Is suppressing a fever in a child doing more harm than good? Phillip Incao, MD who has practiced medicine for over 33 years seems to think so. He thinks that fevers are “beneficial because our own immune system creates our fevers and that fevers are our main defense against our body’s toxicity. Having a fever is a great cleanser of the body and a critical part of developing a child’s immune system. An immune system that is vigorously exercised through fevers in childhood, will be stronger as an adult; rather than one that has been suppressed since birth with vaccinations, antibiotics, and fever reducing medications”.

Dr. Incao feels that fevers, colds, flu, strep throat, diarrhea and vomiting are the immune systems way of expelling toxins from our system. He says, “The crucial fact is that the symptoms of the illness are also the healing of the illness”. He said that is because our symptoms are caused by inflammation, and inflammation is what our immune system does in order to detoxify and heal us. When we try to eliminate symptoms with Ibuprofen, Tylenol, decongestants or antibiotics, we are diminishing the healing and cleansing power of our innate immune system.

It is important however, he said, to objectively observe your sick child, to assess if the fever is dangerous. If the child is becoming weaker and weaker, losing eye contact or growing cool or pale then a doctor or emergency room should be visited.

Otherwise, they should rest and not be running around. Keep them warm, but not so warm as to cause sweating. The body needs to be hot to burn out the illness.

“ Every inflammation, in children or adults, every cold, sore throat, earache, fever, rash is a “healing crisis”… an intense action of the immune system to cleanse and detoxify the body…. a strong effort by the human spirit to remodel the body so it can be a more suitable dwelling”.