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Pleurisy is an inflammation of the pleura, a serous membrane which envelopes the lungs and also lines the inside of the chest. It may be acute or chronic, and mild or severe, the disease may be limited to one side of the chest or it may include both the sides. This disease can attack people of all ages, from children right through to the very elderly. Like any other viral infection, pleurisy can occur in small epidemics. The membranes that cover the lung are called pleura. The outer membrane, known as partial pleura, is applied to the inner wall of the thorax, and the inner membrane, known as the visceral pleura, covers the substance of the lungs. There is a capillary space between the two membranes which is filled with fluid. This fluid enables the lung s to move freely in the chest. The parietal membrane is reflected from the chest wall to cover the upper surface of the diaphragm, and in the midline, it covers the mediastinum, the partition which seperates the two sides of the chest and contains the heart, great vessels and other structures which run through the thorax.

The onset of pleurisy is generally marked by a sharp and stabbing pain, which may be felt in any part of the chest wall or over the diaphragm. Deep breathing or coughing increases the pain. In many cases, the diseases begins with a chill, followed by congestion of the pleura and later by fever. The degree of the fever determines the severity of the disease. The inflammation destroys the tissues and chokes the circulation within the tissues. Breathing becomes difficult due to the clogging of the circulation, and by pain and swelling within the chest. Later a liquid effusion escapes from the pleura, filling the open spaces in the chest cavity till the effect of the distension becomes oppressive. After absorption takes place or after the drainage of the effusion, the pressure is lowered, the pain is reduced and the patient feels relieved. It is sometimes dry pleurisy, a form where there is little or no effusion or the effusion may be circumscribed. The effusion may become gangrenous, or become mixed with blood, or be of a dirty brown colour with an offensive odour, leading to much suffering.

The most common among the immediate causes of pleurisy is that of ‘catching cold ‘ followed by congestion and swelling of the pleural membrane. It is a disease that is not caused by germs. There will be germs of putrefaction later in the ooze of serum from the tissue . The disease may be a complication of pneumonia, or pneumonia may be a complication of pleurisy. In a few cases , the diseases may also occur in rheumatic fever , uraemia and other conditions.

At the first sign of pleurisy, the patient should observe a complete fast, abstaining from all liquid and solid foods. Nothing should be taken except plain water, hot or cold, as desired. Water may have bad taste, but at least three or four glasses should be taken daily for the first few days. The quantity of water should be gradually increased to five or six or more glasses each day. It would be helpful if during this period of fasting , a full hot enema is also taken once daily. A hot chest pack should be applied two or three times a day allowing it to remain for an hour or so each time. If the fever becomes high, the packs may be changed to cold ones. If, however, the reaction is not prompt and complete, it would be advisable to use the hot packs. Heat is always helpful for relieving the sharp pain associated with pleurisy. This should be applied for half an hour twice daily. The patient should practice deep breathing during this period. Adequate rest and abundance of fresh air are essential. In cases of dry pleurisy, further relief from pain can be obtained by strapping the chest. Heat is not used when the tapping is employed. A neutral immersion bath at 100 F for one hour daily  has also been found beneficial in the treatment of pleurisy. After the acute symptoms have subsided, the patient may adopt a milk diet. In this regimen, he should take 250 ml.of milk every two hours on the first day, every 1 1/2 hour on the second day, every hour on the third day and every three-quarters of an hour on the fourth day and onwards. The quantity of milk should not exceed four litres daily. The patient may also take one orange daily along with the milk diet. As soon as the patient has gained slightly in strength, he should undertake moderate exercise as a routine, avoiding fatigue. Air bath, sun bath and dry friction bath are of particular importance. If there is any particular disease, present along with the pleurisy whether as a causative or as a complicating condition, the same should also be given appropriate attention. Chronic pleurisy should be treated in the same manner as to the diet and the application of heat. All efforts should be made to increase the vitality, reduce toaxemia, and restore normal freedom of chest movements. Several short fasts, at regular intervals, followed by milk diet may be necessary depending on the progress for complete recovery.

Mumps are the epidemic Parotitis refer to a virus infection of the salivary glands, gonads,and occasionally other parts of the body. It is a contagious disease that occurs most frequently in children and young persons between the ages of five and fifteen years. The disease spreads from children to children in schools. Babies are immune from this disease. Most persons have mumps only once in their lives, but one person in ten may have a second attack.

The first sign of mumps is swelling and pain. The pain is first felt under one ear with stiffness of the neck and jaw. There is a slight fever which subsides in three or four days. The swelling appears first under one jaw and then extends under the other jaw. The gland becomes tender on pressure. On account of the pressure of the swelling, mastication and swallowing becomes difficult. If the disease occurs after puberty, the testicles may be affected. The ovary may be infected in females. IN males, the gonads are usually swollen. If the disease spreads to the testicles, the swelling and pain are very considerable, there is a high fever, and the patient may become depressed and even a little confused. Mumps can also lead to meningitis ( inflammation of the soft membranes of the brain ) and encephalitis (inflammation of the brain ) with delirium, severe headache and other signs of irritation of the meninges, or it may spread to the pancreas, when the symptoms include pain in the abdomen and loss of appetite. The patient may vomit.

Mumps are caused by a virus which attacks the salivary glands of the mouth , particularly the parotid glands located on each side of the face just below and in front of the ear. The infecting organism is a paramyxovirus. After a person is exposed to a case of the mumps, it takes about two weeks for the disease to appear. Dietetic errors are at the root of the trouble.

The patient should be put in bed for several days until the temperature returns to normal. He should be kept on a diet of orange juice diluted with warm water on a 50 : 50 basis for a few days. If the orange juice does not suit, the juices of other fruits such as mosambi, apple, pineapple, grapes, or vegetables like carrot should be given. The warm water enema should be used daily during this period. Hot and cold fomentations should be applied every two hours during the day for about 10 minutes, and should consist of two or three hot applications, followed by a cold one. The mouth should be cleaned with an antiseptic wash. When the child can swallow food comfortably and the swelling has subsided, an all-fruit diet should be adopted for a day or two. Thereafter, he may be allowed to gradually embark upon awell- balanced diet of natural foods, with emphasis on fresh fruits and raw vegetables.

Measles, a highly infectious disease, is very common in childhood. It is so common at this stage of life that nearly all children everywhere in the world go through this brief period of red spots.The disease appears in epidemic form, often in the winter season.

The first symptoms which appear during 7 to 14 days after exposure to the virus arefeverishness, cold, watering of the eyes and dry cough. Rashes appear on the skin in three to five days after the onset of these symptoms. These rashes, which consist of small rounded spots with reddened skin in between, initially appear on the sides of the face and the neck and then gradually spread all over the body, appearing last on the extremities. Initially pink in colour, these rashes grow darker as time passes. Measles is usually accompanied with slight fever and diarrhoea. In rare cases of great severity, high fever and delirium may occur. Complication which can arise from this disease include pneumonia, bronchitis, and ear abscess. One serious but rare complication is the inflammation of the brain.

Measles is one of the most contagious diseases, caused by a virus. The measles virus is so infectious that in cities, children catch this disease before they reach the age of five years. Mothers generally pass their antibodies to their children which immunize them passively. This protection, however, does not last beyond the six months. Measles is easily transmitted in the early stages through the invisible droplets of moisture which are discharged from a patient’s nose or mouth when he coughs or sneezes. The real cause of this disease, like other diseases of childhood, is , however, wrong feed and unhygienic living conditions. Measles is thus a natural healing crisis aimed at cleansing the infant organism of the toxins and deleterious and products resulting from the assimilation of the vast excess of starchy and sugary foods consumed by young children today.

In the beginning of the treatment, the patient should be given juices of fresh fruits like orange and lemon frequently. This is sufficient as the child suffers from lack of appetite during this period. He should be kept in a well ventilated room. As light has a detrimental effect upon the eyes during measles, because of the weakened condition of the external eye tissues, the child should have his eyes shaded or the room should have subdued light. The treatment should aim at bringing down the temperature and eliminating the toxins from the system. This can be achieved by administration of warm water enema every morning, application of mud packs on the abdomen twice a day in the morning and evening and repeated application of chest packs. Lukewarm water baths can be given every day to ease itching. Addition of extracts of neem leaves to this water will prove beneficial. As the condition improves, the child can be placed on an all fruit diet for a further few days. Thereafter he may be allowed to gradually embark upon a well-balanced diet.

Certain home remedies have been found beneficial in the treatment of measles. The most valuable amongst these is the use of orange. When the digestive power of the body is seriously hampered, the patient suffers from intense toxaemia and the lack of saliva coats his tongue and often destroys his thrust for water as well as his desire for food. The agreeable flavour of orange juice helps greatly in overcoming these drawbacks. Orange juice is the most ideal liquid food in this disease.

The juice of lemon is another remedy. It also makes an effective thirst-quenching drink in measles. About 15 to 25 ml. of lemon juice , should be taken diluted with water for this purpose. Turmeric (haldi) is beneficial in the treatment of measles. Raw roots of turmeric should be dried in the sun and ground to a fine powder. This powder, mixed with a few drops of honey and the juice of a few bitter gourd leaves , should be given to the patient suffering from measles. Powdered liquorice (mulethi) has been found valuable in relieving the cough, typical of measles. The child patient should be given this powdered liquorice mixed with honey. The use of barley ( Jau) water has proved beneficial in case of troublesome cough in measles. This water should be taken frequently sweetened with the newly drawn oil of sweet almonds. The seeds of eggplant ( baingan ) are stimulant. According to Dr. Sanyal of Calcutta, intake of half a gram to one gram of these seeds daily for three days will help develop immunity against measles for one year. Children having measles should not be allowed to mixed with others. They should be given complete rest. Hygienic condition along with the above mentioned treatment will lead to speed recovery. Medications should be strictly avoided.