Fevers can be scary to experience and witness in yourself or your child. They can be scary mostly because there is a misconception that something is wrong when someone has a fever. This is both true and false.
The fever is really quite elegant. It is triggered by any number of offending pathogens, such as a virus, bacteria, or parasite. This alerts certain chemical messengers to communicate with the hypothalamus, the temperature regulator, telling it to generate chills and shivering. These chemical messengers are responsible for turning down the appetite and restricting blood flow to the skin causing a pale appearance. Muscle achiness and fatigue are also signals from these chemical messengers. It is at this time that we have a knee-jerk reaction to reach for Tylenol or aspirin. We want to personally avoid pain and help our kids feel more comfortable, as there’s nothing worse than seeing your child lying on the couch looking pale, tired, and in pain.
An elevated temperature means that the immune system is on high alert looking for foreign invaders, which is the desired response. An elevation in temperature produces a cascade of messengers and also calls on the production of an exponential amount of white blood cells to come to its aid to fight the infection. So, imagine all of the soldiers of your immune system being turned away to go home, but the virus or bacteria are still hanging out on the street corner. You might have a prolonged infection. The fever prevents replication of the intruder and will help treat the infection. So, the longer you let the fever go, the more likely the duration and severity of the infection will decrease.
If you are otherwise healthy, fever is your friend. It will strengthen your immune system and help you heal from the infection faster than if you turn down all of the immune mediators that have been called on to help you fight the infection. If the fever gets over 103.5 F, then lowering it with Tylenol or ibuprofen is recommended. (Note: If a high fever persists for more than 48-72 hours or you have any other concerning symptoms, such as difficulty breathing or severe pain, it is best to consult your primary care provider right away.)
To manage a fever naturally:
Increase liquids and encourage rest.
A short fast is best.
Bundle up and stay warm.
Avoid sugar.
Take vitamin D 5000ius (2000ius for kids) and Vitamin C 2000-4000mg (500-1000mg for kids) Zinc 30 mg (10-15 mg for kids) to support your immune system
Consider doing cold or ice packs on the abdomen, neck and inner thighs to lower fever naturally.
Remember this is a message that your immune system is doing its job.
For further reading: https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/cellular-microscopic/question45.htm
