Fever benefits

Here is the absolute truth about fever and why in most cases there is no reason to fear a fever or use fever reducing medications.  Fever is your body’s natural response to infectious bacteria or viruses.  The body, innately raises its own core temperature to burn of the infection causing the illness.  By taking a cold bath, using cold compresses or taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatories like Tylenol, you are blocking the body’s reaction to defeating the illness.  More and more medical research is embracing the “let it ride” philosophy.  This philosophy is that the fever is a protective response and should be allowed to run its course.  Even helping the fever along by lying in bed with warm blankets contribute to the fever running its course.  It is important to stay hydrated with a fever and drink plenty of liquids like water and both as the excess temperature may cause some dehydration.  One medical study on fever had to be stopped as critically ill patients who were aggressively treated to reduce fever were dying in statistically greater numbers than the group that was not treated for fever.  As far as Covid-19 fever goes, several hours of mild fever is very beneficial as it raises the body’s cellular levels of heat shock protein which is protective in cases of sepsis-induced acute respiratory distress syndrome.  As far as the flu goes, using fever reducing medication is linked to a 5% increase in mortality.  The ideal treatment for fever is rest and plenty of fluids.  Most progressive doctors will suggest treating a fever with medication if is sustained a 104 degrees or above.  An additional thought on fever is the worry of higher temperatures bringing on a seizure.  Medical theory says that the fever induced seizure is the end point of the fever.  Once a slight seizure occurs, typically the fever breaks and the illness is leaving the body.

Author

Dr J. Zimmerman, Chiropractor Dr. Zimmerman is a practicing chiropractor from Galloway, NJ with 30 years of chiropractic practice.