Fever indicates infection. We don’t like infections or fevers, so we want them to go away. If we get the fever to go away, some of us think the infection goes away. Which, of course, isn’t necessarily the case.
A fever is the body’s response to the infection. The body has mounted a response to the invading bacteria and viruses. Working hard to kill them generates some heat. Reducing the fever by suppressing it, like with acetaminophen, aspirin, or ibuprofen, effectively ties a hand behind the body’s back, making it harder for the body to kill the invaders. Reducing the fever doesn’t eliminate the invaders.
So unless there is a specific clinical reason (there are a few) for immediately reducing the fever, it’s better in most cases to let nature take its course and use supportive methodology—herbs—to help the body fight the infection. (Ideally, you are matching herbs to a specific illness, and that’s been covered in other blog posts.)
Fever itself isn’t an illness. It is a sign of an illness. And that’s why you won’t find it addressed as a topic in off-grid medicine texts.
Note that most fevers are associated with a respiratory infection. Fever figures prominently in some non-respiratory illnesses; the patterns of these fevers help diagnose (and thus treat) the illness when there is no supportive laboratory. These fever patterns will be covered in another article.
How to Take a Temperature
1. Clean the thermometer well with soap and water and/or alcohol. If using a traditional glass thermometer, shake it down with a snap of the wrist until it reads less than 98.6°F.
2. Put the thermometer under the tongue (over the age of four years) or carefully in the rectum (lubricate it first with Vaseline, coconut oil). (Ear, forehead, and armpit temperatures are far less accurate.)
3. Leave it in for 3-4 minutes.
4. Read the thermometer and record the temperature.
5. Wash the thermometer well with soap and water.[1]
6. Keep oral and rectal thermometers separate and clearly labeled.
7. Do not take an oral temperature for 30 minutes after patient has consumed hot or cold liquid.
A normal temperature is considered 96.8-99.5°F. Most references consider fever to be above 100.4°F, using rectal or oral measurement. And while accuracy is important, the time may come when we question the accuracy of our own thermometers, especially if they are digital. If this becomes the case for you, check it against your own temperature (assuming you aren’t sick). Even if the thermometer is a little off, observing the trend is just as important. Is the temperature rising or falling?
Fever Management
- Drink lots of cool water, juice, or other liquids. Monitor the urine output. If there is little or it is dark, administer more fluids.
- Put the person in a cool place.
- Remove all clothing.
- Put cloths soaked in cool water on the chest and forehead, under the armpits, on the inner thighs, and under the knees—all those places where blood vessels lie closer to surface. Fan the cloths and change them often to keep them cool.
- Administer medication if that is the patient’s preference. Use acetaminophen or aspirin (but no aspirin for children). Numerous herbs can be used as well. See the list below.
- Continue until the temperature drops below 38°C.
Causes for concern
There is a correlation between the severity of a fever and the likelihood of a serious bacterial infection. A temperature above 103.1°F suggests a serious infection more than a lower temperature does. However, this is not a perfect correlation.[2]
Seek medical attention in the following situations:
- Temperature over 100.4°F in an infant less than 3 months old.
- Fever lasts more than 24 hours in a child under 2 years.
- Fever lasts more than 72 hours in a child over 2 years.
- Fever causes a seizure.
- Fever occurs with other symptoms such as headache, stiff neck, difficulty breathing, rash, severe ear or throat pain, of persistent vomiting.
- In older children and adults, if the fever is over 104°F or occurs with any of the above symptoms.[3]
- Most non-off-grid texts recommend consulting a doctor for a high fever (over 104°F), and heading to the ER when the temperature tops 105°F.
Herbs for Fever
(For how it's used in treating a fever, check the specific herb on the blog using the search bar or in your copy of Armageddon Pharmacy.)
- Arrowleaf balsamroot
- Basil
- Bee balm
- Blackberry leaf
- Calendula
- Catnip
- Cayenne
- Chokecherry
- Chrysanthemum
- Cinquefoil
- Echinacea
- Eggplant
- Elder
- Forsythia
- Garlic
- German chamomile
- Ginger
- Goldenrod
- Isatis
- Japanese barberry
- Japanese honeysuckle
- Juniper
- Lemon balm
- Licorice
- Mullein
- Onion
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