Is it possible to bring down the temperature

Why it is believed that the temperature should not be knocked down too early

A high temperature, that is, fever, is a sign of a huge number of diseases. But most often we encounter it when we catch SARS or the flu. Therefore, we sit at home and think whether it's time to reach for the package of pills so that our head stops cracking, or is it worth the wait.

In the recommendations and medical textbooks, the phrase has been prescribed for so long that the temperature, if it has not reached 38, 5 ° C, should not be reduced, that, it seems, this postulate is unshakable. We ourselves wrote about this when we recommended how to treat ARVI.

Until now, there are two camps of researchers. Some believe that it is necessary to let the temperature work, because this is the body's natural defense reaction to infection and some bacteria and viruses die in the process. Others argue that fever itself does more harm than good. Neither side has exact evidence.

Why can the temperature be brought down if it is not high?

Gradually, a caveat began to penetrate into the recommendations for the treatment of infections: if a person (especially a child) does not feel well even at a lower temperature, then it is better to give him an antipyretic agent.

How high the temperature rises has always been important to doctors. So they could identify the infection. But there is a study that says that no matter how high the temperature rises, it is not at all an accurate diagnostic criterion for the severity of the disease.

That is, a seemingly logical thought: "I have a slight fever, so nothing serious, but if it was over 39 ° C, then yes-ah, then something terrible is coming" - is not confirmed.

You can lie with a temperature of 40 ° C for a couple of days and no longer remember about it, but you can go to the hospital with complications with the classic 37, 2 ° C in a couple of weeks.

Pediatricians generally recommend not to measure the temperature of a sick child, but to give painkillers - paracetamol or ibuprofen - just to make the person feel better. Most likely, the temperature will also decrease, well, okay, just to feel better.

And most importantly: there is no evidence that exposure, persistence and high temperatures, which are not tried to be lowered, help to recover faster. In general, fever has little effect on the rate of recovery. And this means that it is quite possible to bring down the temperature if it is unpleasant for you to endure even 37, 2 ° C.

Fever can be a sign of very serious problems, but, as a rule, the patient's well-being leaves no doubt that things are bad and an ambulance should be called. Well, if, with a common cold or even flu, your head breaks and joints ache, then there is no point in scoffing at yourself and waiting for the thermometer to reach the 38.5 ° C border in order to finally rush to the antipyretic.