Dealing with fever & frequent illness

Fever & Frequent Illness
Fever Facts
Poor Immunity

A common sense approach to health is the only sure way to health, as opposed to simply treating disease and illness.

Much as we need modern western medicine at times, we should never hand over complete responsibility for the health of our families.

Think of it like this. That word disease is made up of the two syllables dis and ease. When you are closely involved in striving for real health, you have a head start in returning yourself and your family to a state of ease, and who is better placed to know what that means for individual family members than a mother?

There are many proven benefits of nursing your baby:

Courage is vital!
To become more proactive in your child's health and use less drugs and harsh treatments, know that initially you might have to sit by and not demand instant resolution to your child's discomfort. It is not wrong to be ill, only to be ill too often and not be able to fight off illness oneself or with the help of appropriate natural treatments. Be brave – it will be increasingly easy as you are rewarded by the return of real health.

Patience is a health virtue!
In this day and age, we prefer instant cures, partially because we do not want to see our children suffer and also to fit our circumstances, where time off from work is difficult to arrange. You can expect rapid improvement in symptoms if you use the correct remedies, but nursing your child through a fever or any condition, does also require time and lots of TLC. Your reward will be that your child becomes ill less often.

Maternal instinct is another strong weapon in a home health kit.
Of course, one runs the risk that mother worry will send one scooting off to the doctor rather too soon, but on the other hand many moms simply ‘know' when something is really amiss. Use the list in this feature to help you decide if it is time to make an appointment or not. If that little inner voice continues to niggle, have things assessed, but combine it with courage and patience when you make a decision.

A raised temperature is not primarily a sign of illness but a method employed by the immune system to ward off bacterial and viral attack.

When the body is invaded by such organisms, phagocytes (disease fighting cells) release pyrogens which elevate the temperature. A fever slows down the activity of microbes, giving other immune tactics a chance to work. Raised temperature also kills some microbes.

Normal body temperature for babies, children and adults is the same, 36 – 37 degrees Celsius.

Baby's temperature control only matures by 4 years and until then they get hotter and colder more quickly than adults.

While feeling the forehead might give an indication that baby is feverish, temperature must be measured with a thermometer for accurate assessment.

Fever is not a disease but a symptom of inflammation or infection and the way the body fights this.

Measuring Temperature

A battery operated digital thermometer that measures core temperature is the most accurate but these devices are expensive. There are also wonderful dummy thermometers and other high tech devices nowadays, which ease a parent's job! Babies' and toddlers' temperature can also be measured rectally or under the arm.

Ensure that the thermometer is placed between two folds of skin under the armpit, hold baby with arm in position against body, remove after a full 3 minutes and add half a degree to the reading.

Rectal thermometers must only be used for this reason. Baby must be on her side, mercury bulb part of thermometer to be introduced into anus with a little lubricant, and baby's legs held securely to keep in place, for a full minute.

Stick-on temperature strips can also be used on baby's forehead.

Fever Cautionaries

Fever must not continue for longer than one day uninvestigated.

Fever that spikes to over 38,5 degrees Celsius very rapidly needs to be checked soon.

Febrile convulsions might occur with temperatures above 39 degrees Celsius.

Home Treatments

Undress and keep only a vest and nappy on
Cool the room by opening all windows and starting an electric fan
Wrap cool wet linen cloths around legs and arms, renewing every few minutes
Place a face flannel with ice blocks on the nape of the neck or forehead

Bath in tepid water, not cold, as that would be a shock to the system
Step up cool liquid intake
Use homeopathic fever remedies or the tissue salt remedy Ferrum phos
Preferably use Paracetamol if fever medication necessary

Everyone seems to be talking about boosting or balancing the immune system nowadays.

Increasing sophistication and technological advance has brought more than comfort, ease and control to humankind’s environment - we have allowed toxic side effects of our endeavours to pose new threats to health.

Poor Immunity

We recognise compromised immunity in a number of ways. The more symptoms, the more serious must you be about putting into place changes.

Frequent bouts of illness indicate that the immune system is taking strain. If you need to take your child to the doctor every month or even more regularly, be especially aware. Symptoms of disease so severe that the body’s resources cannot deal with the problem without medication, heal itself in fact, also show that the immune system is weak.

Allergies

Severe, debilitating allergies indicate that the immune system is taking strain. The allergic response itself is good because it does mean that the immune system knows what to do to fight off any threat from a foreign substance.

When allergies are chronic and need constant medical intervention, it is time to boost the immune system, however. Itchy skin rashes like eczema and fungal infections also point in the direction of poor immunity.

Candida infections

Candida infections or thrush as it is often called, in the digestive or genital systems may indicate compromised immunity.

A once-off oral thrush infection in babies or occasional vaginal thrush in pregnancy, which is more frequent due to altered acid-alkali levels in the body, does not necessarily indicate poor immunity, however.

Improving Immunity

The body does all it can to fight off disease. Many factors, hereditary and environmental, can contribute to poor immunity. It may take time to strengthen the body against disease in the face of hereditary factors, which might have their origins generations ago. Strengthening innate resistance to disease, even in the face of one’s hereditary lot in life, is possible.

Invest in your baby’s immunity in pregnancy already!

Embark on lifestyle changes at least 3 months before falling pregnant to ensure as protected a start for baby as possible – this will minimise (although not eradicate) any negative effects of hereditary factors and optimise baby’s growth and development.
Avoid smoking, recreational drugs, alcohol and medication while pregnant.
Reduce typically allergenic foods, and avoid if there are allergies in close family members – dairy, grains, soya, shellfish, eggs, peanuts
Take up yoga which is a form of mind and body exercise that not only tones but promotes harmonious functioning of the body – the basis of good health.

Tips for small babies

Breastfeed as long as possible – insist that premature and ill newborns are given your colostrum and do not schedule feed your baby as to be of optimal value breastfeeding must take place according to the laws of demand and supply.
Massage your baby! Touch is therapy – research has definitively shown that therapeutic massage strengthens resistance to illness.
Do not introducing solids before 6 months, making first foods fruits and yellow vegetables.
One-on-one daycare in the early years (trusted, trained nanny or a loving granny, for instance) is often a very good solution if it seems to be due to group daycare that one’s little one becomes ill often.

Immunity for toddlers and children

Purposefully include foods that are known to improve resistance to disease – dates, coconut, pure honey, nuts. Generally increase fresh fruit and vegetables in the diet of children.
Avoid or reduce mucus producing foods like dairy, grain products and highly processed fast foods.
Encourage the drinking of water and organic baby rooibos tea as opposed to other drinks.
Ensure regular exposure to fresh air and sunshine.