Got it? Good. I would have linked that, but as I mentioned before, I'm limited to my iPhone until Thak gets home in a week and fixes one or both of the computers we have... Or I commandeer his. Anyway, there is an article by Dr Tenpenny called "The Importance of Fever" that I think every parent should read. I don't know where logic and practice began to deviate when it comes to sickness and the management thereof, but it definitely did at some point.
There has been a nasty cold going around El Paso for about the past couple weeks. Erin had it earlier this week, Orren is just getting over it. Many other kids we know have had it. One of the things it comes with is a high fever. I've been getting calls, texts, and IM's all week from friends, asking me how to bring down a fever naturally.
My first question is always how high it is. If it's 103 or lower, I ask why they want to bring it down. Is it that the baby is uncomfortable and that even nursing doesn't help, or is it that they, the parent, are uncomfortable with the number on the thermometer? 9 times out of 10, it's the latter. In that case, I tell them that they should trust their instinct on it, but I wouldn't attempt to reduce it at all. I would give a massage with lavender essential oil to calm the baby, nurse them as much as possible, and let their immune system do its job.
Most importantly, I always remind them that the fever isn't the problem. The virus that caused it is. The only cure for the virus is the fever. That is the medicine . Medicating the fever only makes the virus, the real problem, stick around for longer. Certainly, there is a level at which fevers become dangerous, but it is incredibly rare to see this happen, and would almost certainly not happen in the context of a cold, no matter how nasty the cold is.
American parents somehow have learned to fear fevers in their kids, and it wouldn't surprise me if the pharmaceutical companies are behind this. Think about it. One fever-phobic mom may run through three bottles of Tylenol in a year, whereas a mom who does not fear fevers may not even buy the stuff ever. There is money to be made off parents who don't trust the immune system to do its job. There is no money to be made off parents who know that fevers are an important response of the immune system.
Basically, the idea is, before you fear the symptoms, think of what they are actually doing, and if that action is important. Then make a decision about medicating.
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