Fever Reduction Bad? was Chicken Pox

[Guest guest]

Sorry, not sure how to check the archives.

Why is Tylenol bad to use to reduce a fever?????

Thanks!

Laurie

[Guest guest]

Hi Laurie!

The reasoning behind not giving fever reducers is that if you interfere with

nature's way of fighting infections (fever) it is counterproductive and " tricks "

the body into thinking that it isn't ill.

Ideally, you'd let a fever run it's course and try to keep your child

comfortable instead of trying to bring the temperature down. Cool baths or

compresses if the child is sweating and hot, or loose blankets if the child has

chills.

Sometimes a febrile seizure can occur if the temperature climbs rapidly, but

although the seizures are difficult to watch, they are not dangerous and will

pass. The speed in which a temperature rises causes febrile seizures, not the

height of the temperature alone.

A wonderful book explains this subject and many others; it's called How to

Raise A Healthy Child in Spite of His Doctor. The author's name escapes me at

this late hour! This book really helped me and answered a lot of common

questions.

~Take Care!

Connie

---------------------------------

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[Guest guest]

You explained this very well! The author of the book you mentioned is

Mendohlson (spelling?). Good book although written in the 80's.

Sheri B.

constance young <connieyounglmt@...> wrote:

Hi Laurie!

The reasoning behind not giving fever reducers is that if you interfere with

nature's way of fighting infections (fever) it is counterproductive and " tricks "

the body into thinking that it isn't ill.

Ideally, you'd let a fever run it's course and try to keep your child

comfortable instead of trying to bring the temperature down. Cool baths or

compresses if the child is sweating and hot, or loose blankets if the child has

chills.

Sometimes a febrile seizure can occur if the temperature climbs rapidly, but

although the seizures are difficult to watch, they are not dangerous and will

pass. The speed in which a temperature rises causes febrile seizures, not the

height of the temperature alone.

A wonderful book explains this subject and many others; it's called How to Raise

A Healthy Child in Spite of His Doctor. The author's name escapes me at this

late hour! This book really helped me and answered a lot of common questions.

~Take Care!

Connie

---------------------------------

Messenger with Voice. Make PC-to-Phone Calls to the US (and 30+

countries) for 2¢/min or less.

[Guest guest]

Hi Connie,

the author of the book you mention is called Medelssohn. He

used to be an MD in his days and became very sceptical about

allopathic medicine, vaccines and fever reducers during his time as a

doctor. This is when he wrote the book and others.

I read it myself and it is one of the books I recommend very highly to

all new parents who are unsure of how to treat children's health

problems and need info about vaccination. Sadly, the book is no longer

in print but you can probably get it second hand quite easily.

Really worth a read!

The way you describe the importance of fever is just spot on and

Mendelssoun would be so proud of you, so much wisdom...!

Ingrid

>

> Hi Laurie!

>

> The reasoning behind not giving fever reducers is that if you

interfere with nature's way of fighting infections (fever) it is

counterproductive and " tricks " the body into thinking that it isn't ill.

>

> Ideally, you'd let a fever run it's course and try to keep your

child comfortable instead of trying to bring the temperature down.

Cool baths or compresses if the child is sweating and hot, or loose

blankets if the child has chills.

>

> Sometimes a febrile seizure can occur if the temperature climbs

rapidly, but although the seizures are difficult to watch, they are

not dangerous and will pass. The speed in which a temperature rises

causes febrile seizures, not the height of the temperature alone.

>

> A wonderful book explains this subject and many others; it's

called How to Raise A Healthy Child in Spite of His Doctor. The

author's name escapes me at this late hour! This book really helped

me and answered a lot of common questions.

>

> ~Take Care!

> Connie

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Laurie,

here is an excellent article about the usefullness and importance of

fever, by Edda West, the founder of VRAN:

Ingrid

IS FEAR OF FEVER HURTING OUR CHILDREN?

By Edda West - VRAN Newsletter January-March, 2003

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, flu's, 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 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. 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. R. , 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. 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. 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. points to evidence that

acetaminophen is an immunosuppressive 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. 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)

, 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.

' 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. Cathcart's website with links to Dr.

Klenner, and Linus ing. (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

1. Health Canada Advisory, Feb. 13/2003: www.hc-sc.gc.ca/english/iyh/

2. Philip Incao, M.D. - excerpt from a talk given at NVIC

conference 2000

3. Mendelsohn, M.D. How To Raise a Healthy Child in Spite of

Your Doctor.

4. R. , M.D.-Is Fever Suppression Involved In The

Etiology Of Autism And Neurodevelopmental Disorders? "

http://autism.rollingdigital.com

5. 5. Press Release, British Thoracic Society (BTS), 28/10/2002

http://www.brit-thoracic.org.uk/admin/action.lasso?-database=btsnews & -layout=cgi\

& -

response=news_detail.html & -op=eq & id=209 & -search

6. The Globe & Mail, Mar.17/03 -Cause of Deadly Pneumonia Still

Eludes Scientists

7. 7 Dr. Cathcart MD: at: http://www.orthomed.com/

8. 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:

1. -Fever in children: A Blessing in Disguise, by B White,

M.D. and Sunny Mavor, Mothering Magazine, Issue 95, July/August, 1999,

available on line at:www.mothering.com

2. -Sheri Nakken website - great links to homeopathic sources of

information http://www.nccn.net/~wwithin/vaccine.htm.

3. -Alternatives & Antidotes to Infectious Diseases - Year end VRAN

Newsletter, 2001, lists many alternative healing modalities -

available electronically at: info@...

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EXTRACTS FROM MEDICAL LITERATURE: TYLENOL, PARACETAMOL, IBUPROFEN etc.

Compiled by

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 occurring 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 land. 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.)

- " 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 and The Immunization Awareness

Society, New Zealand for their permission to reprint this review,

published in WAVES - Vol. 14, No. 4, 2002

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