J&D Ultracare has been taking care of medically fragile children for over 30 years. As professionals in our field, we know a lot about how to take care of a child properly, but new parents might make some mistakes along the way. Here on the blog, we’re going to give medical advice to make sure that every parent reading our posts is making informed decisions for their children.
A lot of mistakes can be born out of thinking that something is common sense. As an example, think about what you would do if you had a child with a fever. It may seem natural to think that you need to treat it immediately, but that might not actually be the case! It’s important to leave most fevers alone because it give the child the ability to fight off infections. On The Daily Beast, Dr. Paul Offit wrote a great editorial on why we need to get over our fear of fevers:
“Fever isn’t an illness. It’s the body’s attempt to fight illness. So when we treat fever with antipyretics, like acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen, we only handcuff an important part of our immune response. Although it might seem counterintuitive, several studies have now shown that antipyretics increase the severity of infections. The time has come to get over our fear of fever.”
If you’re interested in learning more, click here. It’s a fascinating read that goes over numerous studies that prove that curing a fever can ruin the body’s ability to recover from the illnesses it’s trying to fight.
However, this doesn’t mean that fevers should never be treated. There are of course exceptions to this rule. Take a look at your child and see how it’s reacting to its fever. If he or she is still happily playing around while staying hydrated, you shouldn’t have to worry. However, if your child looks incredibly unwell, has an abnormally high fever, and their condition hasn’t improved in three days, we highly recommend that you see a pediatrician.
Seeing a pediatrician is important because you want to make sure that the actions you’re taking to cure the fever will not harm the child. They will be an excellent source of information, as they will tell you exactly how to take care of the situation. In extreme situations, your pediatrician may recommend that you alternate acetaminophen and ibuprofen to take care of the fever. If that’s the case, there’s a fantastic blog from Seattle Children’s Hospital that covers everything you could ever want to know on the topic.
We at J&D Ultracare care about the health and safety of our patients more than anything. If you are one of our clients and have questions about how to take care of your child, feel free to contact our nurses at any time.