FEVERS

  Fever is the elevation of the body temperature above normal range of temperature is around 98.6 F (37 C). The rectal temperature is around 0.5 to 1 F (0.3 to 0.6) higher. The "thermostat" for fever regulation is in the hypothalamus of the brain. Fever may be remittent (a daily rise and fall of temperature); continued (temperature constantly stays above normal); intermittent (temperature falling to normal or below each day, then rises again); hectic (marked by temperature swings, chills and sweat); and relapsing (fever alternates with one or more days of normal temperature).

  Fever is a symptom not a disease, therefore, discovering its cause is a high priority. This is most difficult during the onset as there are few concomitant symptoms. Simple remittent fevers are often related to colds, coughs, flu, and other simple infections. Please compare the information in those chapters for confirmatory symptoms. Continued fever is common in scarlet fever, typhus, typhoid, pneumonia, etc.. Intermittent fever is related to diseases likes malaria. Hectic fever is seen in septic conditions like a localized infection from TB, internal abscesses, blood poisoning. Relapsing fever is seen in diseases like tick borne-born and louse-born relapse fevers.

  Fever may also be concomitant to several chronic constitutional syndromes. Any fever that is over 101 F for more than a sort period of time needs to be assessed by a medical professional. Any fever that rises suddenly to high temperatures, such 103 to 104, needs immediate professional help as this can be a sign of a serious condition. The remedies given here are for simple, uncomplicated fevers as any other type of fever may need professional attention.

Materia Medica

ACONITE (3). Colds, inflammatory, and simple remittent fever. Useful at the onset of fevers, especially if they are caused by exposure to dry cold winds, chilling the body after heating and check perspiration. The onset is sudden and accompanied by general dry heat, red face, burning, intense thirst, and a full bounding pulse. In some cases there may be immediate chill immediately followed by a hot head, red face which spreads to the entire body. This remedy suits plethoric, robust individuals who become fearful, anxious and restless with agonized tossing about with fever. Wants to be uncovered. Worse < evenings, night and midnight, in a warm room, when rising from bed. Better > by a critical sweat, open air.

ANTIMONIUM TART (1). Gastric and intermittent fever. Coldness, trembling, and chilliness. Copious cold clammy sweat with great faintness. Tongue is coated thick white, with red edges. Gastric and bilious concomitants, nausea comes in waves, retching and vomiting. Patient is increasingly weak, sweaty, becomes drowsy and relaxed with lack of reaction. Great rattling of mucus in the chest when breathing. Pulse extraordinarily accelerated form the slightest motion. Vertigo alternates with drowsiness, great despondency. Worse < warmth, warm rooms, warm wraps, warm weather, sour things and milk. Better < belching, expectorating, vomiting, eructation, lying on right side, and sitting erect.

ARSENICUM (2). Colds, flu, hectic, septic and continued fevers. Fever worse < midnight and 2 AM. Externally cold internally burning, chills irregular, shaking, craves hot drinks but drinks in sips. Burning pains relieved by heat. Shortneess of breath, wheezing and fears suffocation. Anxiety, restlessness with great exhaustion with nightly aggravation. Continually changes places. Thinks it is useless to take medicine. Worse midnight or after midnight, 11 PM to 2 AM, periodicaly, very 14 days, yearly, ices, cold drinks or foods, vegetables, watery fruits, bad meat, food, exertion. Better > company, heat, warm drinks and food, waram wraps, hot applications, motion, sweating, open air, lying with head elevated. Head feels better > by cold but limbs are > by heat.

BELLADONNA (3). Colds, inflammatory and simple remittent fevers. Intense heat, very high fevers with a hot head, flushed face, glistening red eyes, dilated pupils, throbbing carotids dry heat and burning but little or no thirst. Violent, sudden onset with a tendency toward delirium and spasm. Heat may steam out of the body with a sweat that does not relieve. Some may have a hot head yet cold feet and extremities. Fever accompanied by spasms, shocks, jerks, twitching, starting in sleep, and convulsions. Desires to escape, hallucinations, frightful images, and furious responses. Worse < touch, motion, noise, draught of air, looking at bright, shinning objects, 3 PM, night, after midnight, while drinking, uncovering the head, summer heat, lying down. Better > Rest, standing or sitting erect, warm room.

BRYONIA (2). Very useful in flu, simple remittent, colds and continued fevers. Fever with intense, dull, stupefying headache with sensations as if the head would burst at the temples, sharp pains over the eyes, faintness on rising up, and dry lips and mouth with tongue coated white in the center, and great thirst for large amount of cold water at fairly long intervals. Chill with hot head and red face, dry cough with stitches, rheumatic pains all over the body that are worse < motion and better > rest. Sour oily sweat after slight exertion. Pull is full, hard, tense and quick. Irritable, wants to be left alone, everything put him out of humor. Worse < least motion, raising up, stooping, coughing, exertion, deep breathing, becoming hot in room.

FERRUM PHOS (2). Colds, inflammatory and simple remittent fevers. Useful in early stages of fever where it stands midway between sthenic remedies like Acon. and Bell. and asthenic remedies like Gels. and Bapt. Simple fever without concomitant symptoms and of unknown origins esp., in those who are nervous, sensitive, and anemic with false plethora and easy flushing. Full, soft, round flowing pulse, less bounding than Aco. and less flowing then Gels. Drowsiness with rush of thoughts, eyes half open in sleep, and prostration. Worse < night, 4 to 6 AM, motion, jar, cold air, checked sweat. Better > cold application, lying down.

GELSEMIUM (3). Useful in colds, flu, simple remittent and continued fevers. Chills run up and down the back, or chill alternates, or is mixed with heat. Fevers marked by aching, tiredness, heaviness, weakness and soreness. The patient is dull, drowsy, dizzy, droopy eyed, faint and trembles. Great muscular weakness, relaxation, lack of co-ordination and prostration. Thirstless with the heat. Wants to half recline, be held, or lie down quietly. Apathy and indifference regarding his illness answer question slowly. Desire to be left alone because they feel so tired. Worse < humid weather, spring, dampness, 10 AM, motion, bad news, thinking about his ailments. Better > sweating, reclining with head held high, bending forward, profuse urination.

MERCURIUS (2). Flu, colds, gastric and hectic fever. Profuse perspiration without relief. Sweat oily, foul, our or with sweetish penetrating odor on head and chest, stains things yellow. Creeping chilliness or heat and chill intermixed. Tongue, moist, swollen, flabby, yellow, indented with increased saliva and bad smell. Intense thirst for cold drinks. Slowness in answering questions, irresolution, constantly changes his mind. Worse < at night, sweating, drafts, taking cold, lying on the right side, when heated, extremes of cold and heat, cloudy, damp weather. Better > moderate temperature, rest.

NATRUM MUR. (1). Colds and Intermittent fevers. Chill between 9 and 11 AM. Heat with violent thirst which increases with fever. Heat with the most intolerably violent head pains, shuddering over the back, and sweat in arm-pits and on soles of feet. Fever-blisters around the mouth. Irritable, gets in a passion over trifles, depressed worse < by consolation. Worse < alternate days, periodically, 9 to 1 AM. Better > open air, cold bathing, sweating, rest, going without regular meals, rubbing.

NUX VOMICA (2). Flu, colds, gastric fevers. Chilly, must be covered at every stage of fever. The body is burning hot, esp. face, yet can not move or uncover without feeling chilly. Aching in the back and limbs with gastric symptoms and constipation. Perspiration, sour on one side of the body only. Very angry, sensitive to all impression, can't bear noises, odors, light, etc. Sullen, irritable, and faultfinding. Worse < morning, after eating, touch, mental exertion. Better > from a nap, if allowed to finish it, in evening, while at rest.

PHOSPHORUS (1). Remittent and Hectic fevers with small, quick pulse, viscid night-sweats. Heat comes up from the spine, palpitations with anxiety, patient craves cold, iced drinks. Strong ebulitions of blood and throbbing of carotids, heat flying all over the body, but first the hands. Fever towards evening, with anxiety, on going to bed, in bed, at 5 PM, then heat with thirst and internal chilliness, then heat and sweat all night. Excitable, impressionable, anxious and restless toward evening and twilight. Wants company and sympathy, fearful when alone. Worse < change of weather, wind, cold thunderstorms, lightning, putting hands in cold water, getting wet, twilight, lying on left or painful side, on back, emotions. Better > lying on right side, cold food, cold, open air, washing with cold water, sleep, massage, eating, in the dark.

PULSATILLA (2) Simple fevers, colds, flu. Chilly yet averse to heat in warm stuffy rooms with pain, on lying down at night. Chilliness or heat without thirst. One-sided pains, sweats, coldness and numbness. Dry heat of body in evening, with distended veins and burning hands, that seek cool places, at night in bed, night and morning. Fever with heat of one part and chill of another, perspiration usually profuse during the night. Suitable for mild, gentle, yielding, emotional, tearful persons who crave sympathy and feels better from consolation. Worse < warm stuffy rooms, in bed, getting feet wet, evening, night, at twilight, rest, beginning motion, eating rich foods, fats, ice cream, pork, eggs. Better > cool fresh air, gentle motion, cold applications, uncovering, erect posture, cold foods and drinks though not very thirsty.

RHUS TOX (2). Colds, flu, hectic, inflammatory and continued fevers. Chilly, as if cold water were poured over him followed by heat and inclination to stretch the limbs. Sweat < during the pain with sleepiness. Yawning with stretching during a chill. Easily chilled, worse < least uncovering with pain in limb. Rheumatic pains, tearing, shooting, stitching, worse < rest and first motion and better > by continual motion. Continued fevers, typhoid like, with dry brown tongue, sordes, loose bowels, and great restlessness. Extreme restlessness with continual change of position. Great apprehension at night, can't remain in bed. Mind and senses becomes cloudy. Worse < cold, wet rainy weather, after rain, at night, exposure to wet, cold, air, draught and storms and at rest. Better > continued motion, heat, hot bath, warm wrapping, rubbing warm application, warm dry weather.

SUPLHUR (2). Remittent fevers. Frequent flushes of heat, violent ebullitions of heat throughout entire body, dry skin and great thirst. Constant heat on top of heat, hot, burning, sweaty hands, burning of the soles at night, wants to put them out from under the covers. Ascending affects, rushes of blood, flushes of heat, vertigo, etc. Night sweats on the nape and occiput. Useful after other remedies when fever seems to burn the patient up, the tongue is dry and red. Patient is first sleepless and restless but soon becomes drowsy. Worse < at rest, standing, stooping, warmth of bed, washing, bathing, morning, 11 AM, night, periodically, suppressions. Better > dry, warm weather, lying on right side, drawing up limbs.