We have all been raised thinking a fever is bad and we need to lower the fever. In some circles, people even believe a high fever can cause brain damage. For those who are fearful of fevers, listen up!
Before going to Chiropractic College and becoming a chiropractor in Escondido, I was a microbiology major at the University of Long Beach State. In the lab section, we would grow disease causing bacteria in the little “petri” dishes with a nutrient gelatin. The stipulation for the bacteria to grow was that these petri dishes, with the bacteria swabbed from our own throats, had to be in an incubator at exactly 37.5 degrees Celsius. In fact, if the temperature got above 39 degrees Celsius, the growth of the bacteria would dramatically slow down. At 42 degrees Celsius, the bacteria growth would die off.
Guess what 37.5 degrees Celsius is in Fahrenheit? Yes, it is 99.5! This temperature is optimum for growing bacteria. Guess what 42 degrees Celsius, the temperature that bacteria cannot grow, is in Fahrenheit? Yep, 107. In other words, as the temperature of the body increased with a fever, bacteria can no longer survive. Our greatest defense to bacteria infection is a fever.
Next time you get a fever, ride it out. In fact, bundle up and encourage the fever. You’ll be surprised how quickly your flu or cold will go away. If the cold/infection persists and a fever does not develop, you probably need an upper cervical chiropractic adjustment. The reason is that your brainstem at the upper neck oversees temperature regulation in the body. Many times, after a patient gets an adjustment the fever spikes and Hallelujah the infection is gone by the next day.
In good health,
Dr. Ray
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