Today I’m going to talk about fevers, but first, story time!
So last week (which is a couple weeks ago now, but when I wrote this it was last week - I'm an over-achiever and like to have about three or four topics written about before I post them!) Harlee caught a bug.
He’s been playing around a lot of other kids lately, and, well, ‘tis the
season to catch and share bugs. He was
down and out with a fever for almost three days. It started on a Monday, around 99.7ish, but
he was playing and eating and I chalked it up to teething. Until late afternoon and he petered out and
all he wanted to do was lay around. Not
really his nature… The next day was the
same – not interested in eating, just wanted to sleep all day. Poor guy :(. He reached 101.4 or so, and with a little help
from homeopathic Ferrum Phos. his fever dropped back down to the 99 range. But by evening he hit 102.8 in the armpit and
was roasting. I was constantly texting
my friend who’s also knowledgeable about a pro-natural lifestyle (it’s nice to have
someone you trust for feedback and a sounding board – when it’s your own kid
that’s having the trouble you’re not actually in the best frame of mind for
decision-making… I’m not, anyway!). And
we broke the seal on the fever-reducer medicine and gave Harlee a drug for the
first time… I of course stuck with
natural remedies as well – following my friend’s advice (which also helped jog
my memory) of applying lavender oil to his feet, which can help bring down a
fever as it has a naturally cooling effect on the body, and I diffused Thieves
oil in the air. I also kept up the
Ferrum Phos. I didn’t get much sleep
that night, constantly checking on him… fortunately his fever went back down to
the lower end of 101, but the next morning it was up again.
So, let me explain a little something about fevers. They’re a good thing. They make us parents freak out a little bit,
but they’re a good thing. 98.6 degrees
is the standard normal body temperature, as I hope you all know, but fevers up to
100.4 in a 3 month old or up to 102.2 up to 3 years old isn’t really anything
to worry about (obviously keep an eye on it, and do check with your doctor for
added comfort) as it’s your body’s way of fighting bacterial infections
(bacteria can’t live in such high heat).
Administering fever-reducing medications, which prevent your body from
producing antibodies, can actually drag on the infection up to 50% longer than
it should have been there in the first place.
So don’t rush to the drug store so quickly if the fever is low-grade! The body knows what it’s doing! Resting and drinking plenty of liquids is the
best thing for you when experiencing a fever, for any age! Avoiding sugar is good too, as sugar can
suppress the immune system.
Some natural fever-reducing tips, aside from Lavender oil, as I
mentioned above, and Ferrum Phos (also mentioned above) are as follows:
Peppermint oil
applied to the soles of the feet or sprayed on the back of the neck, as it has
a cooling effect on the body like lavender.
Other
oils that have a cooling effect on the body are chamomile, eucalyptus,
basil, and bergamot.
Some homeopathic remedies include Aconite, Belladonna, and Ferrum Phos,
all found in Hyland’s
Homeopathy Kid’s Kid. Aconite is
best if some of your symptoms or traits include anxiety, restlessness, fear, or
a sudden onset of a fever that includes hot, dry, flushed skin. Belladonna may be useful if symptoms are
violent like thrashing or tossing, restless, also sleepy but can’t sleep, and
the fever includes flushed, hot dry skin and red face. Ferrum Phosphoricum (or Ferrum Phos) is good
for early stages of an illness and for fever with a gradual onset, pale skin
with rosy cheeks, and can include cough or earache or sore throat. This seemed like the best match for Harlee,
and did help for awhile as I mentioned above.
Some herbs that are helpful include lemon balm leaf, chamomile flower, peppermint leaf, licorice root, and elderflower, which can be brewed into a tea, but that’s recommended for children that are
over 2 years old. A green tea supplement
is great too, as green tea includes L-theanine and epigallocatechin gallate
(EGCG), which are excellent immune system boosters and thus fever reducers.
Trying a lukewarm bath might also be beneficial, making the water about
two degrees cooler than your child’s (or your own) body. Constantly keep water flowing over the skin,
either by sponging it on or pouring it, but if shivering begins then get out
and get under the covers!
Don’t keep too many clothes on either, as they just trap the heat
inside and can cause the fever to rise even higher. Cover up with just a sheet, too, and maybe
turn down the room’s temperature a few degrees cooler.
Some weird tips – slice potatoes or onions, place on the bottoms of the
feet and secure with socks, and keep them there overnight. I actually tried the potato thing… I can’t
say I saw any results, but I’ve read that some people swear by this
method! Certainly doesn’t hurt to try it
though! If any of you reading this try that or have tried it, post about it and let me know!
I know I don’t care for doctors, but in the case of fevers sometimes
you don’t want to mess around, as too high of a fever can cause febrile
seizures or brain damage (usually above 106 degrees F). If the fever is hovering in the safe zone,
though, try some of these tips before rushing to use something you got from the
drug store. Like I said, that usually
causes more harm than good! And, if the
fever is low-grade, just let it be. It’s
just the body’s natural defense mechanism kicking into action to fight off an
infection, and allowing the body to do its job is the best thing for it! Just drink water and sleep :).
When we woke up the next morning to find that Harlee’s fever wasn’t
going anywhere, and still hovering in the upper part of 102 degrees, the first
thing I did was call a chiropractor in Waterloo who specializes in children and
babies and scheduled him in with her, and the second thing I did was call his
pediatrician to get him in right after the chiropractor.
Wait, why in the heck would I call a chiropractor before a doctor??
Ah, hold tight until the next post, and I’ll tell you about the wonders
of chiropractic care :). It’s a great
story. And Harlee is doing better than
before now!
Information taken from
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