All About Fevers

I was 12 when I witnessed my 1-year-old brother seizing in his stroller and my mom with a panic trying to cool him down. That was one of the most terrifying things I had seen at that point in my life. A little helpless baby, his body just shaking, and I, a 12-year-old, didn’t know why or if he would be okay. After that, my mom mentioned it happening from a high fever. Now, that wasn’t the only scary experience I’ve had with sicknesses but that was one big one.

Now being a 27-year-old mom and still being new to taking care of a sick child and trying to do things the unconventional way, I wanted to learn all about fevers especially when my daughter had her first fever at 14 months.

So this is all I found out and needed to calm my nerves and have confidence that I can take care of her & that she will be okay.

So what are fevers?

The body’s immune response to an infection is to kill off that bad bacteria so our temperature rises. This is our body’s defense mechanism to those invaders. Can it harm us? Maybe but it is very rare and only at a very high temperature, According to chat GPT, “The threshold for potential brain damage is generally considered to be around 107.6°F (42°C) or higher.” If you’re like me, you probably think that the sickness or bug you caught gave you a fever, but nope that’s just your body protecting you and trying to heal you! We’re doing a disservice to our body when we try to bring down the fever with Tylenol or Ibuprofen. Of course, there are times when you need to give a fever reducer, like when a child is uncomfortable and can’t sleep!

Why do fevers get worse at night?

Our body has a stress hormone called cortisol – when this is elevated our immune system can’t function that well. Naturally, during the day, our cortisol levels are higher and when we lie down and sleep our cortisol levels go down therefore our immune system activates and our body goes to work fighting the infections, that’s why fevers go up at night. It’s also mentioned that our body temperature rises at night, although I didn’t research much more on that.

Check out this link to read about common Myths and the Facts about fevers

So what are Febrile Seizures?

They are convulsions that are triggered by a fever of varying degrees, although, according to the NIH, they can be triggered by a fever over 101 degrees(although there is mixed research). Typically not dangerous and only lasts a few minutes. Febrile seizures also only occur in 2-4% of children. We just want to make sure kids are safe and don’t get hurt during the seizure.

What herbs or unconventional medicine would I give my kid to help keep them comfortable?

• Peppermint- Essential oil diluted with carrier oil or lotion on the bottoms of feet provides cooling or tea (BF moms note that it may decrease milk supply).
• Chamomile tincture/tea – when breastfeeding, I drink tea to provide a calming effect.
• Lemon Balm also provides a calm & cooling effect – I drink in tea form.
• Garlic & ginger help inflammation and can be effective in combating colds and flu (I’ve given juice with some of these or in tincure form).
• Elderflower – promotes sweating & may help lower fever
• Licorice root enhances the effectiveness of herbs so you can look for a tea that has all of these.
• Catnip-calming properties (usually in tincture)
• Zinc – helps lessen the severity and possibly the length of illness/infection
• Vitamin C- boosts the immune system

Resources I recommend to keep on hand for Fevers and any other illness:

• Smart Medicine for a Healthier Child- Best book to have on hand!
• Feel Better Fast Tincture – Immune support & Fever help 
• Peppermint Oil
• Fast Asleep – Calming tincture
• Immune Tea
• Liquid Zinc
• Toddler Vitamin C
• Kids Mullein Garlic oil – Ear infections

 

Your Whole Mama,

Pam

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