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[-] bhamlin@lemmy.world 118 points 2 years ago

Because your body can (and sometimes does) overshoot the mark and kill things it isn't intending to kill with heat. It also uses up your stored energy meaning you must eat more and more often.

Better to make your body stop overheating itself, and trap heat with coverings. If you get too hot, it can be modulated by reducing or adding cover. And external heat like a water bottle can bring temps up quickly, and keep you at raised temps safely.

There is also the discomfort from a fever as well. Too much discomfort will lead people to make possibly bad decisions. Pain management is always something to keep in mind.

[-] mjsaber 40 points 2 years ago

Also, at a high enough level (104 F), the proteins in your brain start to denature, which leads to death.

[-] bhamlin@lemmy.world 25 points 2 years ago

Yup. Your body is hardcore. Too hardcore for itself, even.

[-] FlihpFlorp@lemm.ee 17 points 2 years ago

reminds me of that shame meme

Me: body why are we so hot Immune system: bacteria can’t live in this heat for prolonged period Me: But neither can we loads gun_shame.jpeg

[-] allidoislietomyself@lemmy.world 9 points 2 years ago

This is not true. While a 104 fever likely indicates a severe illness or infection the body can safely have a fever in the 104 to 106 range. It's around 108 that brain damage becomes a concern and that is usually also due to environmental factors like a kid being left in a hot car.

[-] mjsaber 2 points 2 years ago

To my knowledge, proteins can start to denature at 104F, depending on the protein and other factors like pH. Around 106F, proteins in the brain will start to denature, regardless of other factors.

[-] Crackhappy@lemmy.world 36 points 2 years ago

As soon as I start to feel like I might be getting sick, I immediately take as hot a bath as I can stand for about an hour then immediately cool off with cold water. Seems to do the trick quite well the majority of the time. My partner will go through the full illness while I can mostly nip it in the bud.

[-] RoquetteQueen@sh.itjust.works 31 points 2 years ago

You don't usually need to lower the fever. We do it for comfort, mostly. Being feverish feels bad. One of my kids can tolerate a fever so I don't usually give her fever reducing medication. The other one gets so miserable that she won't stop screaming, so I give her the medication.

[-] 9point6@lemmy.world 23 points 2 years ago

We don't like to be hot

It's not necessarily a good idea to do that though, particularly if you are able to endure the fever

[-] thesohoriots@lemmy.world 20 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)
[-] MutilationWave@lemmy.world 6 points 2 years ago

Own your shit. /s is for cowards.

[-] invertedspear@lemm.ee 14 points 2 years ago

Paraphrasing my doctor: infections have evolved to the point the fever isn’t effectively contributing to fighting the infection, but we never evolved to stop making the fever. Since it doesn’t do us any good, we might as well be as comfortable as possible while our immune system does it’s part.

[-] BeatTakeshi@lemmy.world 6 points 2 years ago

Is there anything out there supporting this claim? I watched the video of the (probably) biologist above, explaining exactly the contrary

[-] thepreciousboar@lemm.ee 14 points 2 years ago

Indeed you should if you are not too hot. For diseases that can be cured otherwise do that first (antibiotics for batterial infections), there are still not good medicines for virus infection, so better let your body fight the infection and decrease your temperature only if too high

[-] lol_idk@lemmy.ml 7 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)
[-] superkret@feddit.org 7 points 2 years ago

Because it doesn't feel nice.
But if you're lowering every fever, you're doing it wrong.

[-] Revan343@lemmy.ca 4 points 2 years ago

Paracetamol also isn't particularly good at reducing fever, even though it is often used with that intent. Ibuprofen is generally more effective

[-] unwarlikeExtortion@lemmy.ml 4 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

I always thought while both serve both functions, paracetamol was more on the antipiretic side (i.e. lowers body temperature) while ibuprofen was more of an analgetic (pain reliever).

Also, you can take both at once although then you shouldn't take them as long. And always take the minimum effective dose (or preferably none if you can manage), but that applies to OTC non-prescribed medicine, not just to these two.

[-] Revan343@lemmy.ca 3 points 2 years ago

Wikipedia says it's the opposite, with paracetamol being less well studied for antipyretic effects, but what studies there are showing little effectiveness

[-] unwarlikeExtortion@lemmy.ml 2 points 2 years ago

Oh. Thanks, then I had it the wrong way. I still remeber it from school and going to the doctor as a kid. Must've swapped them.

[-] Revan343@lemmy.ca 5 points 2 years ago

The scientific consensus may also have just changed since then, I'm not sure how recent most of the studies are

[-] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 1 points 2 years ago

Yeah as someone allergic to opiates both at once is what doctors prescribe me.

this post was submitted on 12 Oct 2024
120 points (100.0% liked)

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