Fevers, or elevated temperatures, are good. Fever is the body's mechanism for fighting infections-speeding up metabolism to increase heart rate and blood supply where it is needed, producing more white blood cells to devour pathogens, and increasing antibody responses to infection. Fevers should not be suppressed with fever-reducing medication (antipyretics). Acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and aspirin have no place in the home treatment of fevers below 105°F (40.5°C). A child with a fever higher than 105°F should be under medical supervision because a serious infection such as meningitis may be the cause, but only fevers beyond 108°F (42.2°C) have been known to cause brain damage. If your baby under three months of age has a fever or seems sick and lethargic, see your medical provider.
Studies have shown that depriving the body of its ability to develop a fever with antipyretics may prolong the illness, decrease antibody response, and increase the likelihood of disease complications such as pneumonia and meningitis. Medical authorities generally agree that reducing fevers interferes with immune mechanisms and worsens illness. Treating animals with antipyretics during fevers increases their fatality rates.
Many illnesses begin with fevers. Most viral and bacterial infections can stimulate fevers. Sometimes the cause is obvious; at other times, the cause is hidden. For example, urinary tract infections in babies may be characterized by fever without other symptoms. Of course, babies and toddlers cannot tell you their symptoms and it may require a physical exam or even lab tests to determine the cause of an illness. Roseola, a very common childhood viral illness, typically causes a high fever for a few days without other symptoms, and then a rash follows as children recover. For some illnesses in children, fever is the only symptom. Children with a strong immune system may develop a fever to combat an infection and never develop any other typical symptoms of the illness. Some children develop fevers more readily than others, and their temperature may go up with just mild stresses such as exhaustion from an exciting day or mosquito bites.
Seizures can occur with fevers. Some children are more prone to these febrile seizures, and their parents dread the onset of illness. About 50 percent of children who experience one febrile seizure will have another one in the future. Typically, a child will either begin twitching prior to the onset of a seizure, or the seizure will begin suddenly and unexpectedly. If your child begins quivering or trembling, take her into the shower with you immediately. Cooling her down may avert the onset of convulsions. Febrile seizures are frightening to parents even though they only last ten to fifteen seconds, but they do not result in any type of damage to the child. They do not proceed to later epilepsy. If a seizure occurs, keep your child upright if possible and make sure she is breathing well. Reassure her. If she vomits, turn her on her side. Call your medical provider immediately, once the seizure is over. Unless your child is choking or having difficulty breathing, it is usually not necessary to summon emergency services. If your child experiences a febrile seizure, consult with a practitioner of natural medicine to develop a program to prevent future seizures.
The only reasons to measure temperature are to determine if a child is sick, still sick, or developing a dangerously high fever. I do not recommend taking temperatures on a regular basis during illness simply because treatment does not usually depend on what the thermometer says. Other warning signs are much more important in assessing the need for interventions, especially the child's appearance, level of energy, appetite, and severity of symptoms.
There are four commonly used methods, or locations, for measuring body temperature: oral, rectal, ear, and armpit. Ear and rectal temperature readings are equivalent. Oral is lower than the ear or rectal readings, and armpit is lowest. Three types of devices are used for measuring temperature: ear thermometer, digital thermometer, or glass thermometer (with a rectal or oral end). I recommend ear or digital thermometers for home use because there is no danger of breakage and glass fragments. I do not recommend temperature strips (forehead tapes) for measuring temperature.
Although skin temperature is not an especially reliable method of measuring temperature, and children can have fevers without heat in the skin, studies have shown that parents are right 75 percent of the time when estimating whether their child has a fever by feeling the forehead.
The average normal oral temperature is 98.6°F(37°C), but normal temperature readings can vary during the day between 97°F and 100°F. An oral temperature is 0.5°F (0.28°C) to 1°F (0.56°C) lower than a rectal or ear (tympanic) temperature. An armpit (axillary) temperature is usually 0.5°F (0.28°C) to 1°F (0.56°C) lower than an oral temperature.
Wiping children with a cool, wet washcloth will cause the water to evaporate from the skin and have a cooling effect. It may not bring down the temperature, but it does provide some relief of symptoms.
If other symptoms accompany the fever, then other supportive homeopathic medicines may be needed.
Fevers from a viral illness will benefit from several of the same treatment strategies as colds. Vitamin C, Echinacea, and the Chinese herbal formulas Windbreaker or Yin Chao Junior are all appropriate.
Keep your child home from school and resting for twenty-four hours after a fever has subsided. Often children will have a fever in the evening, burn it off in the night, and feel much better in the morning. Then the fever may return later in the afternoon and the child feels droopy again. Better to rest until recovery is complete than to rush back to normal activities and prolong the illness.
Massage the following points to help break a fever: