Why I Don’t Reduce My Child’s Fever with Pain Relief Drugs.

Holy shit and dicksauce on toast I just saw a thread in a parents forum where a mum was flipping her shit about her child having a fever and everyone was recommending Panadol & Nurofen (no surprise really) and then one person said give Panadol & Nurofen same time and rush to hospital. Um, seriously?????

FUCKKKKKKKKKKK!

Anyone else wanting to throw their computer out the window reading this? I mean I don’t blame them, we are fed this shit from everywhere, Drs, those pesky advertisements making sure we know that to be a good mum we need to have the pain relief meds on hand at all times. Education is seriously lacking in this area but the fucked thing is this is DAMAGING OUR KIDS!!!! 

And the really scary thing is this information is coming right from the top. this isn’t me just being a raving lunatic harping on about nasty big pharma, because actually, in acute situations , I am deeply thankful for modern medicine, it can be life saving, but we do NOT need a pill for every ill, the body works in mysterious & magical ways and does what it does to bring the body back into homeofuckingstasis (balance).

The following is Wellness Mama’s take on the subject.

“There are several reasons it is better not to reduce a fever. Since fever is part of the body’s natural way of fighting illness or infection, reducing the fever can actually make the illness last longer, as it lets the cause of the illness live for a longer time.

Additionally, most conventional methods of lowering a fever can do more harm than good. Tylenol and Advil (the two medications most often given to children to reduce fever) both have side effects and cause liver failure in adults and children each year, especially when given regularly. Medications are also foreign substances in the body, which must be metabolized and filtered by the body and this takes energy the body could be using to fight the illness.

“While a fever can be uncomfortable, it is possible to comfort the person who is ill without reducing the fever. Often, the medications that reduce fever also get rid of body aches or uncomfortable symptoms, so the two are thought to go hand in hand. While certainly, medical intervention and medicine are absolutely warranted at times, they aren’t my first line of defense for most fevers.”

“When Medical Care is Critical

In the majority of cases, a fever is a natural healthy response that should be allowed to run its course. There are exceptions and in these cases it is important to seek medical care and make sure there is not a more serious problem. While I personally let the majority of illnesses run their course in our home, I don’t hesitate to seek medical help immediately if the situation warrants it.

In general, these are the times I seek medical care for a fever, but a parent’s intuition/research and conversation with your own doctor are important for determining when a fever is serious. I seek help when:

A child under three months has a fever over 100.4 or exhibits any serious symptoms
A child has a fever over 104 as this can signal a more serious infection or poisoning
A child has a fever for more than two consecutive days
The ill person has other symptoms like stiff neck, listlessness, or sensitivity to light
The person is unable to hold down food for more than a few hours or shows any signs of dehydration
Person exhibits any sign of respiratory distress (Seek immediate help)
Person has been exposed to toxins or poisons that may have caused the fever
My mother’s intuition says there is something more serious going on, even if the child appears fine”

I use Essential Oils (such as Peppermint Oil), I keep the child’s fluid intake up, let them rest, support the immune system with bone broth and other nourishing foods (if they wish to eat), make my own electrolyte drinks (water, honey, lemon and salt), and comfort them.

Calm the fuck down and put the drugs back.

Even the American Association of Pediatrics agrees..

“Contrary to what most parents think, there’s no evidence that fever itself can increase the risk of adverse outcomes like brain damage, wrote Janice E. Sullivan, MD, of the University of Louisville, and Henry C. Farrar, MD, of the Arkansas Children’s Hospital, and colleagues.

“Appropriate counseling on the management of fever begins by helping parents understand that fever, in and of itself, is not known to endanger a generally healthy child,” they wrote.

According to the guidance, which was published in Pediatrics, physicians should help parents understand that fever is not a primary illness; rather, it is a physiologic mechanism that has beneficial effects in fighting infection. It retards the growth and reproduction of bacteria and viruses, enhances neutrophil production and T-lymphocyte proliferation, and aids the body’s acute-phase reaction.

However, it appears to be a common belief among parents that they must attempt to normalize their child’s temperature to prevent danger. Parents should also be instructed that antipyretic use does not prevent febrile seizures.

Thus, physicians should communicate that the primary goal in treating fever should solely be to improve the child’s overall comfort level, the researchers said.”