climbing back to health
By Christine E.V. Gonzalez, ND, Ph.D.

I never thought for a moment that I would be deeply involved with a campaign to stop dengue mortality until I was infected with the virus. Five days before Christmas of 2009, I woke up feeling as though I just came out from the mouth of a volcano.

My body was burning with high fever. Every bone, muscle and organ in my body hurt, my glands were swollen and my pulse was racing. Headache and sore throat added to the symptoms.

I took homeopathic remedies, started a vitamin C drip, sponge bathed with essential oils several times a day, took fluids (organic vegetable juices and soups, coconut water, herbal teas, etc.) every 30 minutes and immediately did a CBC (complete blood count).

I was very confident that whatever it was that attacked my system would go away in less than a day. Instead, the nightmare began!

On the third day, I felt that something was very wrong. Due to the high fever, I was in and out of consciousness. The result of my urinalysis indicated that my kidneys were beginning to fail.

We added creatinine and BUN to the daily CBC tests. My platelet count was down. My hemoglobin, RBC (red blood cells) and WBC (white blood cells) numbers were fluctuating almost every day. All my lab tests and a doctor friend confirmed that I had the dengue virus.

On the fifth day, my body was numb from pain. I remembered back in 2005, as a herbologist, I processed a lot of local herbs. One of them was tawa-tawa (Euphorbia hirta). I started drinking it as a tea every hour. I included sweet potato tops and moringa (malunggay) leaves in all my soups and juices.

On the seventh day, I was just waiting for something to happen. There must be a reason for this debilitating condition. What was it? All of the sudden, full realization hit me.

How can the people, especially children, fight this nasty virus? I was still vulnerable to it, despite my vibrant health. What more for the rest of the community, who rarely pay attention to their health unless there are symptoms?

Thus began my campaign for zero-dengue communities.

How to fight and contain it

Keep hydrated

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