Manage instead of suppressing a fever

A fever is the body's perfect response to fighting infection.

Why is it that our society is so trigger happy to suppress that perfect response?

In a nutshell - fear.

Instead of taking the time, energy, and effort to educate parents on the judicious use of fever suppressing medication, it is a lot easier to make blanket statements about the dangers of febrile seizures if fevers are not treated immediately.

Here are 3 reasons to pause before automatically grabbing the pill bottle when dealing with a fever:

1. Fevers increase the amount of anti-viral and anti-cancer substances in the bloodstream.
2. Thirteen studies show that your child's risk of permanent damage from fever are not reduced by using anti-fever drugs, (ie. NyQuil, Tylenol, Ibuprofen, Motrin, etc.)
3. A fever creates an environment within the body that bacteria and viruses cannot survive.

I'm not saying don't ever use anti-fever drugs. Pharmaceuticals definitely have their time and place. They can be life-saving. What I am saying is don't always use them.

Now I would love to hear from you! What do you think about the use of anti-fever drugs? Leave a comment below and I'll be back next week with another edition of Doctor as Teacher Tuesday.