Fever’s and Children

Is a fever a good thing or a bad thing? How high is “too high”? What do you do when your child gets a fever? Last Sunday my son came down with his second fever, getting up to 104-degrees on Sunday night. So, what is a parent to do? Well, most people grab Tylenol or something similar, give it to their child and bring down the fever. The drug works, the fever comes down, but then within a few hours, the fever is right back up there again. The frustrated parent gives more medicine to make the child feel better, and this cycle typically continues for a few days. Why? What is wrong?

What most people don’t understand is that a fever is a sign that the body is working properly, and should not be suppressed. Getting rid of the fever with medicine is just covering up the symptom, when in fact the fever is a really good sign that the body is working hard to kill off whatever is going on. With our son, he got lots of extra snuggle time, got adjusted, and went to sleep. He didn’t sleep great, as is expected when one is fighting something, and the fever was still there in the morning. On Monday I adjusted him again and he fell back asleep and slept until noon. When he woke up, the fever was gone on its own….about 24 hours after it started.

I do firmly believe that if I had given him any sort of medication to bring down the fever, it may have suppressed it temporarily, but the fever would have come right back, and wouldn’t have run its course. I am pretty sure that fever would have been around for longer than one day, as that is what I hear from parents all the time. Is 104 too high? Not in our mind, that is just a sign that his body was working hard to get rid of the problem. Luckily he has parents that are Chiropractors who can adjust him, removing nerve interference and help his body heal. I don’t know why I am constantly amazed at the power of the human body and its ability to heal itself, but there is no drug that is any smarter than the human body. The incredible intelligence within our body is what creates us, and what heals us. Healing does not need help from the outside. Healing comes from within.

The next time your child gets a fever think twice (or three times) about giving them medicine to bring it down. Anytime I tell that to a parent and explain to them what is going on, and they listen to me, they too are amazed at how fast their child’s fever goes away. Trust in your body’s ability to heal. Get adjusted. Remove interference from the nervous system, and let the body express optimal health.

(note: if the child is under 2-3 months old, medical attention should be sought).