Fever
When your forehead feels hot enough to fry an egg, your body is shaking like Jell-O and your teeth are chattering, it's hard to believe that fever is your friend.
But it is.
A fever isn't a disease. It's a symptom of an infection, typically caused by a cold or the flu. When you have a cold, for instance, your immune system signals to your brain that it needs more body heat in order to attack infectious cells, and your body temperature rises.
There are some tried-and-true procedures that can help bring down the fever and make you more comfortable. Here's what doctors recommend.
When to See the Doctor
It's a myth that high temperatures can 'boil your brain,"' says Thomas Rosenthal, M.D., associate professor of family medicine at the State University of New York at Buffalo. "Most adults can tolerate five points above the normal body temperature." Brain damage doesn't happen until your temperature reaches 107°F, which rarely happens, he says. Adults over age 60, however, are less likely to mount an immune defense. For them, fever may be more taxing on the heart and thus more risky. With that in mind, contact the doctor immediately for:
- Fever above 103° in an adult.
- Fever of 101° if you're over age 60.
- Fever above 102° in a child (or if the child is vomiting or convulsing or has a headache).
- Any fever in a baby under three months old.
- Any fever if you have a chronic illness such as diabetes, heart disease or lung disease.
- Fever that lingers more than three days.
- Fever accompanied by a rash, severe headache, stiff neck, confusion, back pain or painful urination.
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If it's mild, hands off. Some doctors believe a mild fever (under 100°F in adults) should not be treated.
"Taking antipyretics such as aspirin or acetaminophen (Tylenol) brings down the fever, but there's also some evidence that immune activity is suppressed," says Donna McCarthy, Ph.D., assistant professor of nursing at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Don't be stoic--pop a pill. On the other hand, there's no good proof that not treating fever helps your recovery, says Thomas Rosenthal, M.D., associate professor of family medicine at the State University of New York at Buffalo. "Let your comfort be your guide," says Dr. Rosenthal. "If you have headache or muscle aches, by all means take an aspirin or acetaminophen. Both are equally effective, and you should feel effects in a half-hour." (Children should be" given only child-size doses of acetaminophen: Aspirin is not advised by pediatricians because of its link to Reye's syndrome, a potentially fatal neurological disease.)
Tools for Temperature Taking
Like trying to invent better mousetraps, inventing a better thermometer poses a real challenge. But there are definitely some interesting variations. Here's a rundown of the old and the new.
- Just for kids: Rectal thermometers with a bulb at one end are used until a child is old enough to hold a thermometer in his mouth. With the child lying facedown on your lap, hold the buttocks and insert the lubricated bulb one inch into the rectum. Hold it in a minute or two. Rectal temperatures register one degree higher than body temperature. After use, wash the thermometer thoroughly in cold, soapy water.
- Recommended for adults: The "standard" glass thermometer filled with silver mercury or red alcohol is still recommended for temperature taking, says Donna McCarthy, Ph.D., assistant professor of nursing at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. "Place the thermometer in the deep pocket alongside the tongue, not under the tongue," says Dr. McCarthy. "The pocket ensures an accurate reading, because it's closer to the artery where the heat originates." For the record, the proper way to use one is to shake it until the mercury is below 96°F, place it in the mouth and leave it for three minutes.
- Temperature "strips": These strips turn colors as your temperature rises, so its no wonder kids like to use them in front of a mirror. While forehead strips are not supersensitive, you can distinguish between a temperature of 100° and 102°F by looking at the colors, says Herbert Patrick, M.D., assistant professor of medicine and medical director of the Respiratory Care Department at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. The mouth strips are more reliable but must remain in the mouth a full two minutes.
- Electronic thermometers: Primarily for use in doctors' offices, an electronic thermometer consists of a steel probe covered with a disposable sheath. It's attached to a cord hooked to a monitor that flashes a digital readout in a mere 15 seconds. Even faster are models that can be inserted in the ear. The drawback? They cost more than $100.
- Digital thermometers: These affordable, plastic, paddle-shaped probes contain a tiny computer chip that receives an electric signal. Within a minute, the beep alerts you to the temperature displayed in the window. You don't have to shake them, but you must wash the tip and keep a battery on hand. They are available at most pharmacies.
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Have a massage. If you go the nondrug route, having a massage and listening to soothing music helps boost comfort, says Dr. McCarthy.
A warm bath is best. "The old-fashioned advice to immerse a fevered person in cold water is outdated," says Dr. Rosenthal. "A cold bath makes the body temperature drop too quickly. You'll shiver--which raises your temperature even more, because the rapid muscle movement generates body heat." For the same reason, he adds, you should avoid alcohol rubs, which also cool the skin too quickly.
Fill 'er up. With fever, your system is pumped up, and you lose double or triple your normal water loss without even knowing it, says Dr. Rosenthal. Drinking lots of liquid makes it easier to sweat and get rid of the heat.
Back off from heavy exercise. Both fever and exercise boost your body's heat production, making your heart work harder. Also, if you can't lose the extra heat fast enough, heat exhaustion could result. "The 'work' of fever is enough of a workout to skip exercise for a day," says Herbert Keating, M.D., chief of medicine at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Des Moines, Iowa.