At what point does one speak of increased temperature?
The normal body temperature in healthy people is approximately between 36.5 and 37.4°C. The values refer to the core temperature inside the body. An elevated (subfebrile) body temperature is referred to as an elevated (subfebrile) body temperature at measured temperatures of 37.5-38°C.
From values of 38.5°C there is fever, whereas temperatures from 40°C are considered dangerous. Above this value, the body’s own proteins can be destroyed, resulting in organ and tissue damage. It should be noted that newborns and infants are said to have a fever from a core body temperature (measured rectally) of 37.8°C. The core body temperature is usually measured with the aid of a clinical thermometer via the mouth (sublingual), the ear (auricular), the armpit (axillary) or the rectum (rectal). The rectal measurement comes closest to the actual temperature inside the body.
Duration
How long elevated temperatures are allowed to persist or are allowed to persist depends largely on their cause and therefore cannot be generalized. A distinction is also made, for example, between a one-off rise in fever, fever fluctuations during the course of the day (remittent fever), a change between fever and fever-free phases over several days (intermittent fever), a wave-like fever over several weeks (undulating fever) or a recurrent fever at regular intervals (recurrent fever). The duration of the fever can provide information about the underlying cause,
Therapy
Since raising the body core temperature is a sensible and often necessary measure of the body to be able to fight the damaging cause better and more effectively, it is not necessarily advisable to resort directly to antipyretic agents during the phase of fever increase. By raising the body temperature, our organism creates a state of increased activity, so that certain processes, such as the defence against pathogens, can run more efficiently. In addition, it should be ruled out before every initiation of therapy whether the subfebrile temperatures are not merely physiological fluctuations.
If this is not the case, the most sustainable way to reduce the temperature is to find and eliminate the cause (e.g. antibiotic administration for bacterial infections). However, if the temperature rises into the fever range or if the patient is clearly weakened by the temperature increase, medically prescribed antipyretic agents should be used from a temperature of 38.5°C onwards. These then ensure above all that the body is spared.
On the one hand, antipyretic drugs with simultaneous anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects can be used. These include the so-called non-steroidal anti-rheumatic drugs, such as ibuprofen or ASS. Alternatively, preparations can be used which only have an analgesic effect without being able to fight inflammation (e.g. paracetamol).
In addition to taking medication, cold calf compresses or a cold washcloth on the forehead often help to dissipate heat from the body. It is also always important to drink enough fluids to replenish the water lost through sweating. The best household remedy for high temperatures or fever is physical rest and relaxation.
It is also very important to drink enough fluids during the fever phase. The body loses more water through sweating during the fever. This should be compensated by drinking more fluids. Warm teas, for example elderberry blossom tea or lime blossom tea, both have a sudorific effect and thus reduce fever to a certain extent. The following homeopathic remedies belong to the classic homeopathic remedies for increased temperature or fever, especially in connection with colds:
- Belladonna.
- Gelsemium (Carolina Jasmine)
- Ferrum phosphoricum
- Aconitum napellus (blue monkshood)