Q&A Day (Im experimenting with a new feature on my FB page) From C.B.: Hi. I was wondering what you felt like was a safe temperature to let a fever get to in a child before giving them a fever-reducer. I understand that fever is a healthy immune response but as a parent it is difficult to know when the fever is getting dangerously high. I have heard anything over 105 degrees. It is really hard to sit around and watch your child as their body works on healing and or recovering. I guess just a guideline of when to wait it out and when to act would be helpful. How long should it take the body to break a fever on its own? Thanks! From AJR: Hi CB. Overall, fever is friend, not foe. It rallies the immune system and creates temps that the bad bugs dont like. The 2 main things to think about with fever are 1. Whats causing it (common viral infections are almost ALWAYS the cause) and 2. is your child hydrated. If your child is otherwise acting pretty normal though naturally operating at a lower volume because not feeling well, and most likely has a common virus, I just support with fluids and dont try to bring the fever down. If your child is seeming quite sick, then Id visit her doc regardless of how high the fever is, because height of fever doesnt correlate with severity of illness. Also, when fevers get > 104 Ill often bring down a little just because kids get so easily dehydrated when fevers are higher. I really dont ever use ibuprofen or tylenol for more than a couple of doses if kiddos are incredibly uncomfortable, and its always my preference to try herbs first. Childrens Herbal Compound by Herb Pharm was my go to when my kids were little, or teas or even ice pops made of lemon balm, chamomile, and catnip. These are very soothing. Hope this helps! (To send a question, visit my website at avivaromm and go to Ask Dr. Aviva. I cant guarantee getting to all or most questions, but I will get to the ones that seem relevant to the larger group. I dont answer personal health questions.)
Posted on: Thu, 05 Jun 2014 11:10:48 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015