Fever is the most common of all symptoms. Contrary to popular opinion, fever is not a disease to be cured but only a symptom of a disease. The cause in most cases is probably an infection. When our bodies are infected by germs, our immunity system starts to fight the germs. The germs can be bacteria, virus or fungi. One fighting mechanism is to raise the temperature of the body, otherwise called fever. When the body's temperature raises, it stops the growth and multiplication of the germs. Fever also increases the production of White Blood Cells, also called the fighter cells. From the American Academy of Pediatrics, "Fever, however, is not the primary illness but is a physiologic mechanism that has beneficial effects in fighting infection.[1][2]"
Fever is defined as a condition when our body's temperature raises beyond the normal range of 97-99 F. For kids, the normal range is 98-100.4 F.It's not one fixed temperature of 98.6 F. The mechanism by which the body achieves this temperature is quite interesting.
Have you wondered why do we feel cold in the early days of fever? Its because our bodies withdraw heat and intentionally makes us shiver. The act of shivering is the one that increases our body's temperature. It is like setting a thermostat on your AC. The shivering will stop once the desired temperature is reached. The same way, when the infection is gone, to reduce our body's temperature,we would feel hot. The act of sweating cools our body and reduces the body's temperature back to its normal range.
I have seen folks intentionally sweat to get rid of fever, thinking fever is a disease to be cured and not just a symptom. Its like if we close our eyes, does the whole world go dark? Such acts forget that the germs are still present in our bodies and conscious sweating against works against our body. The body now has to raise its temperature all over again as the infection is still present.
The other symptoms that usually accompany fever are drowsiness and loss of appetite. Drowsiness makes us stay put, conserving our energy to fight the germs. Remember how the body conserves heat to make you shiver. It does that by constricting our blood vessels. The reduced blood flow as a result causes drowsiness. Same for loss of appetite. Suppose we get hungry and eat a big meal, all our energy will be re-directed to digesting the food and less resources are available to fight the infection. In that case, the infection keep growing inside our bodies. So, there's a reason for everything that our body does.
Have you ever people say that you don't look well even after you got rid of your fever with medicines? That's because all you are doing with treating fever is masking the symptom while you are still ill inside. When we take medicines like paracetamol to reduce fever, we are actually helping the germs grow and multiply quickly. The result being, the infection stays in our bodies longer and spreads more.Isn't better to rest for a couple of days and help the body get rid of the infection. This way, when you are back on your feet, you can function at your peak capability and get more things done. So, as and when possible , please put up with the discomfort of fever and do as your body tells you to. The body in turn will make you rich, health is wealth.
Sources
Comments