Understanding Fever And Home Remedies You Could Use

How you can help yourself and your family with home remedies for fever

Some commonly known herbal teas that can help you cope with fever include ginger and peppermint. These two herbs are relatively mild. Ginger is especially useful in the event of a fever that is accompanied by chills. Peppermint is useful for fevers associated with sore throats. Other useful herbal teas for fever include elder flower and yarrow.

Both David L. Hoffmann, B. Sc., M.N.I.M.H (Alternative Medicine – The Definitive Guide) and James A. Duke, Ph.D (The Green Pharmacy) pointed out how meadowsweet can be used to reduce fevers.

Echinacea is another well-known herb that can help stimulate the immune system and act as an antimicrobial in helping your body fight the infection.

Many natural health doctors believe that watching your diet can actually help you recover better from fever, or the underlying illness triggering the fever.

Eating light (e.g. steamed or boiled vegetables, soups or herbal teas) helps your body focus on recovering, rather than on digestion. So if you lose your appetite when you have a fever or are recovering from one, it is your body’s way of telling you to reduce your food intake. So don’t force yourself to eat.

But you definitely need to load up on fluids. Stay hydrated with water, juices, teas or soups. The liquids will help to cleanse out the toxins and keep the respiratory tract from drying out.

Keep away from sugary stuff. Sugar, especially refined sugars, decreases the number of white blood cells your body produces and suppresses your immune system. So while fruit juices may contain lots of vitamin C, do be wary of consuming them while you have fever. If you must have fruit juice, dilute it first. Avoid milk and other dairy products as they tend to depress your immunity. Also, reduce or stay away from meats altogether until your body recovers.

Other things you can do to cope with your fever include dressing in light weight clothing.

Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners believe that light sweating can help to break fever. So a light blanket or a lukewarm soup can come in handy. However, do be careful not to induce too much sweat as this could weaken your body’s ability to fight off the infections.

References

Trivieri, Jr., Larry, and Anderson, John W. Alternative Medicine: The Definitive Guide. 2nd ed. New York, USA: Celestial Arts, 2002. Print.

Balch, James F., MD, and Stengler, Mark, ND. Prescription for Natural Cures: A Self-Care Guide for Treating Health Problems with Natural Remedies Including Diet and Nutrition, Nutritional Supplements, Bodywork, and More. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc, 2004. Print.

Duke, James A., PhD. The Green Pharmacy. New York, NY: Rodale, 1997. Print.

Pages: 1 2