It's cold and flu season for us right now so I thought it would be a good time to address some facts about fevers and how fevers are actually one of God's natural remedies for treating illness.
But first, let me give you a little background about where I have come from when it came to illness in general and fevers in particular with our children.
I have made several changes in the past 12 years of motherhood and one of them is this: I don't make an appointment for my child at the pediatrician's as soon as they have a fever or earache. Yes, that was me. The minute I thought my son had an ear infection, I was scheduling an appointment and giving him fever reducer to help "manage the fever."
But as I have grown in my understanding about fevers and illness in general, I am finding that it's usually fine (and best) to just let the body get to work on its own the way God intended it to.
That doesn't mean that I don't help it out with natural alternatives and a lot of love and attention. For example, curious as to what I do for ear infections? You can read more here.
Letting fevers aid the body in fighting illness wasn't something I really understood until a few years ago after talking with our chiropractors when our children were sick one time. I didn't realize that letting a fever "do it's thing" would actually help cook off the bad bacteria and help our children beat the illness faster than if I gave them fever reducers.
I also understand that some of you Mommas out there have seen your child experience a febrile seizure and can certainly understand your fear of letting a fever ride so I'll give you some alternatives to reduce fevers rather than the OTC ones that are available (and also why you may want to reconsider giving them).
But First, Let's Talk About How Fevers are Beneficial
"...our body's first line of defense when invaded by any microbe, virus or bacteria are cells called microphages; a strong, healthy immune system may be able to eliminate the problem with this first step alone. If these fail to contain the microbe/"bug," then the body creates other pryogens and proteins to try to assist. Once these have been created, the hypothalamus in the brain recognizes there is an invader and raises the body temperature to assist in killing it off. This elevated temperature will generally be just a couple of degrees, but the hypothalamus determines, based on the number of pryogens and proteins, what will be necessary to eliminate the microbe/bug. If the hypothalamus creates additional biochemicals to try to protect the body, then the temperature rises accordingly."
So, when a virus is introduced into our body, a fever comes into play sometimes when the microphage cells can't beat the invader. The fever kicks it up a notch when trying to rid the unwelcome house guest.
There is a bit of a misnomer in that people think a fever is an illness. Rather, it is a symptom that something's trying to invade the immune system and it is actually a good sign that the body is going to work in fighting an infection.
In her article, The Facts About Fevers Claudia Anrig, DC gives us some information about levels of fevers:
"A true low-grade fever is anything between 100 degrees F and 102.2 degrees F. This level of fever is beneficial; with most microbes/"bugs" that a child will be exposed to, this fever will assist the body in repelling the invader."
"A moderate-grade fever is typically between 102.2 degrees F and 104.5 degrees F. This temperature is still considered beneficial; if a child's body has reached this temperature, it's what's needed to kill whatever bacteria or virus their body is attempting fight."
"A high fever is a fever greater than 104.5. This fever may cause the child some discomfort and result in a bit of crankiness. Generally indicative of a bacterial infection, this fever means that the body is fighting something a little more serious than the common cold. While it will not cause brain damage...it is wise to seek assistance from their medical provider."
Dr. Robert Mendelsohn says in his book, How to Raise a Healthy Child in Spite of Your Doctor, “There is a common misconception that the height of body temperature is an indication of the severity of an illness….Research has shown that more than half of all parents consider a fever high at levels between 100-102. And almost all believe it is high if it reaches 103 degrees. These parents are also convinced that the height of a fever indicates how sick their child is. This emphatically is not the case. Knowing the level of your child’s fever will tell you nothing of how sick he is or if the fever is produced by a viral or bacterial infection. There’s nothing to be gained by measuring its climb and by doing so will only magnify your fears and upset the child. Even a temperature of 105 need not be a cause of concern.”
Lastly, Dr. Sears is quoted on his site regarding normal childhood illnesses as saying, “Fevers are not serious. Many parents have a misconception that fevers are a bad thing and a sign that there is some serious underlying illness. This simply is not true. Fever is a normal and healthy response of the body to an illness. The body’s immune system releases chemicals that raise the body temperature. This is part of the normal infection-fighting process.”
What If My Child is Miserable From a Fever?
I, like you, absolutely hate to see my sweet babes suffer or in agony. But, based on what I have learned, I don't want to solve a temporary problem (a fever) only to create a long-term affect. (I'll talk more about long term affects of OTC fever reducers in a moment). That being said, our children get a lot of extra love and care when they are sick. Several of our children at one point or another have even been known to say "I wish I had a fever!" because they love the extra healthy goodies and attention they get during that time.
So, here's what I do.
