Fever
From Wiki4CAM
Fever, hyperthermia or pyrexia is abonormally high temperature of the body. The average oral temperature is 98.6° Fahrenheit, however there may be variation in one's body temperature depending upon the physical activity, strong emotion, eating, clothing, medications, room temperature, and humidity. The variation is more in children.[citation needed] Fever is not an illness, but a sign of something is unusually going on in the body. Generalized fever may be a sign of an immune system at work, which usually indicates an infection. Though a fever is technically any body temperature above the normal of 98.6° Fahrenheit (37 degrees Centigrade), practically it is considered when the temperature is above 100.4 degrees F (38 degrees C.). Fever is not necessarily bad.[citation needed] It seems to play a key role in helping the body fight off a number of infections. Fever activates the body's immune system to make more white blood cells, antibodies, and other infection-fighting agents. Usually it is not dangerous unless it measures 103 F or higher. But in very young children and infants even slightly elevated temperatures may indicate a serious infection. Fever can occur with many different conditions. Many a times signs and symptoms of fever help identify the cause of the fever. Most fevers resolve within a few days. Since fever medications may have side effects, especially in infants and children, they are to be avoided. [1] Unexplained fevers that continue for days or weeks are called fevers of undetermined origin (FUO).[2]
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Causes
Infections are the most common causes of fevers. But there is a long list of other causes, which includes acute bronchitis, AIDS and HIV infection, autoimmune disorders, cancer, colds or flu-like illnesses, collagen vascular disease, rheumatoid diseases, ear infections, Hodgkin's disease, infectious mononucleosis, inflammatory bowel disease, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, leukemia, medications (such as antibiotics, antihistamines, barbiturates, and drugs for high blood pressure), neuroblastoma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, pneumonia, appendicitis, tuberculosis, and meningitis, periarteritis nodosa, regional enteritis, sore throats, strep throat, systemic lupus erythematosus, ulcerative colitis, upper respiratory infections (such as tonsillitis, pharyngitis or laryngitis), urinary tract infections, viral and bacterial infections, viral gastroenteritis or bacterial gastroenteritis.[2]
Mechanism
Body temperature is set by the hypothalamus, which is situated at the base of the brain. It acts as a thermostat for the whole system. When something's wrong, the normal temperature is simply set a few points higher. The feeling of chilliness and shivering may start when the body tries to elevate its temperature. This phenomena is to generate heat. Profuse sweating may be felt when the temperature begins to return to normal. This mechanism helps to dissipate the excess heat.[3]
Symptoms
Apart from the high temperature, symptoms like sweating, shivering, headache, muscle aches, lack of appetite, dehydration and general weakness may present, depending upon the cause of the fever. Very high fevers between the temperatures 103° and 106°F may produce hallucinations, confusion, irritability and convulsions.
Antibiotics for fever
Since most fever can resolve itself, the use of antibiotics has seriously been questioned. Fever medications have a nature of bearing side effects.[1] A study of the course of high fever with 955 children under 3 found there was virtually no difference in fever outcome in antibiotic-treated children when compared with those given the placebo.[4]
CAM therapies for fever
Acupuncture and acupressure
Ayurveda
Herbal remedies
Though it is not to be suppressed the fevers, few natural fever-controlling remedies can be used in case of high fever and uncomfortable or unbearable situations. German chamomile oil or tea oil can be used for this purpose. One drop of either oil can be added to hot water and consumed every three hours. Acidophilus mixed in water is also helpful. A tea made from 2 parts of bonset, 2 parts of yarrow and 1 part of echinacea can also be consumed hot every two hours.[5]
Homeopathy
Following homeopathic remedies are helpful in fever.
Aconitum napellus: Frequent chilliness, redness of the face, great heat, outward pressing headache are the key symptoms. There may be anxiety and restlessness. Dry skin, violent thirst, full bounding frequent pulse and better by sweating are other symptoms. If it is brought on by exposure to dry cold winds or chilling of the body after overheating, especially when warm and sweaty it is well indicated. It suits the young and robust and has no relation to the weak and sickly. The never failing characteristics of mental anguish must be present. The attack of fever often terminates with a critical sweat.
Veratrum viride: Arterial excitement and fever without anxiety are the key symptoms.
Gelsemium sempervirens: It is for dull, stupid, apathetic conditions. The patient is dizzy and drowsy, the chill is partial; there is a full flowing pulse with an element of weakness in it. It corresponds especially to remittent types of fever and to fevers brought on by warm, relaxing weather. The fever is accompanied by languor, muscular weakness and a desire for absolute rest and is unaccompanied by thirst.
Ferrum phosphoricum: This remedy stands midway between Aconite and Gelsemium in febrile conditions, and it may be differentiated from its neighbors by the pulse, which, under Aconite, is full and bounding and under Gelsemium soft and flowing, and by the mental symptoms, Aconite being marked by anxiety and Gelsemium by drowsiness and dullness.
Baptisia tinctoria: Gastric fever will never run into typhoid if treated with this remedy.
Pulsatilla pratensis: Thirstless fever, hot head, dry lips and chilliness all over, especially in the evening. Chilliness predominates with the remedy, there being but little heat.
Sulphur: An excellent fever remedy, it comes in after Aconite when the skin is dry and hot and there is no sweat; the fever seems to burn the patient up, the tongue is dry and red and the patient at first is sleepless and restless, but soon becomes drowsy. There are no blood changes; it is a chronic Aconite or a passive Aconite, holding the same relation to the veins that Aconite does to the arteries.
Belladonna: This remedy is marked by erethism, violent delirium, headache, throbbing carotids and cerebral symptoms. Eyes red and glistening; the skin is hot and burning; the heat seems to steam out from the body; it may be followed by a profuse sweat which brings no relief. General dry heat with chills, little or no thirst, in fact, the patient may have a dread of water, cool extremities and throbbing headache. The fever is worse at night.
Nux vomica: The Nux vomica fever is characterized by great heat; the whole body is burning hot, the face is especially red and hot, yet the patient feels chilly when uncovering.
Bryonia alba: Suits especially a quiet form of fever; true, the patient may be restless and toss about, but is always made worse thereby. There is intense headache, dull stupefying with a sensation as if the head would burst at the temples; sharp pains over the eyes, faintness on rising up, dry mouth and a tongue coated white in the middle. Cold, chilly sensations predominate in fevers calling for Bryonia, and there is much thirst for large drinks of water at rather infrequent intervals. The fever of Bryonia is unmarked by the violence, acuteness and general storm of Aconite or the decomposition and great debility of the acids. It is neither synochal nor so markedly asthenic in character, it is between the two and is dependent upon local affections, state of stomach, liver, chest, etc.
Rhus toxicodendron: A form of catarrhal fever, so-called, which is met with frequently calls for Rhus more than for any other remedy. It commences with weakness of the whole body with desire to lie down, soreness or bruised sensations in the limbs, aching of limbs and bones, great pain in back, restlessness, worse when lying still, sickness at the stomach, loss of appetite, repugnance for food, great thirst, dry tongue and mouth. It is useful on that borderland where febrile cases merge into a typhoid condition.
Mercurius solubilis: Here the fever is characterized by weariness, prostration and trembling. It is a slow, lingering fever, generally a gastric or a bilious, remittent fever. It is characterized by the following combination of symptoms which no other drug has : Profuse salivation, dry throat and great thirst for cold water.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Fever-Definition
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia-Fever
- ↑ Fever-Causes
- ↑ Jaffe DM, High fever: is early antibiotic treatment useful?, New England Journal of Medicine, 1987
- ↑ Michael A. Schmidt et al., Beyond Antibiotics, North Atlantic Books, California
