Fever: Therapy

In case of prolonged fever (> 4 days), very high fever (> 39 °C) or severe feeling of illness, a doctor must be consulted! Babies with fever always belong to the pediatrician. Older children should be presented to a physician in the following cases:

  • The fever rises above 38.5 °C.
  • The fever persists for more than three days.
  • The child refuses to drink, loses fluid and becomes dehydrated.
  • The child is well, but vomiting lasts longer than twelve hours (if the child is not well, earlier to the doctor!).
  • The child is well, but diarrhea lasts longer than two days (if the child is not well, earlier to the doctor!).
  • The child has severe abdominal pain or cramps.
  • The pain is getting worse despite treatment.
  • The child convulses.
  • The child has a skin rash or shows symptoms of ear pain or breathing difficulties.

Adults should be presented to a doctor in the following cases:

General measures

  • Observance of the general hygiene measures!
  • Bed rest and physical rest (even with only a slight fever; patients with aching limbs and fatigue belong in bed, because there could be myocarditis / heart muscle inflammation) as a result of infection).
  • Fever below 38.5 °C does not necessarily need to be treated! (Exceptions: Children who are prone to febrile convulsions; old, weakened people; patients with a weakened immune system).
  • Do not wrap children (especially infants) too warm, so that it does not come to a heat buildup.
  • Calf wraps can help lower the temperature, which often leads to an improvement in the condition.
    • Principle: The calf wrap leads to the withdrawal of heat energy in the form of evaporative cooling. The moisture from the wraps is evaporated by body heat, thus extracting heat from the body. As a result, fever from 39 °C can be lowered by 1 to a maximum of 1.5 °C within 60-90 minutes. A more rapid reduction puts too much strain on the circulation. When the body temperature is lowered by one degree, the application is terminated.
    • Procedure: Two cotton towels (eg towels) soak well in lukewarm water and do not wring out too much. If one uses room-warm (22 degrees) or even up to 30 degrees warm water (it is quite enough if the temperature difference is ten degrees), one avoids moreover the unnecessary frightening of the patient / child.
    • Then wrap the wet cloths around the lower legs. When wrapping always both calves are wrapped separately. The cloths should reach from the ankles to just below the knees. The so wrapped legs to avoid soaking the bed on an absorbent or waterproof pad.
    • Duration of application: the calf wraps are left for a maximum of 20-30 minutes (for children: renew wraps every 5 to 15 minutes) until the fever is reduced by one to two degrees. In this case, the legs are covered in any case.

    Attention. Calf wraps are useful only when the legs and also the rest of the body are warm. In cold limbs, they should not be used in any case.

  • After the fever still a fever-free day of rest, if necessary, even longer (mainly bed rest and stay indoors).
  • Nicotine restriction (refrain from tobacco use).
  • Alcohol restriction (abstaining from alcohol)

Conventional non-surgical therapy methods

  • Antibiotic therapy for bacterial infections or secondary bacterial infections or superinfections, if necessary.

Regular check-ups

  • Regular medical check-ups in cases of prolonged fever (> 4 days), very high fever (> 39 °C), or severe feeling of illness

Nutritional medicine

  • Adherence to the following specific nutritional recommendations during illness:
    • Sufficient fluid intake!Since there is heavy fluid loss during the course of a febrile illness, fluid intake in adults with kidney and heart health should follow the following rule of thumb: for every degree of body temperature above 37 °C, an additional 0.5-1 liters per °C should be consumed. Teas are most suitable. Risk patients are especially young children and the elderly, because they “dry out” very easily.
    • After a “tea rusk diet (duration: three days; as long as no other diseases speak against it), a light whole food diet is recommended. Within the framework of this diet, the following foods and preparation methods should be avoided, as experience has shown that they often cause discomfort:
      • Voluminous and fatty meals
      • Legumes and vegetables such as white cabbage, kale, peppers, sauerkraut, leeks, onions, savoy cabbage, mushrooms.
      • Raw stone and pome fruit
      • Fresh bread, wholemeal bread
      • Hard boiled eggs
      • Carbonated drinks
      • Fried, breaded, smoked, very spicy or very sweet foods.
      • Too cold or too hot food
    • Due to the fever, there may be a deficiency of vitamin C. In addition, vitamin C is important for the immune system. Foods rich in vitamin C are vegetables such as spinach and fruits (oranges, strawberries, kiwis, currants), which are also well tolerated during an infection.
  • Other special dietary recommendations depending on the cause of the fever.
  • After recovery, if necessary, nutritional counseling based on nutritional analysis.
    • Selection of appropriate food based on the nutritional analysis
  • See also under “Therapy with micronutrients (vital substances)” – if necessary, taking a suitable dietary supplement.
  • Detailed information on nutritional medicine you will receive from us.

Sports Medicine

  • After febrile viral infections – but also after other febrile illnesses – one should pause with sports activities for at least one week to avoid myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) as a consequence. Even after that, the training activity should be increased slowly, until after a few days can be trained again at the usual level.