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The American Academy of Pediatrics has “pulled an Al Gore”.
In similar amusing fashion to the former Vice President’s claim that he invented the Internet, researchers in the journal Pediatrics have recommended the “novel approach” of letting a fever run its course in otherwise healthy children. (1)
Evidently these doctors are suffering from an extreme case of memory loss or egomania as was the case for Mr. Gore. Either that or they made a practice of napping during their Medical History classes in Med School. More likely, these types of classes weren’t even offered at the request of the pharmaceutical companies donating copious amounts of cash to the particular institution they attended.
After all, we wouldn’t want newly minted doctors knowing anything about the history of effective, non-drug based remedies and treatments, would we?
While it may be claimed that this research is somehow “new” and goes against conventional wisdom, this is simply not so.
Au contraire. Prior to the advent of the American obsession with all things pharmaceutically produced which began to gather momentum in the 1970s, doctors routinely recommended against treating the fevers of healthy children. My own father, a retired MD who specialized in Family Practice, never brought down fevers in his own children nor did he suggest doing so to his patients even in cases where the fevers were rather high at 105F.
Why? Because doing so would prolong the illness, of course! Simple common sense medicine for normal, healthy children.
A fever is the primary mechanism for the immune system to fight off viruses and bacteria. Bringing it down handicaps this natural immune response prolongs the illness and more than likely induces a secondary infection that may require – you guessed it: a visit to the Doc to get a prescription for antibiotics.
Unfortunately, it seems that common sense is something that Pediatricians need a research study to finally embrace.
How to Keep a 24 Hour Bug From Turning into a 2 Week Ordeal
The wisdom of the “leave the fever alone” strategy was driven home to me once again just last week. One of my kids came home from school on Thursday afternoon with a bad headache. Since he rarely complains of anything like this, I figured he was trying to fight off some sort of virus.
Sure enough, within a couple of hours, he spiked a fever to 102-103F. This fever basically held (with a few brief dips to 99-100F after sipping a cup of homemade broth) for 24 hours. Did I treat it with Tylenol or ibuprofen?
No way! He had a big soccer tournament that very weekend and his best chance to still compete was to do nothing!
The fever and headache were the only symptoms he ended up having. They were both gone within 24 hours and he competed in the weekend tournament as planned. He played hard too and in the 88F heat. The kid bounced back fast because his natural immunity was left to operate as Nature intended with no meddling from vitality zapping over the counter meds.
I have no doubt that if I had panicked and brought that fever down justifying my actions in order “to help him get a good night’s sleep for the soccer tournament” that he would still be sick and probably have some sort of secondary infection in his lungs with a lot of mucus and coughing.
Letting the fever run its course is more important than a good night’s sleep for getting well, in my experience! If you absolutely must do something, use homeopathic cell salts or a fever bath to speed the process along.
I am so glad the value of fevers was impressed upon me at a young age. Don’t wait for your Pediatrician to wake up to common sense strategies before adopting them yourself.
References
(1) Fever and Antipyretic Use in Children
(2) Traditional Remedies for Childhood Illnesses
(3) Treating Fevers in Children
You really need to check your facts, Sarah. If you are not accurate in what you write about political issues, how can your readers trust you with the health advice you provide???? I would suggest you keep your TEA party views to yourself and keep your blog bi-partisan.
Hi Sara, I happen to be an Independent.
Thanks for clarifying. I still believe you need to check your facts before posting something as ridiculous as the Gore comment, though. It really makes you lose credibility with a lot of people (me included, and I have been a reader of yours for 9 months). Like I asked above, if we can’t trust you to check your facts on political issues, how can we trust you to provide good, sound advice on health and eating habits?
Wait, wait, wait.
Your telling her to get her facts straight and you distrust her advice because of it. Then you do not get the facts yourself, incorrectly label her a tea party member and sweep it under the rug? Oh. the. irony.
Furthermore, I take advice from people of all different political views. Some think Al Gore is a nut. Some think he is a hero. I don’t let it judge their wisdom on heatlh. As it has nothing to do with it. Just a suggestion.
Also, just because this is obvious & needs to be pointed out….her blog, her house. You don’t have to like it but tossing a fit on the floor telling people how to act in their own house is a bit full of oneself. Ever heard of just applying what you feel is worthy and moving right along?
Michele, I suggest you take your own advice. Who is throwing the fit on the floor here?
We’d all probably be friends if we met at a party or something, right? We can just give each other the benefit of the doubt. We’ve got much bigger fish to fry with GM foods and our friendly FDA breathing down our necks at our every move in the local food movement. 🙂
What great timing! Just last week my kids dealt with a fever bug. For my 9 month old, I panicked, and gave him the usual rounds of ibuprofen and acetaminophen. For my almost 6 year old, I did nothing. The 9 month old was sick with high fevers for about 4 days, then low fevers for another 2 or 3 days. The 6 year old was fine in 2 days. Originally, I figured the difference was due to the age difference; but, after a visit to the ped., it turns out I should have left the fever alone in my 9 month old, as well…this according to the ped. He said the medicine is good for making people feel better, but not to be afraid of high fevers…they don’t really cause brain damage…that’s a myth. If I had let the bug run its course, my 9 month old would not have suffered so many extra days. Challenge for next time….Do I medicate and make the baby feel better, but cause the sickness to last much longer, or do I resist and watch him suffer, knowing it will pass quickly?
hey Sarah…… just curious I note your kids go to school but you do not vaccinate is it not a requirement at their schools or in your area?
Most states have either a religious or philosophical exemption form as a way to opt out of vaccines and still have children attend school. My state is no exception.
wow that seems to put a lot of kids in danger.
Vaccinated children are not put in danger by unvaccinated children. Conversely, unvaccinated children aren’t put in danger by vaccinated children!! Vaccinated children don’t carry diseases, and neither do unvaccinated children!
absolutely they do. herd immunity should be reserved for those kids who can’t get the vaccines do to medical reasons
There is alot to learn about vaccines, before deciding they are so beneficial and risk free.
The truth is not sponsored for dissemination by the major media or your local md.
http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/vaccines.htm
Barb, herd immunity is a myth as used by vaccine manufacturers. It ONLY applies in unvaccinated populations that develop resistance to a virus naturally. I posted a blog about this very topic awhile back:
https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/2010/01/if-you-are-in-support-of-vaccinations/
But if they are vaccinated Barb then why you worried?
I’ve always hated taking medicine. I think when I was little, the doctors told my folks to just strip us down to diapers if we had a fever. I’ve used cool cloths for my kids and tepid baths. I guess I always figured, the body does things for a reason, why inhibit the natural process? I’ve used less and less medicine as the kids get older and I learned more, and they have had fewer and shorter illnesses. Of course I have added in FCLO and raw milk and probiotics. The other thing to consider about those rotten kids’ medicines is that they are full of artificial colors, flavors and sugars, corn syrup or sugar substitutes as the case may be. Those ingredients do much more harm than good to my eldest. I’ve been trying to fill in my natural first aid options in case something comes up that truly needs treating.
I agree with you 100%! I do have a question though…in the past, whenever my children had been ill, I would give acetaminophen if they seemed terribly uncomfortable. Not necessarily to lower the temp. (My reasoning is, that I would take it myself if I felt the way they seemed to feel). Anyway…maybe this is a topic for another post, but what kind of natural remedies could you use alternatively to help them feel more comfortable?
Hi Becky, if you click the first source listed above in this post, it is an article for Wise Traditions Journal on a talk I gave on Traditional Childhood Remedies which covers this pretty well. Hope that helps.
Sarah, did you write that excellent article? I don’t believe it credits you. It just lists the webmaster Jill.
Hi Beth, you mean the article on Traditional Remedies for Childhood Illness that I sourced? It is actually a transcript of a talk I gave at the Wise Traditions Conference 2007 so yes, I guess in a way I “wrote” it! 🙂
Yes, that article. Perhaps they could be asked to credit it?
That’s probably a good idea. I will email Jill and ask her to add that.
Never treated a fever, never had one that lasted longer than 24 hours. Ever. The kids bounce back SO fast. And my younger one, that’s often his only, or one of his only symptoms (last time it was fever + lack of appetite, and that was “flu” for him). I posted on this last week because so many parents are confused!
The body is an amazing machine that is built to survive. It’s amazing what it’s capable of when you allow it to do it’s function and not upset it with toxins and chemicals.
My 20 month old son has only had one fever. It began when he was sleeping over at his grandparents, my in-laws, house. At midnight I got a frantic call from my mother-in-law because he was “burning up” and she had no baby thermometers or baby medicine. I talked her out of going to the drug store and instead went and picked my child up. As soon as I got there I stripped him down to his diaper to make him more comfortable. Then we drove home where we spent the night alternating between tepid baths and nursing (he was still exclusively nursing). By noon the next day his fever broke. Judging by his diapers the next couple of days I’d say he was reacting to something he ate.
My mother-in-law was shocked that I didn’t give him medicine or call the doctor. I didn’t need to. I remember clearly my pediatrician, a man so healthy he was still at the top of his game in his late 80s and a firm believer in true health, saying not to give medicine for fevers under 104. I remember clearly the baths, broth and running around nearly naked that were my medicine growing up. My mother-in-law was also shocked by how quickly he recovered. As a kindergarten teacher she is surrounded by sick kids and mainstream medicine. A 12 hour bug doesn’t exist in her daily life. Needless to say the one time he had the sniffles, while everyone else was incapacitated with the flu, we didn’t take him to the doctor as she suggested. Two days and the sniffles disappeared without ever bothering the little guy.
If only my pediatrician hadn’t been killed by a drunk driver. He’d probably still be alive and dispensing great advice at the age of 105. They make very few great country doctors these days.
When I see a right-wing meme so gratuitously used like this, I have to speak up. Repeating something often enough does not make it true. Check your facts. Gore never said he invented the Internet but that he was instrumental as a policy maker in ensuring its development. Ironically, your blog would have been impossible without the role he played.
So very true!
For all interested, here is a link that shows Al Gore’s quote:
http://www.snopes.com/quotes/internet.asp
It says that “I took the initiative in creating the internet.” Yes, he clarified that in the next sentence, and yes he did a lot to move it forward. But the guffaw still stands. Sarah did not say that Gore said that he invented the internet. She said that he has a very big ego problem. So let’s not compound the situation by quoting Sarah incorrectly.
Sarah said exactly this: “In similar amusing fashion to the former Vice President’s claim that he invented the Internet”
I don’t think Sarah is being misquoted.
I actually got a fever this WInter as well, but treated it by taking echinacea tea twice a day until the fever was gone. It was gone within two days. So is it interfering with natural processes to use a natural remedy to bring down a fever?
Its amazing how brainwashed people are by the medical establishment to treat every ill with a drug. Its the same flawed reasoning that believes “only a chemical can cure,” which is absurd. We need to quit living in fear of infectious disease.