A question was asked recently, "How do I get a
child's fever down fast?"
When
asked this, my first answer was not, "Reach for the
medicine."
I rarely give my child a fever reducing medicine
unless sleep is desperately needed and he is so miserable he can’t rest. Since
children are better troopers at being sick than adults are, they fare very well
without medicines often times.
I will always try and figure out what is causing the
fever. Is it just a virus he’s picked up? Are there other symptoms? How is he
acting? All these factors go into a possible diagnosis and treatment plan, if
any.
There
are a few things to remember about fevers.
Fevers
are a natural response of the body to an infection. Viruses and some bacteria
do not like heat and the body knows that. Therefore, the body will raise the
temperature to help combat them. This is part of the immune system's defense.
It is best to not interfere with this process as the quickest way to get well
is to work with the body, not against it.
There are a few exceptions, though and they are
important, so listen up.
If
you have an infant with a fever, call your doctor as fevers in infants can be a
sign of something more serious. Do not give any medication to a baby without
first consulting with your doctor!
Most
children and adults can handle a fever of up to 104° for a short time without
much problem.
The exception to that would be if the person has a stiff neck, headache, problems breathing, confusion or
abdominal pain. Then they should be seen by a doctor quickly as these could be
signs of an illness much more serious.
You will want to see a doctor if the fever is hanging on for days and
not letting up, or is steadily climbing and is not responsive if you do give acetaminophen
or ibuprofen.
If any of the above symptoms exist,
please seek medical help right away.
Many of us hate to see our kids
feeling bad and want to rush to give them something to make them feel better.
The best thing we can do for them is work with the body and do a few things to
help them feel better.
Give the child a warm, but not hot
bath. They can play or just relax. Just take them out before the water turns cool. Do not let them
get chilled.
Hydration is extremely important especially
if vomiting or diarrhea is coming along for the ride. I can’t stand the drinks in the
stores. They are full of sugar, artificial colors, dyes and flavorings.
The body is already working hard to
fight off something, it doesn’t need to have to deal with the poisons of these so
called hydration drinks. I do have a favorite I will mention later.
I also do not recommend jello,
especially red jello. The body should
not have to deal with all the sugar and dyes and it has no nutritional value.
It is also a myth that it soothes an upset stomach. It does nothing to help that. Also, if you give red jello and vomiting
occurs, it looks a lot like blood, which can be very scary.
There is something to be said for
chicken soup and crackers if the person doesn’t have an underlying health
condition that prevents them from eating that. Homemade is best if you can, but if you don't have time, then find one that is low in sodium and preferably organic.
Don’t push food. Small nibbles
throughout the day while drinking plenty of water and hydrating fluids (I will
give my recommendations below) is better.
Immune support. When my child shows
any signs of getting sick I jump on it right away. I have him rest, even if
it means some extra TV time. This is when it's perfectly fine to let him indulge in a little extra me time.
I give him
my favorite hydration drink, Shaklee Performance as it has the electrolytes he
needs for optimum hydration without all the chemicals.
I let him nibble on
crackers or soup if he’s up for it and if he isn’t vomiting.
I give extra
Chewable Vitamin C as well as Zinc, Garlic and Optiflora, which is the best
probiotic out there. The body needs extra probiotics as 70-80% of the body’s
immune system is in the gut. The more good guys he has in there, the bigger and
stronger the army is to fight the bad guys.
I also give Shaklee’s Nutriferon,
which contains Interferon. Interferon is a critical activator of the immune
system.
At the beginning of an illness, I
also give Defend & Resist which is wonderful for giving his immune system a
boost.
Some people may act shocked that I give
all this to my young child. Keep in mind, he gets half doses based on his
weight and these are not drugs, they are natural supplements.
You wouldn’t tell your child not to
eat fruits and vegetables with these nutrients, and these supplements are just
more concentrated forms of food. They have all the nutrients that natural food has with
none of the chemicals, pesticides or other nasty stuff some food today has.
I am not overdosing my son on
synthetic vitamins either. That is risky and the stories you hear
about nasty side effects from vitamins, isn’t from the vitamins in them, it’s
from the chemicals the company used to process or bind the ingredients
together.
I trust Shaklee because I know they take many extra steps to make sure the ingredients are safe and that they work. It is so nice to not have to worry about giving him something and wonder if it's safe. With Shaklee, I know it's safe.
We are rarely sick. OK, I might have
just jinxed myself there! The reason is we try and eat right, get plenty of
exercise and know what to take when the occasional illness does come knocking.
We also know how to send it packing…fast!
So don’t be afraid of a fever or an
illness, just be prepared. For when you know, you can relax and give them the love
and tenderness they need.
If you would like more information on the products I use, you can visit our Website ToBeHealthy.MyShaklee.com . Fill out our Contact Form if you have a specific question and we will respond as soon as we can.
Thank you.
Julie
Always
Safe, Always Works, Always Green
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