Fever Treatment, Reasons For
By Calvin Thrash
Fever Therapy, or artificially inducing a higher body temperature in the treatment of certain diseases, has been studied for many years, and the application of heat to the body to stimulate or speed healing is a common practice worldwide, especially in Europe. While some studies have been cautiously optimistic or contradictory, fever treatments have been enormously successful in combatting disease. While all of the action of fever therapy is unknown, there are certain actions of a raised temperature that are clear.
White Blood Cell Count Increases
When the body temperature is raised, white blood cells increase in the peripheral blood. This immune response makes more of the body’s sentinels available to combat whatever foreign matter or organism may have infected the system. In addition, chemical substances are released from the white blood cells that facilitate foreign elements and bacteria being destroyed (phagocytized) by macrophages or leukocytes. This increasing of the phagocytic index, or the amount of invaders a white blood cell can destroy, is crucial in overcoming disease and reducing recovery time.
Flushing of the Skin
A fever produces flushing of the skin, which creates several beneficial effects. Blood flushes the skin, where fixed macrophages can aid in cleansing the blood and in weakening bacteria or toxic agents that may cause inflammation. This makes the bacteria more susceptible to destruction by the immune system. In addition, the skin contains a wonderful mechanism to rid the body of waste products and other impurities, and increasing blood flow to the skin helps facilitate this action. During a fever treatment, the pores copiously produce sweat, helping to cleanse the blood and tissues from impurities as well as products of infection.
Heat Dissipating Mechanisms are Activated
During the fever therapy, the heat conserving mechanism is reversed, and heat dissipating mechanisms are activated. This heat dissipation mechanism includes flushing of the skin, opening of the hands and abduction of the limbs, sweating, deep breathing and relaxation of muscle tension, shivering and goose flesh. All of these actions speed the immune response and facilitate a return to a more normal, healthy state.
Virus Replication Inhibited
Studies have shown that many viruses must maintain a fairly narrow temperature range in order to thrive and replicate. When the temperature rises, viruses cannot survive for long, while normal body cells can withstand oral temperatures as high as 107˚F without damage (some studies achieving temperatures between 110˚F and 111˚F!), although this type of fever therapy must be administered by professionals in a tightly controlled setting, usually involving anesthesia and specialized equipment. Viruses are greatly inhibited in their activity and replication with only modest raises in bodily temperature from 101˚F to 103˚F. This type of fever therapy can be accomplished by hot baths or infrared saunas fairly easily, with an able assistant; although in certain applications the temperature must be maintained for up to an hour. In this setting, the fever itself, as part of the immune response, helps deter and eliminate the virus, by interrupting the replicating process of the virus.
Cancers of various type have been reportedly shrunk or weakened by fever therapy. In the 1800s, many reports of this type of response to fever therapy were reported, with some resulting in a complete remission. In more modern settings, fever therapy has been used to weaken the tumor, and make it more susceptible to cancer-fighting agents. Some cancers have been successfully treated with direct heating via ultrasonic waves, while systemic fever therapy has been used in other studies. Apparently, the increased immune response, as well as the weakening of the abnormal cancer cells by repeated artificial inducement of moderate to high fever gives enough stimulus to the body’s own defense mechanism to turn the tide and provide destruction of, and remission of cancerous tumors in these instances. While most studies have used hydrotherapy or other fever-inducing methods in combination with chemotherapy or radiation, the effects of fever therapy alone on cancers should not be overlooked. In systemic immune malfunctions, such as cancer, treatment protocols must include a comprehensive approach; and while fever therapy may be helpful, a total program must be implemented.
While an extremely elevated temperature (>105˚F), prolonged over many hours can be debilitating, most fevers are actually helpful to the immune system and part of the body’s own mechanism for combatting disease. Artificially induced fevers, by hot water, cloths or infrared heat, of controlled duration, taking care to keep the head cool and maintain proper hydration, can provide remarkably positive results in many situations, and should be tried before more radical efforts. For specific directions, follow this link.
