How to Treat Fever in Children

Host: Temperature up and down, that’s only may be helping the interaction, it could be for more than one reason. But if a kid has a 103, 104, I always try to get the kid’s temperature so he’s comfortable below 102. And I tell parents, if it’s below 102, the kid is laughing and playing, just leave him alone. There is no side effect to any drug you don’t use, is that true? Sunil K. Sood: yeah, that’s right. All the medication has its risks, there is no physiologically make no sense to try to beat a temperature down to baseline. Host: And a little temperature makes the immune system work a little bit better, is that true? Sunil K. Sood: What the fever is telling you is that the body is actively participating in the -- Host: With something. Sunil K. Sood: Right. Host: Could be infection. Sunil K. Sood: It’s the reaction, right. Host: But doesn’t always have to be, could be overdressing for the feet problems. So fever is not a bad thing and actually it’s a good thing, it’s your immune system doing its job. Also a misconception my kid is very sick, has a 104, what I right did, I Aspirin and tylenol, whatever I did, I brought it down to normal, my kid’s okay, that isn’t true. You can have meningitis in the hospital and bring it down, the kid still has meningitis. Sunil K. Sood: That’s right, so that’s what -- you would be refering to as the false sense of security by being able to again flatten the fever go temporarily, and I just don’t think there is any rational for using alternating acetaminophen Host: Oh I agree, oh, I found a person agrees. In fact, using this – really a study said that, motrin, advil products actually decrease the white counts on patients and white blood cells are your soldiers for fighting infection. Sunil K. Sood: That’s right. Host: So may be that isn’t such a good idea and tylenol, which is safer in some situations, all the kids sometimes liver problems, it’s a 100% free risk, it seems to be a little bit safer. So here is the rule, if the kid is okay under a 102, playful, leave the kid along. Sunil K. Sood: That’s right. Host: And if the kid is uncomfortable, and you want him to get comfortable and that’s again is giving a little Tylenol in that situation. Sunil K Sood: That’s right. Host: Also if you got a high fever, alcohol drugs are out. Sunil K Sood: Absolutely. Host: And the reason, I think it was in Ohio, they found a kid actually had toxic levels of alcohol and they started realizing, it gets absorbed to the skin. Sunil K Sood: Correct, yeah. Host: And also if you bring the fever down slowly with a tepid bath if it’s high, a little Tylenol. Sunil K Sood: Yeah. Host: And the kid’s more accomplished, more have to stay down, is that true? Sunil K Sood: That’s right. Otherwise you know you do the risk of the rebound because it – after all again the body is doing what it has to do and mounting this climatic response and the fever will refound. Host: Could you say Mother Nature is smarter than any doctor, it does it for a good reason. Sunil K Sood: We shouldn’t try to improve our nature, right. Host: So Mother Nature does it and you don’t argue with your mother, is that correct? Sunil K Sood: Right. Host: Your mother is always right. Sunil K Sood: Always right, yeah. Host: Again remember her birthday and remember Mother Nature when she does the favor. Sunil K Sood: That’s right. Host: So in other words, leave it along if the kid is comfortable about a 102, it makes sense? Sunil K Sood: They have another rule. They absolutely make sense. They have another rule, when you have chickenpox, you don’t use ibuprofen and that’s the dose actually as study showed similar to this rarely study that ibuprofen actually suppressed the inflammatory response to the point where science of implementation or secondary infection, again the cellulitis due to the flesh eating group A Strep was actually must and the cellulitis and psoriasis wasn’t recognized until. Host: I can’t believe a person agrees the thing. My whole family does agree because all of them know I’m a red slag fan, moving in New York, I have a problem like I found a person at least agrees. Sunil K Sood: Like my son. Host: Oh, of course -- so in other words, fever is not a disease. Sunil K Sood: Right. Host: It could be an indicator more than an infection that always you should find why the kid has a fever in the first place and address those issues, make the kid comfortable, try to get it below 102, and the kids comfortable, you leave him alone, kid said headache and I am calm little Tylenol, make the kid wear full but remember if that kid isn’t playful, the fever is comfortably brought down to a 102 or less, and the kid is very lethargic and there is photophobia. Sunil K Sood: Yeah. Host: That’s a red flag, it’s something more serious going, is that true? Sunil K Sood: That’s correct and that’s where you pediatricians are trained to call that a toxic appearance and suspect. Host: With into the phobia measures or whatever it is.