Fever in Children - A Blessing in Disguise

With all the buzz regarding H1N1 and the seasonal flu, parents everywhere are very concerned with the health of their children.

One of the most common symptoms recognized is the presence of a fever. So I thought it would be good to review what a fever means, when a fever is beneficial and when is it time to get further assistance.

For detailed information check out this article on Mercola.com. Dr. Mercola did a fantastic review of a majority of the information and I will add my two cents for where I feel some additional steps would be necessary.

Here are some of the highlights from the article.

- Fever is not a disease but rather a symptom of an illness. Fever is only one part of the picture of an illness. In fact, for children under eight years of age, and especially for infants, the severity of a fever is an unreliable indicator of the severity of the child's illness

-A basic fever, one due to minor bacterial or viral illness, can be an expression of the immune system working at its best.

-A mild fever increases the white blood cells that kill cells infected with viruses, fungi, and cancer, and improves the ability of certain white blood cells to destroy bacteria and infected cells. Fever also impairs the replication of many bacteria and viruses.

- If fever helps defend against infection, giving fever-reducing medications may make things worse. In addition, some fever medications can have undesirable side effects.

The only thing that I would add to this list is to make sure the child receives an adjustment. Making sure that the child's spine is moving properly to allow the nervous system to properly direct the immune system to fight whatever lead to the fever is of primary importance.