Culturally, we’re conditioned to suppress a fever the moment it happens. It’s viewed as our enemy, the symptom of being sick. If we can just make the fever go away, we’ll get better…right? Wrong! Fevers play a huge role in helping us move through and recover from illness. And while very high fevers do have dangers, they are pretty rare. A mild fever, such as a fever that most of us will run during an illness, has important impacts on our immune response when we get sick.
Here are some fun fever facts:
Overall, in observational human studies as well as in animal studies, fever enhances infection survival.
Fever discourages the replication of pathogens. Bacteria, viruses and other pathogens are comfortable replicating at our normal body temperature. When our temperature rises and we have a fever, pathogens become uncomfortable and can’t multiply as quickly.
Fever also causes us to produce more of an important white blood cell called CD8+ cytotoxic T cells. This particular type of cell destroys tumor cells, as well as cells that have been infected by a virus.
Fever induces heat shock proteins which are one of the elements that help our white blood cells migrate to an area of infection or to a lymph node to help the body deal with either a local infection or systemic infection.
Fever also activates interferons, which are proteins that are part of our immune system. The type of interferon that is activated with fever is directly antiviral.
So, while a fever is uncomfortable, it’s worth running a fever for the immune benefits we get. These benefits help our immune system become more effective at combatting an infection. If I’m feeling sick and running a low grade fever or no fever at all, I will often induce a fever in a hot bath or in my sauna blanket!
The way a fever makes us feel is also a valuable tool that we want to pay attention to. If you think about how driven we all are to get back to work and be productive, the discomfort of fever discourages us from jumping back into our normal routine too soon. Fever lets us know that we still need to rest and recover. And, as a side note, if you suppress your fever so you can go back to work or school you are probably shedding viral particles and exposing others to whatever virus you are fighting.
It’s also important to keep in mind that suppressing a fever will prolong illness and slow recovery. I’ve seen this over and over in my years of practice in both children and adults. If you consider all of the things that a fever does to ramp up our immune systems, this makes perfect sense.
One fear that parents have is that their child will have a febrile seizure, which is an understandable concern. I had the same concern for my son when he was little. However, most febrile seizures don’t have lasting consequences and this study found that giving fever reducers did not reduce the chance of febrile seizures.
Another question you might have is, ‘When is a fever too high?’ In general, if a fever reaches 102-103F or higher you may want to consider calling your doctor. My personal comfort level is to let my fever run up to 104F and then I will try to bring it down a bit to 102-103F, so that I can be a little more comfortable and get rest. Personally, I still want the immune benefits of the fever balanced with not being absolutely miserable, but your course of action needs to be between you and your doctor.
There are many natural ways to work with a fever without negating its benefits. I have used homeopathy, hydrotherapy, and herbs extensively throughout my years in practice. I put a several of these resources into a Healthy Fever Guide for you to access if you are looking for tips to manage fever naturally.
Disclaimer: Remember that the information in this article is not medical advice. I’m A doctor, but I’m not YOUR doctor and I don’t know your medical history or any other details about your condition.