Fever - to be feared or revered?

The topic of fever can be a touchy one. You know those parents who automatically grab for the Tylenol or Motrin at the slightest hint of fever? Yeah, I kinda was that parent. But then quite honestly Autism changed that. Just as Autism changed my outlook on health and wellness in general. I no longer grab for a fever reducer, it has been years since either of my children have had them. Fevers should be respected and treated only when necessary in my opinion. And my children have no history of seizures so let's get that on the table. There are circumstances where treating a fever is appropriate but for most of us, the best course is to let it do its job. That's right, fever is a defense mechanism to make the host (your child) less hospitable to a bug. It is one of the earliest defenses until the immune system is fully developed. And really the number on the thermometer is less of a worry (or should be) when in reality it is how fast the fever gets from zero to 60 that is the issue. Fast rising fevers are typically the ones that cause concern. I just recently posted this article on the New Beginnings Facebook page.

Our school is seeing kiddos dropping like flies (like most around the country I am sure). In our school we are seeing headache, sore throat and fever. So when my daughter was less than her normal energetic self yesterday I knew something was up. She just wanted to lay on the couch. All day. She even napped a couple of times. When I took her temp out of curiosity, sure enough it was elevated. Good. Her body is doing what it needs to. A few doses of elderberry, extra D3, a few drops of garlic, a few chewable vitamin C's, a couple of homemade cough drops that I blogged about last year (click here for that blog) and some rest was on tap. She had just a slight cough but every time I asked her she said she felt fine. I vary my treatment options based on what's going on and frankly my intuition. If you watch your child and understand how the body responds to illness you can figure out the best treatment. So what I did above is what I needed for THIS round.

When she woke up this morning she had just a slight sore throat. A day home from school and more rest is on tap. My son also woke with a slight fever but nothing more (he was a tad grouchy and out of it this weekend which could have been my cue something was brewing). Both fevers have dropped already so as long as they don't spike again today they will be 24 hour fever free and will go back to school tomorrow. More immune boosting treatment like elderberry tea with some cherry bark for throat support, supplements and homemade soup will carry us through today. I will probably pull out the essential oils like black cumin (add to their tea) and put some thyme oil topically on their throat as a rub and do some internal cajeput for any sore throat issues and then we'll go from there. I believe that the body does have the capability to heal, give it some support, don't shut it down with synthetic drugs that actually block healing and just suppress symptoms, nourish it with good, healthy foods and make sure rest and water is in abundance. We CAN get through cold and flu season calmly, without the fear and hype and with minimal pain and suffering! ;) Be well!