IS FEAR OF FEVER HURTING OUR CHILDREN?

[Sheri Nakken]

Another interesting article on this. Applies to using these drugs (and
others) for things other than fever also.

SHARE THIS WITH everyone you know!

Sheri

http://64.41.99.118/vran/news_art/artic ... _fever.htm

IS FEAR OF FEVER HURTING OUR CHILDREN?

By Edda West - VRAN Newsletter January-March, 2003
2003 Vaccination Risk Awareness Network Inc. CANADA

As paradigms go in the world of disease management, there is none more
deeply ingrained than the fear driven belief that without vaccinations we
are doomed to attack from legions of killer diseases. It's shadow partner,
"fear of fever" compels us to suppress fever whenever it arises and insures
our captivity to monopoly, sickness oriented medicine. The
medical/pharmaceutical empire flogs us with these tactics, imprinting fear
in the collective psyche, the favourite tool with which they dominate the
masses and usher us down the slippery slope of health breakdown and drug
dependency.

Vaccinations and fever suppressants, along with the overuse of antibiotics
and exposure to multiple chemical contaminants in the environment, are at
the root of the decline in children's health and vitality, manifesting at
large in the disablement of immune function, neurological function, and
upsurge of chronic diseases in large segments of society today. Children in
particular have been hit hard as they are the most vulnerable members of
society. New evidence is now emerging that fever suppressant drugs may be
another contributing factor to the explosive epidemic of neurodevelopmental
disorders like autism.

As loving and caring parents, we naturally want to help our children feel
better when the inevitable fevers, flus, colds and various illnesses arise
in childhood. Many will reach for popular over-the-counter remedies to
suppress fever and alleviate symptoms in the belief that these products are
reliable, effective, and safe. But how safe are they really? And what are
the risks when fever is suppressed and symptoms masked? Does fever have a
critical function in fighting sickness that we have lost sight of?

There is plenty of scientific evidence validating the benefits of fever in
fighting viral/bacterial inflammations and it's important role in the
healing process. Fever increases survival rate during infectious diseases -
basic information that has yet to reach the majority of people who remain
misinformed and misled by pharmaceutical and medical propaganda which still
shamelessly advocates the use of antipyretic drugs at the first sign of
fever. The myth that untreated fevers will lead to seizures and brain
damage is perpetuated ad nauseam. Fever is maligned, misunderstood and seen
as an enemy to be feared rather than an ally that signals the immune system
gearing up for action.

Aspirin was once commonly used to suppress fever until it was linked to
Reye's syndrome when given to children with viral infections like influenza
and chickenpox. Reye's syndrome is an often fatal disease affecting the
brain and liver, a primary reason doctors switched to acetaminophen, which
we now know to be the major cause of liver failure. One disaster after
another!

Acetaminophen is such a common ingredient used in both over-the-counter and
prescription medications, people may be unaware of its presence in the many
popular brands of fever, pain, colds and flu medications. Health Canada
recently issued an alert cautioning that the overuse of these
over-the-counter remedies can lead to serious liver toxicity and death.

"Parents should be especially cautious when giving children any products
containing acetaminophen. For example, the parent of a child with a
flu-like illness may use one product to treat the child's fever and another
to treat a runny nose, without realizing that both products contain the
same ingredients. A recently published article identified acetaminophen
overdose as the number one cause of acute liver failure in the US, and most
of these overdoses were unintentional. Often, several preparations of the
same brand (e.g. Tylenol Pain and Tylenol Sinus) or several medications for
the same symptoms (e.g. Tylenol Cold, Neo-Citran and Sinutab) are found in
the same household and, when used together, can result in an overdose." (1)

It is important to understand that fever is not a disease, but rather a
symptom of an illness. Controversies surrounding the management of fever
cause enormous anxiety in parents, often resulting in a knee-jerk, fear
based reaction to kill the fever with drugs. As long as we remain captive
to the medical myth that nature made a mistake in causing fever to arise
during illness, our children will be put at risk. There is an urgency for
us to re-examine our basic assumptions about the nature of fever and its
evolutionary role in the survival of the species.

High fevers in some diseases like measles and roseola are needed in order
to discharge the virus. In a clinical study of 56 children during a measles
epidemic in Ghana, Africa in 1967, it was standard practice to treat every
case of measles with sedatives, antipyretics like aspirin and tylenol,
cough suppressants, and also as needed with antibiotics. In the first half
of the epidemic, 35% of the children died. But the treating doctors also
observed that the children who survived were usually the ones who had
higher fevers and more severe rashes than the ones who died. Although the
ones who died seemed less sick than the survivors at the beginning of the
illness, they then later got pneumonia and died.

At a vaccine risk conference in 2000, Dr. Philip Incao cited this study as
an example of the vital role of fever. "The doctors began to think that the
higher fevers and rash helped clear the measles virus from the body and
enhanced survival. And so half way through this measles epidemic, the
doctors revised their treatment and gave no sedatives, no aspirin or
tylenol, nor cough suppressants, but still gave antibiotics, antimalarials
and blood transfusions if needed. In this group, also of 56 children, only
7% died compared to 35% in the first group. This is a dramatic
demonstration, and there are many others, of the vitally important basic
principle that it is dangerous to suppress an inflammatory discharge."

"Hippocrates recognized this over two thousand years ago. In any
inflammatory infectious disease, what is discharged out of the body can be
frightening to look at, but that's not what kills us. What can kill us
comes from the toxic effects of what's left inside the body and what's not
being discharged."

"What I read in this study twenty years ago confirmed what I experienced in
my own practice, that the children who produced higher fevers and strong
rashes, and good discharges of mucous and pus, were healthier and more
robust and had stronger immune systems than the children who produced a low
intensity of these symptoms. These robust children in my practice, who
vigorously externalized and healed their infections spontaneously, often
without antibiotics, had had little or no antibiotics, or antipyretics, or
vaccinations in their lives. And the other children who had had all their
vaccinations, and lots of antipyretics, and antibiotics - who had had a lot
of suppressive, internalizing medical treatments, these children never got
high fevers. And these children were the ones who were more likely to have
allergies and autoimmune problems." (2)
(top)
The pervasive belief that fever is dangerous and must be suppressed
disregards the scientific evidence demonstrating its beneficial role in
inflammatory diseases. The immune system depends on the essential role of
fever to accomplish myriad tasks when gearing up to fight infections. New
Zealand researcher Hilary Butler has assembled an impressive list of
citations from medical literature to prove this point. We are grateful for
her work, and include these excerpts as an addendum to this article.

"Doctors do a great disservice to you and your child when they prescribe
drugs to reduce fever" says Dr. Robert Mendelsohn, pediatrician and author
of How To Raise A Healthy Child in Spite of Your Doctor. "Fever phobia is a
disease of pediatricians, not parents, and to the extent that parents are
victimized by it, doctors are at fault." Parents are left to fear that
their child's temperature will keep rising unless measures are taken to
control it . "They don't tell you that reducing his temperature will do
nothing to make the patient well or that our bodies have a built-in
mechanism, not fully explained, that will prevent an infection-induced
temperature from reaching 106 degrees F (41 degrees C) (3)

Mendelsohn emphasizes that, "Only in the case of heatstroke, poisoning, or
other externally caused fevers is this bodily mechanism overwhelmed and
inoperative." This would also include drug reactions and overdose.

Fever: Your Body's Defense Against Disease is the title of chapter 7 in Dr.
Mendeloshn's book, and undoubtedly one of the best guidelines ever written
for parents seeking a balanced and accurate perspective of the beneficial
and defensive role of fevers in childhood. He condemns the useless and
dangerous practice of fever suppression through drugs. "If your child
contracts an infection, the fever that accompanies it is a blessing, not a
curse. The spontaneous release of pyrogens cause the body temperature to
rise, a natural defense mechanism needed to fight disease. The presence of
fever tells you that the repair mechanisms of the body have gone into high
gear. It is something to rejoice over, not to fear."(3)

He counters the myth that high fever causes seizures. "Many parents are
fearful of fevers because they have witnessed a convulsive seizure and
believe that their child may experience one if his temperature is allowed
to rise too high. High fevers do not cause convulsions. They result when
the temperature rises at an extremely rapid rate and are relatively
uncommon. It is estimated that only 4 percent of children with high fever
experience fever related convulsions. There is no evidence that those who
do have them suffer any serious aftereffects as a result." (3)

"Fevers produced by viral or bacterial infections will not cause brain
damage or permanent physical harm. Fevers are a common symptom in children
and are not an indication of serious illness unless associated with major
changes in appearance and behavior or other additional symptoms such as
respiratory difficulty, extreme listlessness or loss of consciousness. The
height of a fever is not a measure of the severity of an illness." (3)

Numerous studies have shown that fever enhances the immune response by
increasing mobility and activity of white cells called leucocytes which
disable bacteria and viruses and remove damaged tissue from the body. A
complex sequence of immune activities is activated by fever. Antiviral and
antibacterial properties of interferon are also increased with fever. With
a rise in temperature, iron is removed from the blood and stored in the
liver, further disabling the rate at which bacteria can multiply. Studies
of artificially induced fevers in laboratory animals infected with disease
have shown that elevated temperatures enhance survival, while lowered
temperatures increase the death rate. (4)

There is an exception however. When fever arises in a newborn baby in the
first few weeks of life, there is a heightened level of caution. "Newborn
babies may suffer from infections related to obstetrical interventions
during delivery, prenatal or hereditary conditions, aspiration pneumonia
from amniotic fluid forced into the lungs because of overmedication of the
mother during delivery…and exposure to the legion of germs that abound in
the hospital itself", writes Dr. Mendelsohn who advises parents to seek
medical help if a baby runs a fever in the first two months of life.
Breastfeeding plays a critical role in preventing infections in infants.
Breastfed babies are superbly protected from a vast range of pathogens and
have a lesser risk of developing fevers in the newborn phase of life.

It is known that the blood-brain barrier is not intact until at least 6
weeks of life. This is why fever in very young infants, raises a big
caution flag because of the ease with which pathogens, viruses/bacteria can
gain access to the baby's brain/nervous system creating a higher risk for
meningitis. When medical help is sought for a feverish infant under 6 weeks
of age, it may lead to invasive procedures like spinal taps, antibiotics,
steroids and fever suppressants, which are also not without risk. If a
parent disagrees with the course of treatment, they are likely to encounter
hostility from the medical staff, as recently happened to a Boise area
mother who lost custody of her 5 week old baby when she took her to the
local ER for a check up.

The baby had been fussy and feverish all day, and the mother wanted to make
sure everything was alright. She consented to blood tests, urinalysis,
x-ray and I.V., but declined the spinal tap and wanted to wait for what the
test results might show. She calculated that there was about a 95% chance
her baby did not have meningitis and likely had the same cold the family
had just gotten over. Her decision to forgo the spinal tap and antibiotics
prompted the hospital to call Child Protective Services and the baby was
taken from her. The doctor felt the child's life was in danger because the
mother refused "life-saving treatment", despite the fact that the baby had
improved significantly after some hours on I.V..

It would seem prudent to protect newborn infants during this early,
vulnerable time from exposure to any situation, or procedures that would
put them at risk of developing fevers. Yet, the majority of newborns and
young infants are vaccinated in the first 6-8 weeks of life. Doctors know
full well that the injection of vaccine cocktails containing a brew of
viral/bacterial particles, foreign proteins, adjuvants and chemical
preservatives will likely precipitate a feverish reaction in a large number
of babies. They even anticipate this, and often advise parents to dose the
child with "baby tylenol" prior to going in for the shot(s). And in the
aftermath of vaccination, the standard reassurance given to worried parents
calling the doctor's office with a fussy, feverish newly vaccinated baby,
is "It's perfectly normal - nothing to worry about. Just give the baby some
tylenol."

In their determination to initiate vaccine agendas as soon as possible,
there is a curious and willful blindness amongst doctors in the vaccine
establishment. Why is there no concern about the impact of vaccine induced
fevers in infants during this critical early period of life? Why is it that
if a spontaneous fever arises in the newborn, it is viewed as a potential
medical emergency, but if the fever is vaccine induced, it is brushed off
as "normal" and parents are advised to suppress it with antipyretics?

The medical mindset that imposes vaccine schedules in early infancy
violates a fundamental precautionary principle which disregards the
fragility of the baby and the vulnerability of the immature brain/nervous
system/immune system. Just look at the double standard operative here. On
the one hand parents are cautioned to seek immediate medical help if fever
develops in the newborn, yet are heavily pressured to submit their babies
to multiple vaccines without regard for the fact that these injections are
the primary cause of fever in young infants. Fever is knowingly induced
during these early weeks of life, when all common sense and instinct should
prevail to protect the infant from this outcome.

It is not only the vaccine induced fevers which raise a caution. While the
fever signals the infant's immune response to the artificially implanted
viral/bacterial and chemical agents he/she is forced to cope with, the
bigger question is - what deeper affect do these toxic substances have, now
that they have access to the blood stream, vital organs and the immature
brain/nervous system? And what additional insult to injury occurs when the
resulting fever is then manipulated with antipyretic drugs preventing the
normal mobilization of the immune system?

A new theory regarding a potential cause of autism is currently being
explored by Dr. Anthony R. Torres, M.D., Senior Scientist and Director of
the BioMedical Lab at Utah State University. His hypothesis questions
whether fever suppression is involved in the etiology of autism and
neurodevelopmental disorders.

Dr. Torres is investigating evidence suggesting that the etiology of autism
involves infections of the pregnant mother or of a young child. "Most
infections result in fever that is routinely controlled with antipyretics
such as acetaminophen. The blocking of fever inhibits processes that
evolved over millions of years to protect against microbial attack. Immune
mechanisms in the central nervous system are part of this protective
process." (4)
(top)
"Pathological infections, including vaccinations, commonly result in fever.
For example, 50-60% of young children develop fever after receiving MMR
vaccine", and are routinely treated with fever suppressants. Many parents
report their children slipped into autism following MMR shots. Dr. Torres
has also found that "43% of mothers with an autistic child experienced
upper respiratory tract, influenza-like, urinary or vaginal infections
during pregnancy compared to only 26% of control mothers", suggesting that
in some cases autism may be linked to the "sequella of pathogenic
infections, especially those of viral origin."(4)

Suppressing fever during pregnancy and labour may effect the fetus as
research has shown that acetaminophen "significantly decreased maternal and
fetal serum IL-6", an immune factor the infant is incapable of producing at
birth and depends on from the mother.(4) A press release (Oct./02) from the
British Thoracic Society cautions that a recent study links paracetamol, an
acetaminophen based drug similar to tylenol to childhood asthma when used
by the mother in late pregnancy.(5)

The central nervous system and scores of factors in the immune system work
synergistically to achieve optimum immune function. What affects one
affects the other. Dr. Torres points to evidence that acetaminophen is an
immunosuppresive agent. In highly technical language, he describes the
complex activities launched by the immune system and the many signals
relayed to control centres in the brain when the body is fighting
pathogenic organisms. The activation of pyrogens stimulates the rise of
fever and "production of various cytokines (immune cells) from organs in
the viscera (gut)" - the gut being the primary and largest immune organ of
the body. Key signals carried along the vagus nerve which connects the
gut/brain immune pathways, and which are normally mediated by
prostaglandins, can be blocked by antipyretics like acetaminophen, thereby
derailing the complex sequences of immune signals that flow between the gut
and the brain. (4)

Dr. Torres postulates that the blockage of fever with antipyretics, whether
induced by infections or vaccinations, interferes with normal immunological
development in the brain, leading to neurodevelopmental disorders in
certain genetically and immunologically disposed individuals. The effects
may occur in utero or at a very young age when the immune system is rapidly
developing. (4)

Kathy Blanco, President of CHILDSCREEN www.childscreen.org herself a mother
of autistic children, predicts that these findings will not be popular with
mainstream medicine and are "potentially a public relations time bomb".
Searching for advice on fevers and vaccine reactions on the internet,
Blanco found that the majority advise, 'If your child has a fever during a
reaction to a vaccine, give them acetaminophen'.
"This all too common advice may actually cause autism. However, if Dr.
Torres' groundbreaking theory proves true, it could be the means of saving
thousands of children from becoming autistic."

Currently, a tremendous amount of fear is being whipped up over the
outbreak of SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) in this country.
Health officials are in an uproar, even hinting that this may be the "Big
One" - the pandemic they've been anticipating for years, even though it's
not influenza. Draconian quarantine measures are being implemented, and
some sources are speculating whether this is a training exercise to test
the population's willingness to submit to quarantine in preparation for
biowarfare attack. To date there has been no definitive identification of
the pathogen, although there is speculation that it is a form of corona
virus, the family of viruses found in the common cold. At one point it was
thought it might be related to the paramyxo virus which is related to
measles and canine distemper -there's even speculation that chlamydia could
be involved. The measles virus has been mutating and its footprint
identified in some nasty cases of encephalitis and respiratory infections
in Asia in recent years. Already plans are rolling to start vaccine
development which is surprising since the virus or viral combination is yet
to be identified.

Early reports described SARS as beginning with a dry cough that keeps
getting worse, and that some people get headache, body ache, a
"skyrocketing fever or blotchy rash on their bodies", and as illnesses go,
this one seems fairly "vicious". Treatment? People are given a "battery of
drugs - cocktails of antibiotics and antiviral medications".(6) They're
probably getting strong doses of fever suppressants as well……which has left
me wondering whether antipyretics diminished the immune capabilities of
those who have died from SARS. Is this one of those diseases that needs a
high fever to rally the immune system to optimal output? Are the aggressive
medical treatments actually creating a higher risk of death?

Homeopathic and Naturopathic healing modalities have a long and trusted
history in the prevention and treatment of epidemic diseases. One of the
greatest antivirals known is vitamin C, which has been used with stupendous
success in both the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases. Highly
effective treatment protocols have been developed by administering
ascorbates of vitamin C intravenously in critical situations and are
documented in medical literature and accessible through Dr. Robert
Cathcart's website with links to Dr. Klenner, and Linus Pauling. (7)
Intravenous vitamin C should be available for every patient facing acute
and critical illnesses, but the current medical monopoly blocks access to
this simple and highly effective treatment.

Writes health activist Croft Woodruff, "In the spring of 2000 I referred a
young relative, who was suffering from an acute case of mononucleosis, to a
medical doctor who administered four separate intravenous injections of
vitamin C as sodium ascorbate over as many days. The results were quite
dramatic. The patient recovered completely, albeit with a newly acquired
respect for the power of vitamin C as a healing agent."

Our mistrust of natural processes, and reliance on drug oriented medicine
has obscured our understanding of the importance of childhood illnesses and
the necessity of fever as a vital aspect of the maturation of the immune
system enabling a strong & resilient foundation of health to evolve. When
we discard the old fears and lift the veil of ignorance, we are then
empowered to see with our innate intelligence, the real picture unfolding
in front of us - and recognize that the artificial manipulation of
children's immune systems, via mass vaccination programs, indiscriminate
use of antipyretics and antibiotics, rather than protecting, is threatening
their health - their future.

The encouraging and wise words of Dr. Incao may help us shed old fears and
embrace a new relationship to Nature - "Every childhood inflammation, every
cold, sore throat, earache, fever and rash is a healing crisis and a
cleansing process, a strong effort by the human spirit to remodel the body,
to make it a more suitable dwelling. Anthroposophic and homeopathic
remedies aid and promote this cleansing process and help the illness to
work its way out of the body so that healing can occur."(8) In a personal
conversation recently, Dr. Incao reminded me that - " It takes a while to
free our mind from the imprisonment, and our need to adhere to political
correctness for fear of being judged radical. Illness is part of life. It
is not alien or abnormal and has to be accepted as a part of life. Every
breakdown is a spiritual growth opportunity. We need to learn how to deal
with and work through it - this is part of the new paradigm."
References

Health Canada Advisory, Feb. 13/2003: www.hc-sc.gc.ca/english/iyh/
Philip Incao, M.D. - excerpt from a talk given at NVIC conference 2000
Robert Mendelsohn, M.D. How To Raise a Healthy Child in Spite of Your
Docotor.
Anthony R. Torres, M.D.-Is Fever Suppression Involved In The Etiology Of
Autism And Neurodevelopmental Disorders?" http://autism.rollingdigital.com
5. Press Release, British Thoracic Society (BTS), 28/10/2002
http://www.brit-thoracic.org.uk/admin/a ... ws&-layout
=cgi&- response=news_detail.html&-op=eq&id=209&-search
The Globe & Mail, Mar.17/03 -Cause of Deadly Pneumonia Still Eludes
Scientists
7 Dr. Robert Cathcart MD: at: http://www.orthomed.com/
8 Philip Incao, M.D. Chapter on How To Treat Childhood Illnesses, pge. 61;
The Vaccination Dilemma, and personal communication, April, 2003
Sources of Complimentary and Alternative Healing Modalities:

-Fever in children: A Blessing in Disguise, by Linda B White, M.D. and
Sunny Mavor, Mothering Magazine, Issue 95, July/August, 1999, available on
line at:www.mothering.com
-Sheri Nakken website - great links to homeopathic sources of information
http://www.nccn.net/~wwithin/vaccine.htm.
-Alternatives & Antidotes to Infectious Diseases - Year end VRAN
Newsletter, 2001, lists many alternative healing modalities - available
electronically at: info@vran.org

(top)
EXTRACTS FROM MEDICAL LITERATURE: TYLENOL, PARACETAMOL, IBUPROFEN etc.

Compiled by Hilary Butler

Could the increase in all forms of meningitis and other infectious disease
complications and deaths be because for the last 40+ years, the first thing
parents do at the slightest sign of temperature is push paracetamol? I
believe so, because what you weren't told was this:

"Not all fevers need to be treated but many physicians do so to relieve
parental concern." (Eur J Ped 1994 Jun; 153 (6): 394-402)

"An elevation in temperature following bacterial infection results in a
significant increase in host survival" (Science 1975 Apr 11; 188 (4184):
166-8)

"Many components of the nonspecific host defence response to infection such
as leukocyte mobility, lymphocyte transformation, and the effects of
interferon, appear to be enhanced by elevations in temperature that
simulate moderate fevers. In addition, some evidence indicates that a fever
in conjunction with the changes in plasma iron levels known to occur during
infections is a synergistic host defence response." (Pediatrics 1980, No:
66 (5) : 720 - 723)

"Parental fever phobia and its correlates...surprising, higher
socioeconomic status was not associated with a lesser degree of fever
phobia...undue fear and overly aggressive treatment of fever are epidemic
among parents of infants and young children, even among the highly educated
and well-to-do. considerable effort will be required on the part of
pediatricians and other child health workers to reeducate parents about the
definition, consequences and appropriate treatment of fever." (Pediatrics
1985 June;75 (6) 1110-1113)

"There is no convincing evidence that naturally occuring fevers are
harmful. In contrast, animal studies have shown that fever helps animals to
survive and infection whereas antipyretic increases mortality. Moreover
there is considerable in vitro evidence that a variety of human
immunological defences function better at febrile temperatures than at
normal one." (The Lancet, Volume 337, March 9, 1991)

"Many cytokines are endogenous mediators of fever including interleukin
(IL) -, 1 beta, IL-6 and others. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha may be both an
endogenous pyrogen and an endogenous antipyretic or cryogen."
(Neuroimmunomodulation 1995 Jul-Aug; 2 (4):216-223)

"There is overwhelming evidence in favor of fever being an adaptive host
response to infection... as such, it is probable that the use of
antipyretic/anti-inflammatory/analgesic drugs, when they lead to
suppression of the fever, result in increased morbidity and mortality
during most infections; this morbidity and mortality may not be apparent to
most health care workers..." Infect Dis Clin North Am 1996 Mar;10 (1) : 1-20.)

Acetaminophen can induce pneumonia...'These finding suggest that allergic
mechanism was involved in the pathogenesis of the pneumonitis. Underlying
immunological disorders may have enhanced the occurrence." Nihon Kyobu
Shikkan Gakkai Sasshi 1997 Sep; 35 (9) 974-9) There are other reports of
this as well...

"the results suggest that lung disease (rheumatoid lung) associated with
collagen vascular diseases may be exacerbated by drug-induced
(acetaminophen) pneumonitis." Nihon Kyobu Shikkan Gakkai Sasshi 1997 Oct;
35 (10) 1113-1118)

"Despite our lack of knowledge about its therapeutic mechanism, it has been
claimed to be a safe drug, especially for children... paracetamol syrup
(presumably for children) is extensively prescribed in large
volumes...There is mounting evidence that paracetamol is not the benign
drug that it was formally thought to be... We would question the whole
rationale of prescribing the drug in near epidemic proportions. If it is to
be used as a placebo, then it is a very dangerous placebo... The whole
place of paracetamol prescribing for children has been questioned. While
there is little concern about its use in the short term as an analgesic,
there is considerable controversy over its use as an antipyretic....there
is little evidence to support the use of paracetamol to treat fever in
patients without heart or lung disease. Paracetamol may decrease antibody
response to infection and increase morbidity and mortality in severe
infections...too many parents and health workers think that fever is bad
and needs to be suppressed by paracetamol when, indeed, moderate fever may
improve the immune response...the use of paracetamol in children with acute
infection did not result in an improvement in mood, comfort, appetite or
fluid intake." (Family Practice, Volume 13, No 2, 1996 pgs 179 - 181)

"Fever is rarely harmful. Only extremely high fevers of 42.2C or 108 F or
higher have been known to cause brain damage. Only fevers of 40.5C or 105F
and higher need immediate attention, mainly because they are a clue that a
serious infection could be present "(such as meningitis) (Sunday Star
Times, May 3, 1998, C3) doctor's column.

"Paracetamol has no antipyretic benefits over mechanical antipyreses alone
in ..malaria. Moreover, paracetamol prolongs parasite clearance time,
possible by decreased production of TNF and oxygen radicals. " (Lancet
1997;350:704-709)

"The data suggest that frequent administration of antipyretics to children
with infectious disease may lead to a worsening of their illness." (Acta
Paed. Jpn 1994 Aug;36 (4) 375-378)

"Fever is an important indicator of disease and should not be routinely
suppressed by antipyretics...fever may actually benefit the host defense
mechanism...fever is short-lived and causes only minor discomfort...routine
antipyretic therapy should be avoided byt may be necessary in individual
patients with cardiovascular or neurologic disorders."(Infect Dis Clin
North Am 1996 Mar;10 (1) 211-216)

"Studies of bacterial and viral-infected animals have shown that moderate
fevers decrease morbidity and increase survival rate" (Yale J Biol Med 1986
Mar-April; 59 (2) : 89-95)

"Antipyretic drugs are effective in diminishing fever, but have significant
side effects and may suppress signs of ongoing infections" (Arch Intern Med
1990, Aug; 150 (8): 1589-1597)

Meningococcal Disease: "use of analgesics were associated with
disease...analgesic use was defined as analgesics taken in the past 2
weeks, excluding, for cases, those taken for identified early symptoms of
meningococcal disease. These analgesics were predominantly acetaminophen
products......because analgesics showed a stronger relationship with
meningococcal disease, the use of analgesics may be a better measure of
more severe illness than reported individual symptoms....we cannot exclude
the possibility that acetaminophen use itself is a risk factor for
meningococcal disease" (Ped Infec Dis, Oct 2000, Vol 19, No 10, 983-990)

"Antipyretics prolong illness in patients with Influenza A.... The duration
of illness was significantly prolonged from 5 days(without) to 8 1/2 days
(with). Pharmacotherapy 2000, 20: 417-422) Take two aspirin, prolong the
flu - 2 January 2001 Anne Burke, HealthScout Reporter (also reported by
Reuters medical news...) "Taking aspirin or Tylenol for the flu actually
prolongs the illness by up to 3 1/2 days, say researchers at the University
of Maryland. That is because fever may be the body's natural way of
fighting an infection and taking aspirin or acetaminophen - the generic
name for products such as Tylenol - may interefere with the process. "You
are messing with Mother Nature," Says Dr Leland Rickman, an associate
clinical professor of medicine at the University of California San Diego.
"An elevated temperature may actually help the body fight the infection
quicker or better than if you don't have a fever." "Whatever you do, don't
give aspirin or Tylenol to children who have the flu or any other viral
illness", Rickman said:

"These results suggest that the systematic suppression of fever may not be
useful in patients without severe cranial trauma or significant hypoxemia.
Letting fever take its natural course does not seem to harm patients with
systemic inflammatory response syndrome, or influence the discomfort level
AND MAY SAVE COSTS." (wow!!!) (Arch Intern Med 2001, Jan 8; 161 (1) 121-123)
Chickenpox treated with Tylenol/Ibuprofen provokes bacterial skin
infections into fulminant necrotising fasciitis (Pediatr I(Pediatrics Vol
103, No 4, April 1999, 783-784 and 785-790) (Infect Med 1999 16 (5):307)
Just two of many references for antipyretic induced complications of
chickenpox. (In MMWR - May 15, 1998, Vol 47 No 18. All cases of Varicella
related deaths were treated with antipyretics. No causal association was
investigated or ascribed. The "solution" to the problem was considered to
be mandatory vaccination.)

Hilary Butler - "What you do as a parent, is your choice. Make sure that it
is an "informed" choice. Get the articles referenced, do a med-line search
- retrieve any others. READ the whole articles. Give them to your doctor to
read, and discuss them with him/her. Most importantly, if you feel your
child has an immunodeficiency, get your child tested so that you know what
you are dealing with. How a child handles any infectious disease is
dependant upon the immune system inherited, nutritional status, life-style,
environment and resultant stresses and how the child reacts to them. The
choice is yours."

With appreciation to Hilary Butler and The Immunization Awareness Society,
New Zealand for their permission to reprint this review, published in WAVES
- Vol. 14, No. 4, 2002

[Hennie Duits]

As a (non-American) outsider I would be curious to know how big a problem
this actually is. What percentage of (mainly) children do get
tylenol/param/paracetamol/acetaminophen without any good reason? Are there
data on this? How many family doctors, and parents, have been infected by
the "fear of fever"? How was that 5 years ago/are things getting better or
worse?

Hennie

---

Another interesting article on this. Applies to using these drugs (and
others) for things other than fever also.

SHARE THIS WITH everyone you know!

Sheri

http://64.41.99.118/vran/news_art/artic ... _fever.htm

IS FEAR OF FEVER HURTING OUR CHILDREN?

[Julian Winston]

At 2:46 AM +0200 10/15/04, Hennie Duits wrote:

LOTS!
LOTS.
Can't tell, but there is certain more "fear" publicity!

JW

[Sheri Nakken]

At 02:46 AM 10/15/2004 +0200, you wrote:

worse, in my opinion
In the UK and US it is often given routinely on vaccination day and for
days after BEFORE any reaction - to keep the reaction away (which it
doesn't keep the reaction away - just the fever).
I am constantly teaching on this issue. Also the same in Australia
according to my Australian vaccine-dangers activists and parents on my
lists. It is something I teach constantly on - the need to allow the body
to do what it needs to in relation to fever. I see it as one of the
hardest things parents face - the are DEATHLY AFRAID of fevers. In fact
the current generation of parents are generally so afraid of their child
becoming ill (different from the time when I was growing up in the 50's &
60's). The fear has been programmed into them. Also many not near their
parents or grandparents with more experience - extended families not nearby.

--------------------------------------------------------------------
Sheri Nakken, R.N., MA, Classical Homeopath
Well Within & Earth Mysteries & Sacred Site Tours (worldwide)
Vaccination Information & Choice Network
http://www.nccn.net/~wwithin/vaccine.htm
http://www.nccn.net/~wwithin/homeo.htm
homeopathycures@tesco.net
ONLINE Introduction to Homeopathy Classes
ONLINE Introduction to Vaccine Dangers Classes
ANY INFO OBTAINED HERE NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS MEDICAL
OR LEGAL ADVICE. THE DECISION TO VACCINATE IS YOURS AND YOURS ALONE
Voicemail US 530-740-0561 UK phone from US 011-44-1874-624-936

[Shannon Nelson]

Hi Hennie,

The "fear of fever" is *huge* here!!! Whenever the topic comes up I give my
little rap about how "fever is your friend" and etc., and people are
definitely able to hear it, and find that the explanations make sense, but
they are always surprised at first. Most need to be sort of weaned away
from fever reducing drugs. I usually start by explaining how it's not
necessary. Then if they're still listening I'll move into how it's actually
*useful*, and usually wind up with something to the effect that it might
*sometimes* be justified -- and the one justification I give is if it's at
night and *everyone* needs sleep so you can cope better in the morning, and
you might be able to "buy" sleep with the fever reducer.

But in my experience, moms don't feel like they're doing the "good mother"
thing unless they give Tylenol.

I hear 102 spoken of as a "high" fever, and otherwise knowledgeable (and
"alternative") folks insist that Tylenol should be given if it goes above
that. (But I think that is quite mistaken.)

on 10/14/04 7:46 PM, Hennie Duits at he.duits@wxs.nl wrote:

[Ellen Madono]

Dear Shannon and company,

What do you think is the limit for a high fever? I have never tried making the fear of fevers argument and didn't know about it when my kids were small. I had strong kids, so I just ignored the many fevers and nothing terrible happened. Nervous "good" moms are not like me. I would guess that the nervous mom wants to know what are the limits? When does the fever get "dangerous"? Who is endangered? I used external coolers like ice packs. Is that different than the fever reducers?

The need for sleep argument sounds very good. Can you lay out the "soft" arguement in more detail?

Blessings,
Ellen Madono

[Shannon Nelson]

Hi Ellen,

I should add that *some* of the overuse of fever reducers isn't so much
panic, as an effort to spare the child (and caretakers) discomfort. They're
apt to *feel* better once those (messenger) symptoms have been shot down,
and I guess parents assume that making the child "feel better" will also
help them "get better". (I educate to the contrary!!!!) Plus, you don't
have to deal with such a cranky child! (For us lots of read-aloud and
a few movies filled that role pretty well!)

I'm eager to hear how others view the notion of "high" and how they handle
it. My approach was like yours, except that I never even made to the the
ice packs! Kept losing my thermometer anyway. When I confessed this to
our (homeopath) pediatrician, he confessed that he had the same problem and
didn't think it was very important -- because, he pointed out, temperature
is not really the most important measure of "how sick"! His suggestion,
which I've always followed since, is to *look* at the child (person) -- do
they *look* horribly sick? If so, then worry and act! If not, if your gut
says they just need to "sleep it off", then handle the comfort and
commonsense measures (dress them according to their comfort, encourage rest,
offer plenty of fluids, etc.), and if they seem to need a remedy, call for
it.

In school I was told that the temp won't go above 106 (in a child; I think
less for an adult?) except in a situation such as heatstroke or brain damage
(in which case you haul out the cool baths pronto!). A high fever that
*stays* so high can of course cause all sorts of problems, but the "how sick
does he/she look" measure ought to work there too.

Maybe it's been my good fortune that's let me be so cavallier, but this is
one panic that's never impressed me... (The one time I *did* make good use
of a thermometer was when one of mine had heatstroke, and I *needed* to see
that number coming down! And the remedy did it very well.)
A little more below:

on 10/16/04 9:11 AM, Ellen Madono at ellen.madono@verizon.net wrote:
I don't know whether ice packs are helpful or otherwise. I never did it
just because my kids wouldn't have stood for it, and no one told me I ought
to. For my curiosity -- what effect did you notice, and don't the kids
*hate* it? (I shudder at the thought, LOL!)
All I really meant by "soft", was that I prefer not to go the "you've been
so bad" route. I prefer to bring in what I consider to be better viewpoints
and let people take them on as and when they are ready -- and i do think
that the "soft" approach brings up less resistance! Also I like to make
that nod to reality, maybe because of having been there myself a few times
-- when hell breaks loose in the middle of the night (child not deathly ill,
but screaming and frantic, as my oldest always got from the slightest
discomfort), sleep-deprived parents are not thinking clearly and don't have
outside resources (e.g. homeopath!) available. If you've got your home
prescribing kit and are able to make good use of it, that's *of course*
better than pulling out the Tylenol, but for some folks and situations that
won't be the case. IMO this might be a very reasonable time for a brief
"sell-out" to the wonders of modern medicine, and then you can handle it all
better by daylight.

Er, I guess I'm not a complete purist any more...

Cheers,
Shannon

[Sheri Nakken]

At 10:11 AM 10/16/2004 -0400, you wrote:
making the fear of fevers argument and didn't know about it when my kids
were small. I had strong kids, so I just ignored the many fevers and
nothing terrible happened. Nervous "good" moms are not like me. I would
guess that the nervous mom wants to know what are the limits? When does
the fever get "dangerous"? Who is endangered? I used external coolers
like ice packs. Is that different than the fever reducers?
arguement in more detail?

It depends on the child and the other symptoms.
Some tolerate 105 just fine and others don't.
Do NOT use coolers like ice packs either.
The major risk is of febrile seizure and that is usually went temperature
has been LOWERED TOO QUICKLY.
also if a high fever goes on a long time, then you would wonder why.

A homeopathic remedy that fits the symptom picture will usually start the
healing process and the fever lowers on its own.

I, at 54 years of age, get fevers of 103.5 and always have.

102 is not high and Shannon is right. Mom's nowadays think that is high.

Sheri
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Sheri Nakken, R.N., MA, Classical Homeopath
Well Within & Earth Mysteries & Sacred Site Tours (worldwide)
Vaccination Information & Choice Network
http://www.nccn.net/~wwithin/vaccine.htm
http://www.nccn.net/~wwithin/homeo.htm
homeopathycures@tesco.net
ONLINE Introduction to Homeopathy Classes
ONLINE Introduction to Vaccine Dangers Classes
ANY INFO OBTAINED HERE NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS MEDICAL
OR LEGAL ADVICE. THE DECISION TO VACCINATE IS YOURS AND YOURS ALONE
Voicemail US 530-740-0561 UK phone from US 011-44-1874-624-936

[Ellen Madono]

Dear Shannon,
I like your common sense "how does the child look". Some parents are so overwhelmed by some aspect of child care that they probably have a hard time knowing what common sense is. My kids asked for a cold towel. It's probably a family tradition. A cold wet towel on the forehead and a cold water bottle to hug. Usually I covered the cold water bottle with a towel since it would "sweat" in the bed. Sulphurs stick their feet out of the covers etc. I suppose there is great variety of normal and safe reactions to fevers. Homeopathy is great for giving you a sense for the range of normal pathological conditions. In the current environment of terroist threats in every crack and cornner, it takes a mixture of confidence and warm objectivity to bring nervous folks around to a state where they can use their "common sense." For that reason, I am always looking for the gentle teaching angle and arguement.
Political rectitude is not always warm. Also, objective does not always support confidence building efforts.
Blessings,
Ellen

[Julian Winston]

At 9:45 AM +0100 10/15/04, Sheri Nakken wrote:
My parents too. Fever= hospital= dead.

After I took my first "constitutional" I came down with a terrible
"flu" and fever. I went into a panic. I called the homeopath. He
said, "Hm... 103? That a good working fever! Keep track of it. If it
goes above 104 call me. Do anything you want to feel better-- hot
baths, cold baths, hot drinks, cold drinks, whatever... but don't
take anything. Just wait it out."
I tracked it for three days. It went up and down. Each time it went
down, it was a bit lower. It dropped to 100 on the 4th day, and two
days later I was fine.

Most interesting... "a good working fever."

JW