Heating Up…Why Fevers Are Controlled Burns

Heating Up…Why Fevers Are Controlled Burns

Wildfires!  Forests in the Northwestern part of the Unites States are susceptible to wildfires.  When wildfires occur, they must be controlled and managed safely.  A short burn can be beneficial in some cases, but let it get out of control and the whole forest will be destroyed.  Like wildfires, when your body temperature rises and a fever occurs it also must be controlled.  A fever that is too high and too long will do more damage than good, but a fever that is short and within the ‘safe’ range can be beneficial to the body.  Neither are 100% preventable, but both are sometimes necessary.  Your body is ready to fight and protect itself and it is heating up for a reason.     

Fighting Infections Naturally

A fever occurs for a specific reason.  Your body’s innate intelligence detects that there is an underlying problem and causes your body to enter protection mode by adapting to the stressors that are occurring within the body.  It is important to let your body’s innate intelligence do what it is meant to do.  Your immune systems natural reaction is to burn out the bad.  A simple fever of 104 degrees and below is natural and is protecting the body from harm. 

Needs To Be A Quick Burn

When your body heats up and a battle ensues, it begins to activate and develop white blood cells (WBC’s).  WBC’s are your body’s soldiers.  Bacteria and viruses are slowed down by WBC’s, and when WBC’s are activated your body enters an ‘acute phase’.  When threatened, a healthy body will typically get a fever, adapt and overcome and eventually exit the ‘acute phase’.  In most cases this will only take a couple of days.  It is not a healthy response if your body does not exit the ‘acute phase’ and enters a ‘chronic phase’.  In a ‘chronic phase’, the fever is not controlled and your body is not adapting.   

Fevers Do Not Cause Harm

Most of us have been misinformed about fevers our whole lives.  We’ve been told that fevers are bad thing, but they do not cause harm.  Remember, your body is performing a controlled burn and it is doing this so that your body may recover quickly and effectively.  The body has an amazing ability to heal itself.  If you attempt to suppress the fever, you discredit the bodies innate process of healing, and your body will not learn to retain the proper immunity response for the next time.         

 

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