Fever: A Natural Germ-Fighting Process

"I can't go to school today, mom, I've a fever," I overheard our little girl one morning, telling her mom she's got that familiar health nemesis. Checking on the thermometer she inserted under our daughter's armpit a few minutes later, my wife agreed our daughter has the fever. Indeed we're quick to tell that a person is sick if he or she has the fever or say he/she is well without it. It is like an index that we use to determine whether one is ill or is in good health.

It is common knowledge that the normal body temperature is 37 degrees Celsius (about 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit). This temperature is maintained, under conditions of health, at an astonishingly invariable level by the reactionary process in the body involving heat production and heat elimination. Several laboratory studies conducted revealed that when the body's temperature becomes higher than normal, the spread of germs in the body is restrained and the efficiency of the defense mechanisms of the body is enhanced. We also know that fever is produced in most infections. This is because it is through fever that the body responds to infections. Therefore, what many people consider to be an enemy to health is actually a natural germ-fighting process. Except on the condition that it ascends to an exceedingly high degree, fever does more good than harm.

In cases when the body's temperature rises at a rapid pace, the body's particular mechanism responsible in regulating heat reacts as it tries to adapt to the new higher level. At this stage, the person may experience chills. As the fever diminishes, the person begins to experience sweating.

In monitoring the progress of an illness, a record of the body temperature, taken a number of times a day, is maintained. In severe illnesses, the usual temperature ceiling of fever is 41 degrees Celsius (about 106 degrees Fahrenheit). The human body is normally incapable of enduring temperatures higher than the said upper limit. For this reason, and especially in more serious conditions, a physician will quickly direct his attention to the immediate lowering of the body temperature.

There are several other conditions under which fever may occur or when the body temperature rises. For example, fever can take place in heatstroke. In this specific situation, the body's heat-dissipating system falters in the face of the high external temperature. A rise in the body temperature of an infant may be a sign that he/she is experiencing dehydration. The use of certain drugs, on the other hand, can cause the body temperature to rise. Likewise, vigorous physical activity can result to a temporary elevation of body temperature.

Of course, we'd much rather see our daughter moving about healthily always - a sure indication that she doesn't have the fever. [Read the Original Article]