Fevers.

   My daughter had a fever last week. It lasted for a bout three days. When I tell people that it got over 103 and I never intervened with Tylenol or some kind of fever reducer from a doctor or hospital I get some strange looks. Let me tell you, I strongly feel that a lot of our health problems and compromised immune systems can be directly related to intervening too quickly with fever reducers and antibiotics. 
   My daughter is two and a half years old. At that age fevers can tend to get higher than adults, even though I myself can run very high fevers. My wife seems to hallucinate at 101, where my fevers can reach 103 and I'm sick but still conscious. She would tell you that I still would complain more though. Sorry, got side tracked... Where was I? Oh my daughter, ...so 103 really isn't that high. When she would reach 103 we would put her in a tepid bath and use cold wash clothes to keep the temperature under control but still allowing the fever to run it's course. If it went over 104, that's my personal threshold where I would give her something or take her somewhere. Fevers always tend to spike at night as well, which is convenient for parents to get sleep right? 
   But why is it so important to let fevers run it's course? You see your body is very smart, smarter than you, smarter than me, smarter than any doctor on this planet. When it decides it needs to raise it's temperature that's because its trying to get rid of something, something that is not suppose to be there. A fever is part of the body's natural healing process. Your interferon levels are at their highest point when you have a fever. If you get a fever, your body is doing it's job, and should be allowed to. 
   My daughter's fever broke in the middle of the night on the third day. And now she is fine. Was never that sick, just a fever for three days. Very different than some kids you might know that are sick all the time, and are constantly on antibiotics for little bugs or sniffles, and are given Tylenol when their temp hits 99. Be smart, don't let the fever get out of control, but let the body run it's course. Make sure your child is getting plenty of fluids if they are running a temperature as dehydration and make things more serious and spike a fever.
   One thing I didn't even mention in this blog is how dangerous overuse of Tylenol for kids can be or anyone for that matter...
 

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