When yer hot yer hot !
I have seen all sorts of medications and remedies to bring a fever down. But none to create a fever. Which is a bit of an oddity. Because although we don't think of them that way, fevers are our friend.
Most fevers are actually helpful to the body. They are a way that our immune system makes life tougher for germs. Fever is something we do to the germs -- not something they do to us.
Even when they are not actively good for us, fevers are rarely our enemy. They are more like a rattle under the dashboard. The best thing to do is to find out what is causing the rattle, and to fix it. Just putting on earplugs keeps you from hearing the rattle doesn’t fix the problem. Arbitrarily treating a fever does much the same thing – it just helps you ignore something you should be investigating.
Most fevers are actually helpful to the body. They are a way that our immune system makes life tougher for germs. Fever is something we do to the germs -- not something they do to us.
Even when they are not actively good for us, fevers are rarely our enemy. They are more like a rattle under the dashboard. The best thing to do is to find out what is causing the rattle, and to fix it. Just putting on earplugs keeps you from hearing the rattle doesn’t fix the problem. Arbitrarily treating a fever does much the same thing – it just helps you ignore something you should be investigating.
Many things can stimulate your brain to create a fever !
Hot weather and sun exposure can create fever
Although one of the most common symptoms in medicine, fever is still amazingly misunderstood and controversial. we do not even know for sure that a person has a fever.
Many children will seem to have a fever if they have been exerting themselves, crying lustily, or if they are bundled up too warm. Even adults with a sunburn can seem to have a high fever, when their temperature is completely normal.
Many children will seem to have a fever if they have been exerting themselves, crying lustily, or if they are bundled up too warm. Even adults with a sunburn can seem to have a high fever, when their temperature is completely normal.
What is normal temperature ?
Basal body temperature graph showing daily fluctuations in a normal healthy female
Just what normal temperature is can be another interesting question.
There is not even really such a thing as a “normal” temperature.
Body temperature in a person should be thought of like average monthly temperature in Maple Ridge. There is no standard August temperature – there is a normal range that we usually stay within ( except perhaps for this year).
People work the same way. Although we always say 98.6 Fahrenheit or 37 Centigrade is the standard body temperature, each individual person has their own usual body temperature. And this can vary by several degrees throughout the day.
This daily fluctuation in body temperature almost drove me dizzy as an intern. Everyone’s temperature peaks in the early afternoon, and then again at about 11 p.m.. This normal daily variation in body temperature is exaggerated in a person with a fever.
The inevitable consequence of this is that patients always have their highest temperature of the day right around my bedtime. I used to get paged dozens of times every week about temperatures that were suddenly over the critical level where hospital bureaucracy kicks in. For some reason a temperature of 38.3 all day long is acceptable, but the minute it hits 38.5 ( usually just before midnight ), all the resources of modern medicine are called in to try and suppress it.
There is no particular reason for this – it is just hospital policy in most places. The bureaucratic approach to fever !
There is not even really such a thing as a “normal” temperature.
Body temperature in a person should be thought of like average monthly temperature in Maple Ridge. There is no standard August temperature – there is a normal range that we usually stay within ( except perhaps for this year).
People work the same way. Although we always say 98.6 Fahrenheit or 37 Centigrade is the standard body temperature, each individual person has their own usual body temperature. And this can vary by several degrees throughout the day.
This daily fluctuation in body temperature almost drove me dizzy as an intern. Everyone’s temperature peaks in the early afternoon, and then again at about 11 p.m.. This normal daily variation in body temperature is exaggerated in a person with a fever.
The inevitable consequence of this is that patients always have their highest temperature of the day right around my bedtime. I used to get paged dozens of times every week about temperatures that were suddenly over the critical level where hospital bureaucracy kicks in. For some reason a temperature of 38.3 all day long is acceptable, but the minute it hits 38.5 ( usually just before midnight ), all the resources of modern medicine are called in to try and suppress it.
There is no particular reason for this – it is just hospital policy in most places. The bureaucratic approach to fever !
Why try and get rid of a friend ?
Since fevers are actually helping the patient it would make more sense to leave the fever alone. By suppressing it artificially with medication, all you are doing is losing valuable information.
Cherish the fever instead. Study it, graph it, learn from it, make it work for you! Then if it needs to be treated, the idea way to resolve a fever is to treat that cause, not the symptom.
For example, if a child has an ear infection and a high fever, the treatment of choice to get rid of the fever is to cure the ear infection. If a patient has a fever but is not the least bit bothered by it my choice would be to leave things alone. By observing the fever you can follow the course of the infection, see how ill the patient is, and see how your treatments are working. Many infections also have specific patterns of fever changes, which you can’t learn about at all if the person is swamped with Tylenol.
Cherish the fever instead. Study it, graph it, learn from it, make it work for you! Then if it needs to be treated, the idea way to resolve a fever is to treat that cause, not the symptom.
For example, if a child has an ear infection and a high fever, the treatment of choice to get rid of the fever is to cure the ear infection. If a patient has a fever but is not the least bit bothered by it my choice would be to leave things alone. By observing the fever you can follow the course of the infection, see how ill the patient is, and see how your treatments are working. Many infections also have specific patterns of fever changes, which you can’t learn about at all if the person is swamped with Tylenol.
The need to treat
If, as is common with human nature, you feel obliged to treat symptoms then caution with medication is advised.
Aspirin can constant a rare but serious condition called Reye’s (rhymes with eyes ) Syndrome when given to children with viral fevers. Acetaminophen is therefore the recommended drug for symptomatic relief of childhood fevers. However, acetaminophen is also one of the most common causes of liver damage in our society.
The best fever drug may actually be a newcomer -- ibuprofen. This is now available in a children's liquid, and according to recent research is safer than aspirin and acetaminophen, as well as being more powerful at lowering the temperature. Doctors are constantly debating whether or not to treat fevers – but not with fever drugs. We are trying to decide whether or not to use antibiotics. Although there are other causes of fever, infection is the most common. Treating the infection is the idea way of treating the fever. Remove the cause, and the symptom will look after itself!
Aspirin can constant a rare but serious condition called Reye’s (rhymes with eyes ) Syndrome when given to children with viral fevers. Acetaminophen is therefore the recommended drug for symptomatic relief of childhood fevers. However, acetaminophen is also one of the most common causes of liver damage in our society.
The best fever drug may actually be a newcomer -- ibuprofen. This is now available in a children's liquid, and according to recent research is safer than aspirin and acetaminophen, as well as being more powerful at lowering the temperature. Doctors are constantly debating whether or not to treat fevers – but not with fever drugs. We are trying to decide whether or not to use antibiotics. Although there are other causes of fever, infection is the most common. Treating the infection is the idea way of treating the fever. Remove the cause, and the symptom will look after itself!
Fever Fine Print
So favors are actually our friend.
They are more frightening than harmful. They should be observed cautiously, and especially in young children should always be investigated by a physician. The only real reason to treat them is if a child is fussy and irritable because of the fever. If the child looks healthy, observing the fever closely is adequate, as long as the fever goes away within two or three days. To quote one expert source “ Treat the child, not the thermometer!” In the majority of cases the fever itself should be respected as the beneficial aid to our health that it is.
They are more frightening than harmful. They should be observed cautiously, and especially in young children should always be investigated by a physician. The only real reason to treat them is if a child is fussy and irritable because of the fever. If the child looks healthy, observing the fever closely is adequate, as long as the fever goes away within two or three days. To quote one expert source “ Treat the child, not the thermometer!” In the majority of cases the fever itself should be respected as the beneficial aid to our health that it is.
Fever Seizures
A child with a high fever may have a febrile seizure. Symptoms of a seizure include shaking or jerking of the arms and legs, a fixed stare or the eyes rolling back, drooling, heavy breathing, and the skin turning blue. If your child has a febrile seizure, contact your doctor immediately.
The majority of children with febrile seizures have rectal temperatures greater than 102 degrees F. Most febrile seizures occur during the first day of a child's fever. Children prone to febrile seizures are not considered to have epilepsy, since epilepsy is characterized by recurrent seizures that are not triggered by fever. Although among adults with epilepsy, many of them will have had febrile convulsions as children.
Fever seizures are terrifying, but are not generally harmful. ( Remember, what causes the harm is the underlying cause of the fever, not the fever itself. )
Fever seizures are also related to how quickly a fever rises, not to how high the childs temperature actually is. If you compare the fever to going up a hill, it is how fast you go up rather than how high you get that is the cause of the seizure. Or to use an automobile analogy, a fever that goes from zero to 60 in 6.8 seconds is the type that might cause a fever seizure. But a child may gradually work up to a fever of over 100 (miles per hour OR degrees F ) gradually and not ever Click here to see a good video of a Febrile Seizure
Measuring fever
There are all sorts of instruments used to measure fever, from old fashioned mercury thermometers, which are very accurate, but take three or four minutes to work, all the way through to infra - red eardrum thermometers like are used in hospitals and doctors offices, which can give you someone' s body temperature within seconds.
What temperature you get depends on where you stick the thermometer.
Oral "normal" temperature is 37 C.
Armpit temps of 36 C are normal
What temperature you get depends on where you stick the thermometer.
Oral "normal" temperature is 37 C.
Armpit temps of 36 C are normal
Why Drink Plenty of Fluids ?
It is important to drink fluids when you have a fever. It is important because fever causes considerable fluid loss through the skin and perspiration. Because it is difficult to measure fluid loss, it is good to drink 1 to 2 quarts of extra fluid each day that you have a fever.
To make sure your child is not getting dehydrated, feed him enough fluids so that he or she is peeing regularly. You may find it useful to weigh the child every day for a few days. Sudden drops in body weight may be a sign of a few pounds of water loss from the body, which needs replacing for the child to stay healthy.
Some of the Causes of fever
What causes fever?There are several conditions, illnesses, and medicines that can cause fever. These include:
- Infections and infectious diseases such as influenza, common cold, HIV,malaria, infectious mononucleosis, and gastroenteritis. Infections are the most common cause of fever.
- Medicines such as antibiotics, narcotics, barbiturates, and antihistamines. These cause "drug fevers" due to adverse reactions, withdrawal, or by the drug's design.
- Trauma or injury such as a heart attack, stroke, heatstroke, heat exhaustion, or burns.
- Damage to tissue from hemolysis (breaking open of red blood cells to release hemoglobin), surgery, heart attack, crush syndrome, and hemorrhage.
- Other medical conditions such as skin inflammation, arthritis, hyperthyroidism, some cancers, lupus, inflammatory bowel disease, metabolic disorder, gout, and embolisms.