Symptoms:
Depression, fatigue, fever, generalized aching, sore throat, swollen glands, headache, jaundice, with possible red rash in the form of raised bumps.

Cause:
Mono is a contagious disease, primarily affecting the spleen and lymphatic system.

It can be transmitted by kissing, sexual contact, or sharing food or utensils. But it can also be spread through the air, breathing contaminated air exhaled by another. So it is not necessarily the "kissing disease" it is described to be.

Most frequently contracted by children and teenagers, the incubation period is 10 days among children and 30-50 days among adults.

The symptoms are very similar to those of the flu, but those of mononucleosis continue for 2-4 weeks! Even after the other symptoms are gone, a general fatigue can continue for 3-8 weeks more. Some people continue to feel fatigued for months or years.

Individuals frequently say they felt sick but continued working, thinking they would shake it off—and then came down with mono. So if you feel like going to bed and getting well, do it before something worse happens to you.

The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) or, more rarely, the cytomegalovirus (CMV), is the cause of this infection. Therefore it cannot be treated with antibiotics. Both EBV and CMV remain in the body throughout the rest of one's life; but the infection, carefully treated, generally seems to go away. Therefore, rest and care for yourself, so the outward symptoms will successfully go away!

Treatment:
• Go on a light fast of fruit and vegetable juices for a day or two.

• Eat a nourishing diet, emphasizing vegetable soups, potato peeling broth, and brown rice. Eat small meals.

• Drink plenty of distilled water.

• Do not eat processed, or junk, food. Do not eat meat, sugar, fried foods, or drink soft drinks.

• Stay in bed until the worst part is over. You need lots of rest.

• Do not strain at the stool, for this could injure a temporarily enlarged spleen.

• Be alert to signs that a more serious spleenic infection may be about to begin: a fever over 102o F, severe pain in the middle of your left side that last 5 minutes or more, breathing becomes difficult, or swallowing becomes difficult. If this happens, contact your physician. See "Lymphangitis."