Doctor Manchester NH

Q. I'm nervous if my daughter has a fever. Are fevers dangerous, and how can homeopathy help?

Fevers can be scary, particularly for parents with a sick child. If your daughter is running a fever, your first reaction is likely to reach for an over-the-counter pain reliever to lower her temperature to make her more comfortable. However, in most cases, fever is simply one symptom of an illness-a signal that your body is fighting off an infection.

During an infection, the body responds by heating up, which helps to increase production of white blood cells and signal the release of additional interferon to help boost your ability to ward off invaders and accelerate the healing process. If you immediately give your daughter an over-the-counter pain reliever, she may feel more comfortable (less warm) but you are also suppressing the action of the fever—it can no longer do its job and help accelerate the healing process.

Adults can tolerate higher temperatures (up to 107.6 degrees Fahrenheit) without lasting consequences, but if an infant (less than six months old) has any fever, or if your child's temperature rises to 103.5 degrees Fahrenheit for longer than six hours, contact your physician for instructions. The same holds true for any fever that lasts longer than three days.

When a fever strikes older children and adults, however, homeopathy can provide a gentle way to stimulate their inner healing resources, while supporting the body through the fever, by encouraging the body's natural defenses to resolve the root cause of the illness.

In using homeopathy, it is important to remember that homeopaths look at all diseases as syndromes, which express themselves as a number of common patterns of symptoms that vary with each person and each illness. Homeopathy may not treat the fever, per se, but the cluster of symptoms you are experiencing as a result of your illness or condition.

To use homeopathy effectively, you first need to define your daughter's specific symptoms. Below are four of the most common remedies that include fever in the “syndrome of symptoms.” To choose the best remedy, match the symptoms as closely as possible.

Aconitum (monkshood)This remedy works best during the first 24 hours of a fever. When your fever begins rapidly, usually starting at night or sometimes after exposure to the cold or cold, dry winds, reach for Aconitum. You may also feel chilled, along with the cold sweats. Other symptoms might include a sore throat with burning pain that worsens when swallowing and/or a short dry cough.

Belladonna (deadly nightshade)When you have a similarly rapid onset of a high fever, but also experience a flushed face, reddened mucous membranes, glassy eyes, and cold limbs, consider Belladonna. Additional symptoms may include a throbbing headache and dilated pupils.

Ferrum phos (iron phosphate)A fever that begins gradually without any significant intense symptoms calls for Ferrum phos as the appropriate remedy. Often your skin...

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