Inspirited Wellness Podcast Notes: Episode 3: Fever: Friend or Foe?
Do you have “fever-phobia?” So many parents do! Or maybe you don’t get anxious when your child falls ill, but the prevailing thought is that you treat a fever by giving a fever reducer and bringing down the temperature.
But how you respond to fevers can have a HUGE impact when it comes to the long-term health of your child.
Fever is your friend. None of us like it when our kids get sick, but a good fever means that the immune system is in the game, actively fighting off whatever bug is in the system. It also means that the immune system is learning how to respond and fight infections.
What Do the Experts Say?
Even the American Academy of Pediatrics advocates for the education of parents and doctors. Fevers are not a huge concern for generally healthy children. (Except in the case of infants under 3 months of age – they should get checked out!)
Here is an excerpt from a clinical report from the AAP.
“It should be emphasized that fever is not an illness but is, in fact, a physiologic mechanism that has beneficial effects in fighting infection. Fever retards the growth and reproduction of bacteria and viruses, enhances neutrophil production and T-lymphocyte proliferation, and aids in the body’s acute-phase reaction. The degree of fever does not always correlate with the severity of illness. Most fevers are of short duration, are benign, and may actually protect the host. Data show beneficial effects on certain components of the immune system in fever, and limited data have revealed that fever actually helps the body recover more quickly from viral infections, although the fever may result in discomfort in children. Evidence is inconclusive as to whether treating with antipyretics, particularly ibuprofen alone or in combination with acetaminophen, increases the risks of complications with certain types of infections.”
Another quote:
“It appears to be a common belief among parents that they must attempt to normalize their child’s temperature to prevent danger. Parents should also be instructed that antipyretic use does not prevent febrile seizures.
Thus, physicians should communicate that the primary goal in treating fever should solely be to improve the child’s overall comfort level.”
So, there you have it. If you needed permission from the “experts,” it’s right there in black and white. They go on to say that the best way to improve the child’s comfort level is to give antipyretics, and I completely disagree with that. There are much better ways to comfort a child that actually support the immune system without giving potentially harmful medications.
I always feel the need to make it clear that I’m not anti-medication when it’s truly necessary. But barring emergency circumstances or when surgery or pain is involved, pharmaceuticals should almost never be used as the first resort.
Risks of Acetaminophen and Ibuprofen
Without getting too scienc-y here, acetaminophen is toxic to the liver and depletes glutathione levels, which play a critical role in important cellular functions. Glutathione is produced in the body and is considered a “master antioxidant” so you don’t want this compound depleted, especially when you’re sick.
Ibuprofen is also hard on the liver and can cause serious bleeding. NSAIDs have also been associated with renal failure in healthy children. Adults can suffer from serious complications as well.
Those of us in the natural health community have known this stuff about fevers for years, so it’s great that it’s coming out in the mainstream. Unfortunately, you’ve probably never heard this information from your doctor. Not only does it take time for people and institutions to let go of their “sacred cows,” but it can also take up to 20 years for new information to filter into and be implemented into the general knowledge base.
The Importance of Supporting the Immune System
In episode two of the Inspirited Wellness Podcast, I used the analogy of the immune system as a special forces unit. When a baby is born the immune system is right out of boot camp. It’s had training but it’s not battle tested yet.
Every time the immune system fights against an infection, it becomes smarter and more efficient. If you’re supporting the body with good nutrition and healthy lifestyle habits, even better! But if you give symptom suppressing medications, you’re crippling your special forces unit. It’s trying to deploy to respond to a threat, but you basically keep telling it to stand down. Over time it will become, sluggish, confused, weak, and you’re paving the way for chronic disease because the immune system is disordered.
I really like to offer gemmotherapy to people as soon as symptoms of illness show up. Gemmotherapy is going to reduce inflammation, support the adrenals, helps the body drain the products of illness – i.e. snot. It’s really easy to just follow a protocol without having to think too hard about it.
Homeopathic remedies can be more challenging to figure out at the beginning because many times those characteristic symptoms that we look for, aren’t really showing up when you first start feeling ill. If you feel like the Vital Force needs a little help after 24 hours on the gemmotherapy extract, the right homeopathic remedy is perfect to speed things along because more than likely, there are more symptoms to work with by then.
Gemmotherapy Extracts
For general fevers – Black Currant
Earaches – Dog Rose, Black Currant, and Blueberry
Colds and Flu – Black Currant and Oak
Begin the appropriate gemmotherapy extracts as soon as symptoms begin.
The first 24 hours are the most critical. Let your child rest and sleep as much as they need to. If you’re the one that’s sick, give yourself permission to rest and take it easy. Your body is trying to clean house so help it do so as quickly and efficiently as possible.
We also want to reduce the energy expended on digestion. Make sure that your child is staying hydrated and if they’re hungry, provide very light, nourishing foods. Bone broth is very nourishing and a really good option.
Stay away from sugar, breads, dairy, and a lot of meat. The goal is to reduce inflammation and get the body into a more alkaline state. These foods are all inflammatory and work against the extracts.
I’m Still Afraid!
For some of you listening, I’m preaching to the choir. You’re confident in your ability to handle most illnesses that pop up in your family and trust your intuition when it comes to knowing when you need to seek help.
If you’re hearing this information for the first time, you’re not going to read this and magically be calm, cool, and collected the next time your child comes down with a fever. Even if we intellectually know a thing, we can still have an emotional reaction. If your reaction to fevers has been fear, then that will continue to happen until you take steps to forge new neuropathways in the brain.
The brain likes to do what it’s always done and it takes work to make a change or form a new habit.
Prepare for the fact that you’re going to be afraid and anxious the next time your child gets a fever – and that it’s normal and okay.
Give yourself the grace of knowing that these are new ideas for you, but you’re learning and you will figure it out.
Please don’t dismiss this mindset piece. Most parents have a lot of fear around their kids being sick so mental preparation as well as having a plan will go a long way towards having a successful outcome and raising your confidence. Bringing that awareness into focus will help you manage your thoughts when you’re in the thick of it.
Plan Ahead
I can’t stress enough how important it is to continue to do your own research so that you understand the role that fever plays and that there are actually health benefits to the immune system overcoming it on its own. But it is important to know the signs that indicate that you need to seek medical attention – i.e. mental status changes, excessive vomiting, difficulty breathing, or dehydration. Talk to your doctor and see what his or her opinion on it is. Just know that conventional doctors will probably recommend fever reducers because they just don’t see it as a big deal.
Make a plan now for what you’ll do the next time your child gets sick and write it down. Gather the supplies and remedies you may need ahead of time so that you’re not scrambling at the last minute.
Trust me, you will not be in the right state of mind to remember things that are unfamiliar to you when you’re stressed. There’s a very simple quote that says, “failing to plan is planning to fail.” Nuff said!
Resources
The information contained in this blog is for educational purposes only and not a replacement for medical advice. Any questions or concerns regarding your specific health-care needs should be addressed to your health-care provider. The author is not a medical doctor and will not be held liable for any outcomes linked to this information. The user takes full and complete responsibility for all outcomes to yourself or any other party as a result of any information contained or linked on this blog.
