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The American Academy of Pediatrics has “pulled an Al Gore”.
In similar amusing fashion to the former Vice President’s claim that he invented the Internet, researchers in the journal Pediatrics have recommended the “novel approach” of letting a fever run its course in otherwise healthy children. (1)
Evidently these doctors are suffering from an extreme case of memory loss or egomania as was the case for Mr. Gore. Either that or they made a practice of napping during their Medical History classes in Med School. More likely, these types of classes weren’t even offered at the request of the pharmaceutical companies donating copious amounts of cash to the particular institution they attended.
After all, we wouldn’t want newly minted doctors knowing anything about the history of effective, non-drug based remedies and treatments, would we?
While it may be claimed that this research is somehow “new” and goes against conventional wisdom, this is simply not so.
Au contraire. Prior to the advent of the American obsession with all things pharmaceutically produced which began to gather momentum in the 1970s, doctors routinely recommended against treating the fevers of healthy children. My own father, a retired MD who specialized in Family Practice, never brought down fevers in his own children nor did he suggest doing so to his patients even in cases where the fevers were rather high at 105F.
Why? Because doing so would prolong the illness, of course! Simple common sense medicine for normal, healthy children.
A fever is the primary mechanism for the immune system to fight off viruses and bacteria. Bringing it down handicaps this natural immune response prolongs the illness and more than likely induces a secondary infection that may require – you guessed it: a visit to the Doc to get a prescription for antibiotics.
Unfortunately, it seems that common sense is something that Pediatricians need a research study to finally embrace.
How to Keep a 24 Hour Bug From Turning into a 2 Week Ordeal
The wisdom of the “leave the fever alone” strategy was driven home to me once again just last week. One of my kids came home from school on Thursday afternoon with a bad headache. Since he rarely complains of anything like this, I figured he was trying to fight off some sort of virus.
Sure enough, within a couple of hours, he spiked a fever to 102-103F. This fever basically held (with a few brief dips to 99-100F after sipping a cup of homemade broth) for 24 hours. Did I treat it with Tylenol or ibuprofen?
No way! He had a big soccer tournament that very weekend and his best chance to still compete was to do nothing!
The fever and headache were the only symptoms he ended up having. They were both gone within 24 hours and he competed in the weekend tournament as planned. He played hard too and in the 88F heat. The kid bounced back fast because his natural immunity was left to operate as Nature intended with no meddling from vitality zapping over the counter meds.
I have no doubt that if I had panicked and brought that fever down justifying my actions in order “to help him get a good night’s sleep for the soccer tournament” that he would still be sick and probably have some sort of secondary infection in his lungs with a lot of mucus and coughing.
Letting the fever run its course is more important than a good night’s sleep for getting well, in my experience! If you absolutely must do something, use homeopathic cell salts or a fever bath to speed the process along.
I am so glad the value of fevers was impressed upon me at a young age. Don’t wait for your Pediatrician to wake up to common sense strategies before adopting them yourself.
References
(1) Fever and Antipyretic Use in Children
(2) Traditional Remedies for Childhood Illnesses
(3) Treating Fevers in Children
It’s hard when old wisdom is not common knowledge anymore and when faced with a scary illness we tend to run for the magic cure or to the doctors rather then trusting our own body to heal itself.
Last year both our daughters came down with high fevers, our eldest was near 105 we freaked out and gave her the fever reducers wondering how high is too high? She stayed sicker longer and did end up on antibiotics. Our other daughter, we didn’t interfere as much and she got better quicker. I think there was a difference also because our younger daughter stayed hydrated.
It’s hard as a parent when old wisdom is not common knowledge anymore and when faced with the scary illnesses we tend to run for the magic cure or to the doctors rather then trusting your own body to heal itself.
I personally ran a fever between 102.5 and 105F for several days a couple of years ago when I had a knee infection. Never brought it down and never had a problem with it. I was of course very careful to make sure I was taking in calories during it to keep blood sugar steady. The doctor said he has rarely seen an adult run a fever that high. I love high fevers .. great sign of a very strong immune system and vitality of the body. Very sick folks rarely have the strength to spike a fever … I’ve read that many cancer patients when diagnosed haven’t had a fever in years. Fevers are very detoxifying to the body.
I have never medicated for a fever in my kids’ 12 combined years either.
Depends on the child and the situation. But overall, it is a good rule of thumb in my opinion.
Dr. Tenpenny says that fevers aren’t dangerous until 107.6. My kids have had fevers around 104 before and it was uncomfortable and a rough night (fitful sleep) but we stayed with them and they did just fine. None of my kids have ever had a fever that lasted longer than 24 hours…it’s not uncommon for them to last under an hour. I’ve never treated a fever, either.
There are ways to treat pain and discomfort without medication. My 3-year-old had a bad headache and low fever this afternoon — headache bad enough to vomit once. I used topical magnesium oil on him because we use magnesium faster when we are ill and deficiency can also cause headaches and muscle aches. It was over in an hour but had it continued I would have put him in a warm bath, tried some massage, possibly some herbal tea, things like this. I have lots of tools in my arsenal to treat illnesses that don’t involve interfering with the body’s natural defenses.
My mom is the pushy one with the drugs! She insists everything warrants some medicine and a trip to the doctor. Medicine is a last resort for me, as are doctors. And I’m alive and well, not to mention healthier than pretty much everyone I know! So why in the world would I do anything different for my daughter? She is the healthiest kid around.
I’d like to add, though, that it’s imperative that kids eat a healthy, clean diet and get adequate exercise. The unhealthy kids who are nutrient/vitamin deficient from surviving on diets of Cheetos, sodas, and McDonald’s, and who only exercise their thumbs while playing video games, aren’t going to recover so quickly from an illness. In order for am immune system to do its job, it needs to be strong enough to do so.
Hi Sarah,
Very useful info. My little 16 month old has just come down with a cold. How do I continue giving her fruit juices (with a high fever) at night when she’s sleeping? Also, can I just juice some fruit instead of buying juice at the store? Do I still need to dilute it 50/50?
Thank you:)
My son had 3 febrile seizures. He even now has a hard time regulating body temperature. Medication did not eliminate his fever, but brought it to a level where he could regulate without seizing. I don’t think this article is good advice for everyone.
The same with my daughter. I absolutely have to medicate for fevers. Does your son still get high fevers?