HomeRemedies thatWork! part 3
Let’s Chat about Fevers
some cinnamon sticks in a little tea with molasses or honey added. It was said that if you drank it every day of your life it was supposed to prevent fevers from occurring! There is a problem with this theory.
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For the sake of simplicity let’s define a fever—it is an elevation in body tem- perature. Actually, fever isn’t a disease. For most of us, normal body temperature lies within 97 to 99 degrees fahrenheit, but it does vary throughout the course of the day. For most of us it is lower in the morning, and it climbs as the day progresses. It can be raised by physical activity, strong emotion, eating, heavy clothing, medications, high room tem- perature, and high humidity. This is es- pecially true in children. A fever is gen- erally considered to be anything above 100 degrees. You should be concerned if there is a temperature above 102 de- grees for an adult, and 103 for children. A high fever is a response to an
underlying medical condition in your body. It is the body’s protective mecha- nism against infection, and it is not al- ways bad. Sometimes a fever can help the body eliminate bacteria and viruses, which can cause the underlying condi- tions. The rising temperature happens when our body’s immune system is fighting off those viruses which could harm us. Fever is our strongest weapon in the body’s attempt to fight off disease. An elevated body temperature increases
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NaturalTriad.com
et’s chat first about fevers. An an- cient remedy for fever involved mixing cloves, cream of tartar and
the production of infection- fighting white blood cells, increases their speed of re- sponse and enhances their killing capacity. There are a number of
herbs that can help reduce a fever—two teaspoons of dried willow bark infused in a cup of boiling water for 20 minutes (with the addition of cinnamon, ginger, lemon or honey to help it go down). Mead- owsweet tea (up to 3 cups a day), gin- ger and peppermint. Catnip promotes sweating and brings down a fever, and echinacea tincture or tea helps break a fever. Hyssop, when combined with licorice root and thyme, will also lower a high temperature. An herbal tea made of angelica root boiled and infused with the added juice of two lemons, honey and a shot of brandy has been reputed to bring down the fever in an adult. There are literally dozens of natural
remedies for reducing a fever, but I have found great success with the following procedures: Make a tea of 2 ounces dried elder
flowers, 2 ounces willow bark and 1 ounce dried peppermint leaves in one pint water. Cover this, and allow it to steep, but not boil. Simmer 10-15 min- utes, and sweeten with honey to make it palatable. When ready, strain off herbs. Adults drink a cup every 15-20 minutes until you have consumed one pint. Re- main in bed, covered with a blanket to promote free perspiration. This remedy is very safe, and it will induce perspira- tion for several hours.
Some general guidelines: The envi-
ronment should be comfortably cool, 70- 74 degrees. Do not bundle up someone who has the chills—one blanket should suffice. If the room is hot or stuffy, use a fan to circulate and cool the air. A luke- warm bath or sponge bath may help cool someone with a fever. This is especially effective after medication is given— oth- erwise the temperature might bounce right back up. DO NOT use alcohol rubs. It may cool the skin, but may often make the situation worse by causing shivering, which raises the core body temperature. Avoid eating solid foods until the fever is gone. You can replace the foods by drinking plenty of distilled water and/or juices. When you have fever do not take any supplement containing either iron or zinc. Taking iron causes great tension in a body that is fighting infection; and zinc is not absorbed by the body when you have fever. If the fever does not ex- ceed 102 degrees let it run its course. It helps the body to fight infection and eliminate toxins.
See Your Medical Doctor When... • Your fever is 103°F or higher. • Your fever lasts longer than 72 hours. • Your fever is accompanied by a stiff neck, a severe headache or se- vere back or abdominal pain, you’re
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