The conditions that can be combatted in this way include joint pain, against which the infected person should use ‘an intelligent diet during the illness and in their recovery phase’, the nutritionist Gladys Patiño explained in an interview with radio Monumental.

The catalog of recommendations, which prioritizes medical consultation and calls to avoid self-medication with analgesics or anti-inflammatory drugs, includes the use of bromelain, which is found in pineapple, the expert added.

This component, she explained, reduces the effects of joint pain, especially in the knees and ankles, and other symptoms such as osteoarthritis.

Bromelain inhibits several compounds that generate swelling and pain. Two slices of pineapple (200 grams) should be used and also taken as a supplement.

For children, cinnamon can be added to the pineapple’, the specialist said.

According to the nutritionist, another compound that helps to combat the joint pains caused by chikungunya in the knees is the spice known as turmeric, of which half a teaspoon is suggested in the food and as a supplement one to two grams per day.

The analgesic proposals with nutrients experimented by the Paraguayan specialist include ginger, particularly for the recovery phase of the disease, as well as avoiding excess consumption of peanuts, processed foods, fried foods and meats.

Since October, Paraguay has been experiencing an increase of chikungunya infections, with around 30,000 cases nationwide, most of them reported during the last few weeks.

The disease is transmitted, like dengue, by bites from the Aedes aegypti mosquito.

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