Fever in itself is not an illness. It is a symptom that your body is fighting one.
I will NEVER forget the winter of 2007... Rosie was due any day, and Isaiah came down with some mystery virus, the only sign of it being a ridiculously high fever.
At one point, we raced him to the ER during a fit of fever so high he was hallucinating. The fever was down by the time we got there and they sent us home. Phew. Saving us a thousand bucks, I'm sure.
A couple days later we took him to a clinic (Sunday afternoon of course) when his high fever simply wouldn't break. It's the talking to given us by the doctor on call that I'll never forget.
"Why are you so worried about a (insert cuss word) fever? I've got six kids and we never give them anything for fever. Fever is good. t's your body's way of fighting germs. I wouldn't give my kids Tylenol to break a fever. Ever."
Even if they ended up in one of those fever seizures?
"Correct. After infancy, it won't hurt them, it's just scary for mom and dad."
WELL! Thank you, doctor. No really. I had always heard such contradicting information on fever- it's good, it's bad, bring it down, let it go...
Now, I would never let a fever go so high that it sent anyone into a seizure, and Ed is so paranoid over fevers that if my self-help methods don't work- quickly- he breaks out the Tylenol.
So I try to be effective when a fever gets too high or goes on too long.
Ginger with lemon tea is one of the best fever reducers there is. Ginger itself is warming, working on the homeopathic principle that "like cures like." Plus, with a drop of stevia, it is delicious and my kids have never refused it. (Just place a few slices of fresh root in a cup, cover with boiling water, cover, steep 10 minutes, sweeten, and enjoy.)
The other herbal tea good for fevers is peppermint and lavender; use a half teaspoon lavender and a half teaspoon peppermint per cup, sweeten, and enjoy. Peppermint is a cooling herb. Lavender, you know, it’s just pretty much good for everything. In a pinch, you can use 1 drop peppermint oil and 1 drop lavender oil in a teapot of hot water; use organic oils; and be prepared for a strong tea! Editing to add: this essential oil tea would be appropriate for adults, but it would be too strong for small children. See the commments for some ideas on how to use eo's for fever in little people.
If your little people aren't big tea drinkers, well, let's face it, you're a bad mom.
JUST KIDDING!
Seriously, if your children hate to drink tea, there is a great brand of herbal glycerine extracts (sweet, not gross like alcohol tinctures) called Herbs for Kids. They make a "Temp Assure
" that is very, very tasty, and works well. Could be a good choice for traveling, for adults or children.*DISCLAIMER* This information is for educational purposes only and is not meant to take the place of care by a qualified allopathic, homeopathic, or herbal professional.*
"Flowers... are a proud assertion that a ray of beauty outvalues all the utilities of the world."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1844
I've used peppermint essential oil for fevers since my first was born. You should never apply this straight on a child. For a small babe (a year or less, maybe two if the child is small) you can rub a drop or two into your own hands and hold their feet. For older kids 1 drop mixed with a carrier oil (any organic oil really) and rubbed into their feet should do the trick.
ReplyDeleteI've never bought children's tylenol, it's always been 'if the peppermint oil doesn't work right away I'm sending you to the store' and hubby's never had to make that run :)
Love all your natural remedies!!!
Thanks for the reminder that essential oils should not be used undiluted on small children and babies. I intended the eo tea only for adults and I will edit that right now! Eo's on the feet works wonders for all sorts of things, too!
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