Too many people panic when they or their loved ones spike a fever.
Relax people; fever is our friend.
The only time a fever is really dangerous is if it goes over 105 degrees Fahrenheit as taken orally.
Most of the time a fever will stop at around 103 degrees or so and rarely does it go over 104 degrees.
A fever is simply the immune system response to an infection or toxicity in the blood.
In the case of an infection, viral infections usually cause a low-grade fever, of 101 degrees or less and these are generally self-limiting (they usually go away within two weeks).
A bacterial infection is far more dangerous as it may go into a 'fulminant' stage and become uncontrollable.
Fever from such an infection will continue to climb and at some point will end when the organism (the person) dies.
Brain matter does not do well at over 106 degrees-remember that commercial on television: "this is your brain on drugs" showing the fried eggs? Extreme or prolonged heat coagulates proteins and causes disassociation of enzymes.
Enzymes work in a very narrow range of temperature; once past the outer limits, they cease functioning...
which results in death.
With children a high fever is most dangerous as it can cause seizures, but don't give them aspirin-it can make matters worse.
Children should only be given acetaminophen or have cooling measures used (ice pack, ice bath, etc).
Check with your physician as to what is the best way to handle your child's fever.
Fever from toxicity in the blood can go up to around 103 degrees but is usually also self-limiting.
When the toxins are burned off, the fever goes away.
This type of fever usually is slower to rise and is preceded by the patient feeling worse and worse, usually with headache, nausea and dizziness.
This type of fever is usually helped by a flushing of the intestines (enema) and imbibing only water with lemon or lime juice for a couple of days.
Remember that old saying: "Starve a cold/feed a fever"? It isn't complete, which is why nobody understands it.
The real saying is "Starve a cold OR YOU WILL feed a fever.
" In other words, when one is sick is not the time to be eating hearty.
Chicken soup is about as far as one should go when ill and fasting is far better.
By fasting during illness, the body is able to clear out toxins-several of which are actually caused by the foods we eat.
By drinking only water with lemon or lime juice, layers of mucus that have built up on intestinal walls can be dissolved, clearing the intestinal pores, through which lymph fluid is supposed to drain out.
When our lymph fluid becomes over-loaded with toxins and debris it becomes like glue and stops being able to respond appropriately to infectious organisms.
If the fluid is not able to drain out and keeps recirculating, it becomes sluggish and clogs up the whole system.
At some point the body then needs to burn off toxins, which are no longer being removed from the bloodstream.
Fever is the body's answer to this problem.
When we take aspirin or acetaminophen at the first sign of a fever we are interfering with the natural workings of the body and adding more toxins to the blood.
Sure, it may stop the fever, but the person won't feel any better and the problem doesn't go away.
Yes, a high fever is very uncomfortable and dangerous to the brain if it gets too high.
A measure of comfort would be an ice pack to the head; that helps keep the brain cool and reduces the headache that accompanies a fever.
When in doubt, check with your doctor.
Better yet, keep your emunctories open, your diet clean and avoid fever in the first place.
©2010Dr.
Valerie OlmstedAll Rights Reserved