Fevers happen, but how we handle them can help our immune system or prevent the fever! Watch for my tips on naturally supporting your body through a fever.
Hello, hello!
Today, we are discussing fevers, focusing on little kids and adults. We’ll also explore how supplements, homeopathy, herbs, essential oils, and soothing baths can help manage fevers naturally.
Understanding Fevers in Kids and Adults
One of the first things I always tell parents is to focus on the individual running a fever, not just the temperature. If your child is running around, playing happily, and seems perfectly fine, even if they’re running a fever, let them be. In this case, their fever could mean that absolutely everything is working RIGHT with your child. Their immune system is at work, and they’re winning the battle. A fever occurs when the body successfully fights off whatever pathogen is causing the fever. That said, if the child is lethargic, can’t be roused or consoled, or hasn’t urinated in several hours and seems to be in pain, it may be time to go to the ER. But if these are not occurring, let’s treat them at home!
Calcium Loss, Fevers and Febrile Seizures
However, if your child is tired, needing more than the usual snuggles, and burning up, their body may struggle with calcium loss. A wealth of research links calcium reserves in the body to temperatures, viral infections, and bacterial infections. Children, especially during growth spurts, need extra calcium. If their calcium levels are already low, the body might have to choose between using calcium for bone development or supporting the immune system. In severe cases, the body will pull calcium from the bones, leading to uncomfortable, achy fevers.
The other result of a calcium deficiency is febrile seizures. Many parents have been taught to keep temperatures low so that they don’t develop seizures. However, these occur primarily because the body is trying to gain more calcium for the immune system. It is a muscular seizure, not a neurological one.
The great news is we have one solution for both of these! Calcium Lactate. Keep reading to find out how to use it!
Can Fevers Get Too High?
Absolutely, but these are usually extremely rare cases where the fever gets over 105ºF. (40.5C) Many times, this will follow the use of fever reducers or vaccines. Both need to be used in moderation, if at all.
Call the doctor or go to the ER if the fever is accompanied by lethargy, severe pain, unconsolable, a severe headache, stiff neck, shortness of breath, no urination, or other unusual signs or symptoms, regardless of the temperature.
For 0-3 months, anything over 100.4 F (38 C) (rectally) needs a doctor at least on call. Fevers are rare at this time due to your immunity still covering them, so a fever is considered a bit more of an emergency. You can still give co-current care as listed. Just have another set of eyes on the baby.
For 3-6 months, up to 102 F (38.9 C) (rectally): Continue to nurse or feed on demand. Fevers are super beneficial, burning every pathogen out! Let’s do supportive care, which is listed below!
For 3-6 months above 102 F (38.9 C) (rectally): This is still okay, but since they are young, let’s have another set of eyes on this. Call your doctor; they may recommend bringing your child in for an exam. You can still give supportive care as listed below.
For six months to 17 years, above 102- 104 F (38.9 -40 C), Follow the instructions for supportive care; call the doctor if the fever doesn’t respond or lasts longer than a day or so.
Natural Remedies and Steps to Take
So, what can you do? One of the first steps is noticing when your child’s eyes get super glassy. The eyes can be an early sign that a fever is coming on. As soon as you see that, know it is time to start super boosting their immune system- stop all sugars and increase their protein (read more about the body’s protein needs here).
The best way to boost anyone’s immune system is to get adjusted! I always recommend that every family have a chiropractor who focuses on health and prevention!
One of my favorite home remedies to help during fevers is Calcium Lactate from Standard Process.
It comes in a powder form, which can be mixed into breast milk or water and given to children before a fever strikes or during an acute situation. This supplement provides the body with the necessary calcium to fight off the pathogen, and BONUS can even help with growing pains. I recommend ALWAYS having this in the home medicine cabinet.
Give 1/4 teaspoon every 15 minutes in acute cases until you see a temperature change. Remember, we don’t want to suppress the fever completely—we want to make them comfortable while allowing the immune system to do its job. Limit the dosage to 1 tablespoon per day.
Daily, for growth and prevention, you can do 1/8 a teaspoon up to age 2 and 1/4 a teaspoon from there up!
You can also give Congaplex, a chewable immune booster that also includes calcium lactate and food-based Vitamin A. My kids grew up on this. I would often just hand them the bottle and let them take what they needed. It always amazed me how they would hand it back to me when their body had what it needed.
Skin-to-skin contact is fantastic for the younger ones. Your body teaches them how to regulate. wrap them next to you and snuggle in for a movie.
But let’s not stop there. Homeopathy can offer gentle yet effective remedies for fever. For instance, Belladonna is often recommended for sudden onset fevers, while Aconite can be used at the first sign of illness.
A glass of Organic Peppermint tea, added with 1/4 teaspoon of calcium lactate and a pinch of Redmond’s Real salt and then let cool, would also be a fantastic drink.
Essential oils like diluted Thieves, Lavender, and even Peppermint along the spine and underarms can help bring a fever down fast.
Adding a warm bath with Epsom salts and calming herbs like chamomile or lavender can also soothe discomfort and support the body’s healing process. Epsom salt baths with essential oil, ginger, or peppermint oils mixed into the salts can also help reduce fever and relax the muscles.
Let’s remember herbs like Elderberry and Echinacea, which can be powerful allies in boosting the immune system during a fever.
Rethinking Over-the-Counter Medications
To further complicate health news, for decades, parents have been told to use Acetaminophen or Tylenol, yet there have been multiple issues with this advice since 1977. Many researchers realized that the current dosing caused liver damage by depleting glutathione levels. In 2001, the FDA finally limited the dose of each capsule and mandated a warning label. Even with this change, taking Tylenol for more than four or more days increases your liver damage markers (ALT). Read the research
Unfortunately, in America, over half of all acute liver failure cases are due to this drug. Read the research
As we grow up, this is often the first recommendation for pain and discomfort, whether it be an injury, braces, menstrual pain, or sports injuries. However, Ohio State University researchers, among others, found that Tylenol affected our empathy towards others and tended to “evaluate unpleasant stimuli less negatively and pleasant stimuli less positively, compared with participants who took a placebo.” Read the research. And Here
Maybe this explains some of the issues we see with teenagers and young adults today.
Dangerous To Use Tylenol During Pregnancy
A 2016 study followed over 2,000 mother-child pairs from the first trimester of pregnancy and again when the children were about five years old. Almost 1/2 of these children were exposed to Tylenol before they were born. What researchers found was lower attention function and a greater risk for ADHD and uncontrolled impulses, and boys had a greater chance of autism spectrum symptoms. Read the research
Further studies are now linking this pain killer taken both during pregnancy and during our youth to an increased rate of asthma. Read the research
AND it’s an endocrine disruptor. Rat studies have shown that since 2016, females given Tylenol had offspring with fewer eggs, smaller ovaries, and smaller litters when they reached reproductive age. Read the research
If this were you and you are now struggling with these issues either personally or with your children, reach out, and let’s do a phone consult so I can teach you what has worked for many of my patients.
The Bottom Line
It’s time to rethink how we approach fevers. the advice is outdated and, quite frankly, dangerous. What if we let the body run its course, stop using antibiotics for every discomfort, and support its natural healing process? When this happens, I see kids stop getting sick so often in my office.
Instead of reaching for over-the-counter medications, which can suppress the fever, give the pathogen more ground to thrive, and potentially set you up for more health issues, let’s turn to natural remedies that support the body at every step.
The body is incredibly powerful, and with the proper support, it can heal itself. Stick with me, and I’ll share many more tips and natural remedies to keep you and your family healthy. Talk to you soon!
