Fever treatments

A fever is a rise in internal body temperature to levels above normal. Average body temperature is about 98.6°F or 37°C, and temperatures above 100.4°F or 38°C are generally considered to be febrile.A fever is the body's natural reaction to something being wrong. The increase in body temperature is caused by the body fighting to return to a normal state. A fever is often accompanied by unpleasant symptoms such as headaches, muscle pain, chills, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

 

How is body temperature measured?

 Body temperature is measured using a thermometer. Readings are usually taken in the mouth, ear, anus, or arm, but the readings may not all be the same. Your body temperature will also change after eating, during periods of high activity levels, with different clothing, after smoking, in warm or cold rooms, at various points in the menstrual cycle, and depending on the time of day. Your temperature in the morning is often lower than during the day or in the evening.

• In adults, a temperature over about 100 F is considered a fever.
  
  
• In children over 6 months old, a temperature over 101 F generally needs treatment. It is important to consider how your child is acting when deciding the course of action for a fever. If the child is lethargic and eating or drinking poorly, you should treat the fever more aggressively than if the child is playful and active.
  
  
• In children 3 to 6 months old, a temperature over 101 degrees F requires a call to the pediatrician.
  
  
• In children 0 to 3 months old, a rectal temperature over 100.4 F requires a call to the pediatrician.

What causes fever?

There are several conditions, illnesses, and medicines that can cause fever. These include:

• Infections and infectious diseases such as influenza, common cold,HIV, malaria, infectious mononucleosis, and gastroenteritis. Infections are the most common cause of fever.
• Medicines such as antibiotics, narcotics, barbiturates, and antihistamines. These cause "drug fevers" due to adverse reactions, withdrawal, or by the drug's design.
• Trauma or injury such as a heart attack, stroke, heatstroke, heat exhaustion, or burns.
• Damage to tissue from hemolysis (breaking open of red blood cells to release hemoglobin), surgery, heart attack, crush syndrome, and hemorrhage.
• Other medical conditions such as skin inflammation, arthritis, hyperthyroidism, some cancers, lupus, inflammatory bowel disease, metabolic disorder, gout, and embolisms.

Fevers that exist for days or weeks with no explanation are called fevers of undetermined origin (FUO).

How to Treat Fever Naturally

• Make sure to drink lots and lots of water. Fevers can be hard on your body, and it's important to keep yourself properly hydrated. Try to drink more than your regular 8 glasses of water.Don't just drink water, also try to drink lots of fruit and vegetable juices, as well as herbal teas. They not only help hydrate, they offer some calories and vitamins to the body.Eating soup is an easy way to not only hydrate your body, but help give your body some nutrition. This is especially good for those that just don't feel like eating.
• Ask your loved one to give you a tepid sponge bath. This is mostly done when fever is slightly high. Just prepare a washcloth and basin. Fill the basin up with lukewarm water, dip the washcloth, wring it and then gently wipe around body surfaces. This will help freshen up the body and also brings down elevated body temperature.
• Use garlic to reduce fever. Prepare at least 2 to 3 large cloves of garlic, olive oil, gauze and plaster. Crush the cloves of garlic until it appears pasty. Then apply a little amount of olive oil on both feet to prevent garlic from irritating your skin. Evenly place the pasty garlic along the soles of both feet, position the gauze above it, and then keep it in place by covering it up with a plastic wrap. Do not cover the entire sole, to still allow heat to escape around that area. Leave the garlic pads on for a few hours or overnight. 
• Try drinking orange juice with or without pulp. This is an ideal liquid food for febrile individuals. Its flavor neutralizes the bitter taste of the mouth. It also provides energy and added resistance for the body to continue fighting existing infection and promotes urination which is beneficial in eliminating toxins.
• Apply the white vinegar treatment. In a mixing bowl, pour 5 cap fulls of white vinegar and mix it up with 2 cups of lukewarm water. Soak two wash cloths in the mixture, wring it, and wrap it around the lower legs. Keep it there for a few minutes to help lower an elevated temperature.
• The leaves of holy basil are one of the most effective of several home remedies in the treatment of common fever. A decoction made of about twelve grams of these leaves, boiled in half a litre of water, should be administered twice daily with half a cup of milk, one teaspoon of sugar and a quarter teaspoon of powdered cardamom .This will bring down the temperature.
• A cup of fresh juice of apricots mixed with one teaspoon of glucose or honey is a very cooling drink during fevers. It quenches the thirst and eliminates the waste products from the body. It tones up the eyes, stomach, liver, heart, and nerves by supplying vitamins and minerals.
• Another herb found beneficial in the treatment of fever is hog weed. It should be taken twice daily in the form of an infusion prepared by steeping 15 gm of the herb in 250 ml of water. It brings down temperature by inducing copious perspiration.