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High fever is a symptom of many diseases. Accompanied by headaches, chills, body aches and loss of strength, it brings a lot of discomfort to a person who, at the same time, tries in every possible way to reduce it. Nevertheless, doctors and scientists insist that this is not always advisable. And they explain in detail why in their numerous publications. And they also attach to them a list of special products that can, if not knock her down, then at least alleviate the patient’s condition.
What you need to know about temperature
A body temperature above 36-37 ° C is considered high. In the process of raising, before it reaches its peak and stops, the person feels a feeling of coldness, although he himself is on fire. And few people know that 36,6 ° C is not a standard. Moreover, depending on the time or various factors, such as exercise, food intake or sleep, it can change, and this is absolutely normal. Typically, the highest body temperature becomes at 6 pm and the lowest at 3 am.
By raising the temperature, our immune system tries to fight off the infection. The mechanism of its work is quite simple: such increases lead to an acceleration of metabolism, which in turn contributes to the destruction of pathogenic organisms in the blood.
If a person leads a healthy lifestyle, she succeeds. However, the temperature can sometimes rise too quickly. This is a serious problem that can lead to complications. In this case, it is important to take antipyretics in a timely manner and increase the amount of fluid consumed. This will allow you to quickly establish thermoregulation.
Is it always necessary to bring down the temperature
According to Western therapists, if the temperature has risen slightly, you should not bring it down. Indeed, at this moment, the immune system successfully neutralizes the bacteria and viruses that provoked the disease. It is advisable to take antipyretics only if such changes bring discomfort. And also if the 38 ° C mark is exceeded on the thermometer. From that time on, it ceases to be insignificant and requires urgent intervention from the outside. The obtained indicators need to be rechecked every couple of hours.
By the way, the 38 ° C mark is only true for the temperature that is measured in the mouth. If a person is more accustomed to holding a thermometer under his arm, you need to lower it by 0,2-0,3 ° C and start taking antipyretics earlier.
In no case should you ignore the high temperature in children. It can provoke the development of febrile seizures, or febrile seizures in them. Most often, they appear at the age of 6 months – 5 years and can recur with subsequent diseases accompanied by a high fever.
Feeding at temperature
For a speedy recovery, doctors recommend following a few tips, namely:
- Increase fluid intake at the time of the disease. It can be water or juice, as long as they are drunk every three hours a glass. They will help not only restrain the rise in temperature, but also saturate the body with vitamins, and increase its defenses (in the case of juice).
- Eat more fresh fruit… They are quickly digested and enrich the body with useful substances. Nevertheless, it is still better to focus on grapes, apples, oranges, peaches, lemons and pineapples. But it is better to refuse any canned food. They are rich in preservatives that can only make things worse.
- Useful at very high temperatures switch to easily digestible food… These can be steamed vegetables, vegetable soups, oatmeal, boiled eggs, yogurt, etc. Saturating the body with energy, they are nevertheless quickly digested, preserving its strength to fight infection.
Top 14 high temperature foods
Green tea or juice. You can replace them with water, compote and even harmful soda, as one well-known children’s doctor said. Drinking plenty of fluids is the key to success in combating high temperatures. It is appropriate even when taking antipyretics, especially since the latter are especially effective in combination with a sufficient amount of liquid. This is explained by the fact that it allows you to effectively cleanse the body of toxins and establish thermoregulation processes. It also prevents the multiplication of viruses and bacteria, which prefer dehydrated cells.
Citrus. Oranges and lemons are extremely rich in vitamin C. It is responsible for the functioning of the immune system and helps the body to cope with infection faster. In addition, lemon allows you to regain lost appetite and relieves nausea. There is an opinion that 1 grapefruit, 2 oranges or half a lemon can bring down the temperature by 0,3 – 0,5 ° C. Nevertheless, they are allowed only if the cause of the increase in temperature is not a sore throat. First, they annoy him. And, secondly, they create favorable conditions for the development of pathogenic organisms.
Basil. It has bactericidal, fungal and disinfectant properties and is considered a natural antibiotic in many countries. Moreover, it not only eliminates fever, but also acts directly on the cause of its occurrence, helping the body to heal faster.
Raisins. Oddly enough, but it is dried grapes that effectively fight high temperatures. It contains antioxidants and vitamin C that can increase the body’s defenses.
Oregano (oregano). It is used in Chinese medicine. It lowers fever, relieves nausea and indigestion. It is also used to treat respiratory and throat ailments.
Fig. It contains a lot of water (according to various sources, from 40 to 90%) required during this period, is quickly digested and prevents diarrhea.
Vegetable soup is an excellent refreshing and easily digestible dish. Doctors advise be sure to add carrots and a clove of garlic to it. Those help to speed up metabolism and increase immunity.
Boiled potatoes. It digests quickly and prevents diarrhea. And the added black pepper and cloves to it, make this dish especially effective for colds and coughs, if they are accompanied by a temperature.
Apples. 1 apple a day saturates the body with fluid, as well as many vitamins and minerals, including iron, which is necessary to maintain normal hemoglobin levels and good immunity.
Boiled eggs, preferably quail. They contain a huge amount of nutrients, increase the body’s defenses and are easily absorbed.
Milk and lactic acid products. It is a source of calcium, which is essential for recuperation at temperatures. If possible, it is better to add live yogurt or biokefir to your diet. In fact, these are probiotics that are responsible for gut health. But it is on him that immunity depends. In July 2009, an interesting publication appeared in the journal Pediatrics, stating that as a result of recent research it was found that “probiotics are highly effective in treating fever and cough. Moreover, they act like an antibiotic on children ”. But constancy is important here. The studies involved children from 3 to 5 years old who ate live yoghurts for 6 months or more.
Oatmeal. It is very nutritious and healthy. Saturating the body with potassium, sulfur, sodium, magnesium, phosphorus and other substances, it helps to strengthen the body and speedy recovery.
Chicken bouillon. It is a source of fluid and protein, which are essential for the body at high temperatures. By the way, a handful of vegetables also endows it with antioxidant properties, thanks to which it becomes especially useful for a weakened immune system.
Ginger. A lot is written about this root vegetable, and there are explanations for this, since it has anti-inflammatory and strong diaphoretic properties and helps the body to cope with infection, effectively reducing the temperature at the same time. Most often they drink tea with ginger. But it is useful only at low temperatures (37 ° C). If it rises to 38 ° C or more, ginger is contraindicated!
How else can you help the body at a temperature
- Remove fatty or spicy foods from your diet. They provoke diarrhea.
- Eat small meals 5-6 times a day. Overeating inhibits digestion and can trigger nausea.
- Refuse fried and unhealthy foods, as well as meat. The body needs to spend a lot of energy to digest them, which it could send to fight infection.
- It is undesirable to smoke and drink alcohol, as they can only aggravate the situation.
- Ventilate and humidify the room regularly.
- Refuse coffee. It reduces the body’s defenses.
- Try to cool the body in every possible way by removing an extra jacket or lowering the temperature in the room by a few degrees.
- Minimize your intake of sweets. Sugar slows down the virus suppression process.
- Minimize the consumption of raw foods, as they are less digestible.
- Replace tight clothing with loose, comfortable clothing. During this period, the body needs to relax as much as possible, improve blood circulation and ensure an adequate supply of oxygen to the lungs.