Lifetime Wellness Chiropractic

You  Give   Me Fever
 

Every time you have a Cold or Flu, you experience a fever. 

Both are caused by a similar viral strain ... a "flu" is really just a

more serious cold. Most people believe that the right action to

take is to reduce that fever with aspirin, ibuprofen, etc.

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BUT ...IS IT?

What we call a "fever" is nothing more than a measurement of the body’s increased metabolic activity, similar to how a car runs hotter towing a load up a steep hill because it's doing more work.

This temperature ramp-up is due mostly to increased:
 

• respiration and heart rate to get more oxygen                                               energy depot surplus needed to drive the operation

• lymphocyte and antibody production                                                             troop increase needed

• activation and mobilization of lymphocytes in lymph glands                    troop training

• liver enzyme function and kidney filtration rate                                           troop maintenance, clearing out the vanquished

• spiking fevers so lymphocytes can locate and kill antigens                        seek and destroy missions

                                         

                                       ...all done intentionally by the innate intelligence to do battle with the little buggers.

SO ...A FEVER IS GOOD?

ABSOLUTELY.  Several vitally important immune system processes can only become activated with the 1 to 4 degree increase, the most important being the maturation and mobilization of lymphocytes in the lymph glands that are the staging ground for launching an immune defense. Without this temperature activation, there is little to no "targeted" response, so you stay infected much longer.

Interestingly, cold-blooded creatures like reptiles, fish, and insects lack this inner heat factory, so to activate their immune response they have to seek warmth (like lying exposed in the sun) to raise their core temperature. Or, in the case of infected bees, they raise the local temperature of the hive through increased physical activity.

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IT CAN'T BE THAT BAD TO TAKE AN ASPIRIN or TYLENOL, CAN IT?

Actually - according to the National Institutes of Health - it can be fatal:

“Taking fever-reducing drugs (antipyretics) not only negatively affects patient outcomes by prolonging symptoms, but also increases mortality by 5% in those infected with influenza.” (nih.gov)

Just to be clear, there are uncontrolled fevers that are very dangerous, but these are very rare, and found in much more serious conditions such as deep infections, extreme chronic inflammation, sepsis, organ pathology, or neurological injuries.

 

But in the case of a common cold or flu ...you're interfering with an immune system response millions of years in the making that knows what to do. Most of what people think is the right thing to do is simply a Big Pharma sales pitch designed to make you run to your MD and buy more drugs!

SYMPTOM RELIEF DRUGS ….MIRACLE or CURSE?

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Yes, with a cold there will be sneezing, coughing, runny nose, fatigue, watery eyes, joint pain, muscle soreness ...you know the drill. But, again ...these symptoms are not the illness; these are the immune system's response meant to keep the invading organisms up and away from the lungs and deeper structures, where it can kill you. No one ever dies of a head cold, but if it goes down into your lungs ...it could mean lights out.

 

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So taking these cough-suppressants, antihistamines, NSAIDS - all these drug-based cold remedies that suppress your symptoms - might give you some relief, but they will prolong your cold significantly and open you up to deeper infection.

A FEW WORDS ABOUT ANTIBIOTICS

First, read this next sentence aloud:

         ALL COLDS ARE VIRAL, AND ANTIBIOTICS ONLY WORK ON BACTERIA

So never, ever take them for a cold. All you’ll do is wipe out all the friendly flora in your gut and you’ll get sicker. They should be called, “antibacterials” to stop the damn confusion! Oh, but the profits: doctors report that "if the patient comes in for help ...we can't let them leave with nothing!"

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GOING BAREBACK

“The common cold is a self-limiting, moderately contagious viral upper respiratory tract infection caused by about 200 different types of viruses. Around a quarter of people do not experience symptoms when infected with a cold. Symptoms of the common cold may include cough, sore throat, fever, watery eyes, nasal congestion, runny nose, and sneezing.”

That statement above is off the interwebs .....so you know it's true. But seriously, please note that:
 

• a cold is “self-limiting” ...which means it will heal on it’s own without treatment

• is only "moderately" contagious 

• one quarter of those infected have no symptoms 

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WHAT I DO

Like a muscle, the immune system will atrophy and weaken if not used.  Fever reducers do nothing but de-activate your immune response. So use yours by letting it do it's thing!

At the first sign of “something” - it can be a dry, scratchy tickle sensation in the back of the throat, or a runny nose, or fullness in the ears, or cloudiness in the head:
 

• GARGLE with warm salt water as soon as possible as in ...keep salt packets with you. Do this every 4 hours for the first two days or until you feel the build-up of mucus in the back of your throat lessen. Then 2-3 times a day until you're well. This kills the bacteria that are interested in feeding (and multiplying) on the increased mucous. 

• HYDRATE ...with water and/or tea, light soups and broth.

• LISTEN ...to your body: if you’re not hungry, don’t eat.

• ELIMINATE ...all sugars, severely reduce starches.

• REST YOUR BODY ...lie down, relax all muscle activity.

• REST YOUR MIND ...get into a passive, non-stressing state. This is much more important than most realize. 

• OBSERVE YOURSELF ...as you go through the illness. Honor your Innate Intelligence by letting it do its job.

• GET ADJUSTED ...get in ASAP for w stress-relieving immune system tune up.

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Will it be comfortable to do this? Hells no! You're sick! But symptom relief drugs just stop what your body is doing to fight the infection, so you'll be sick for a much shorter duration. 

         

QUESTIONS? Contact me, or better yet ...come in for that adjustment!!