not bringing down babies fever

amother

Thu, Nov 20 2014, 7:24 am

Hi,
My husband believes that fever is good for the body. its an indication that body is fighting something and there is no need to bring it down.
Does anybody else know the pros and cons about bringing down a babys fever (7 months)

MaBelleVie

Thu, Nov 20 2014, 7:45 am

My pediatrician recommends leaving fever alone unless it is dangerously high (this varies by age) or it is making the child lethargic/ very uncomfortable/ unwilling to eat or drink.

Pineapple

Thu, Nov 20 2014, 8:00 am

amother wrote:

How high is the fever?

Pineapple

Thu, Nov 20 2014, 8:07 am

amother wrote:

101

If he's not kevtchibg/ acting like himself then leave it alone

Keep an eye out and check his temp every coup l w hours if it goes over 102 give him e something otherwise let the body fight what ever it is fighting

Last edited by Pineapple on Thu, Nov 20 2014, 8:07 am; edited 1 time in total

m in Israel

Thu, Nov 20 2014, 8:07 am

MaBelleVie wrote:

My pediatrician recommends leaving fever alone unless it is dangerously high (this varies by age) or it is making the child lethargic/ very uncomfortable/ unwilling to eat or drink.

Same here BUT not for babies under 1 year. He said in babies under a year the fever can rise to dangerous levels very quickly.

So I don't give Tylenol, etc. to my older kids unless they are really uncomfortable (really can't sleep, etc.), but for a 7 month old I would give it.

smss

Thu, Nov 20 2014, 10:32 am

amother wrote:

it's more than an indication- it IS the fight. just like you sterilize bottles by boiling them. the fever burns up the infection in the body. when you lower a fever, typically the illness lasts longer.

amother

Thu, Nov 20 2014, 11:24 am

It's the body's way of fighting the infection. It would be best to help the body fight by giving immune boosting vitamins and herbs like vitamin C, echinacea, elderberry, teas etc instead of quickly jumping in with tylenol and fighting the fever like it's the enemy. It's not. It's the body's message that there's something there that they're fighting. I think it's a huge gift from Hashem.
Over 102 for a young baby could be dangerous so then you should try to lower it. But otherwise really try to support your body.

amother

Thu, Nov 20 2014, 12:57 pm

amother wrote:

please do not give echinacea and herbal teas to your 7 month old baby to help him/her fight the fever!!

chani8

Thu, Nov 20 2014, 1:26 pm

A baby doesn't get a fever for nothing. What other symptoms are there?

I give fever reducer mostly for the pain relief. How can I just let my baby suffer?

The fever isn't curing anything, it's a symptom of distress. That's what I always thought, anyway.

Give me a google link to prove that a fever is useful and not a just a symptom.

MaBelleVie

Thu, Nov 20 2014, 1:31 pm

chani8 wrote:

http://www.medicalnewstoday.co.....6.php

That was the first thing that came up when I searched "what is fever"

Ruchel

Thu, Nov 20 2014, 1:31 pm

I think high temp helps killing bugs.
But practically, for me, it just exhausts ME and the times I didn't have meds it was much longer, much harder to recover from, and very painful.

m in Israel

Thu, Nov 20 2014, 1:33 pm

chani8 wrote:

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medline.....0.htm

The paragraph in the above article addressing your question states

Quote:

Fever is an important part of the body's defense against infection. Most bacteria and viruses that cause infections in people thrive best at 98.6 °F. Many infants and children develop high fevers with minor viral illnesses. Although a fever signals that a battle might be going on in the body, the fever is fighting for the person, not against.

chani8

Thu, Nov 20 2014, 1:41 pm

But then that article goes on to explain how to lower the fever. Why lower it at all, if it's supposedly 'working for you'?

How does it work?

MaBelleVie

Thu, Nov 20 2014, 1:43 pm

chani8 wrote:

But then that article goes on to explain how to lower the fever. Why lower it at all, if it's supposedly 'working for you'?

How does it work?

If it is too high is can be dangerous. Ideally fever should be maintained at a temp higher than usual but not so high as to be dangerous, when fighting illness.

m in Israel

Thu, Nov 20 2014, 1:44 pm

Another site quoting some scientific research addressing this same point:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/re.....0.htm

Additionally, when you are dealing with older kids, a fever generally makes them feel more lethargic, which is a good thing as they are more likely to rest and allow the body to recover. When you bring down the fever and they feel better, they are more likely to run around because they feel fine, even though the fever reducers haven't done anything to fight the illness and their body really still needs the rest.

chani8

Thu, Nov 20 2014, 1:47 pm

m in Israel wrote:

That link was perfectly helpful. Thank you!

Thank you all for teaching me something new today! Smile

m in Israel

Thu, Nov 20 2014, 1:47 pm

chani8 wrote:

But then that article goes on to explain how to lower the fever. Why lower it at all, if it's supposedly 'working for you'?

How does it work?

The NIH article says that

"if the fever is mild and you have no other problems, you do not need treatment. Drink fluids and rest."

BUT "Take steps to lower a fever if you or your child is uncomfortable, vomiting, dried out (dehydrated), or not sleeping well. Remember, the goal is to lower, not eliminate, the fever."

IOW, if the child is very uncomfortable, or at risk of other complications (such as dehydration from not drinking), or if the fever is at risk of going too high, then it would be appropriate to try to lower it.