How to bring down the temperature in a child without drugs

Increasing the temperature in a child is a frequent symptom of many diseases. Moreover, sometimes the temperature rises in healthy children. In the case of any disease, it is necessary to adhere to a certain course of treatment, in the case of other causes of fever, you can do without drugs. It is necessary to learn in more detail why fever develops in children and how it can be eliminated.

Temperature increase mechanism

The mechanism of temperature increase is quite complicated. In the human brain is the center of temperature regulation, it is located in the hypothalamus. When we catch cold, the cells of the immune system produce interleukins - inflammatory mediators. They, acting on the hypothalamus, shift the temperature equilibrium in the direction of increasing temperature.

A similar mechanism works in any inflammation in the body.The temperature can be from subfebrile to hectic (40-41 ° C). The severity of fever is directly dependent on the severity of inflammation and reactivity of the body. Individual characteristics determine that some people never have a fever with a cold, while others increase it quickly and significantly. Also on the hypothalamus affect some metabolites of the body, because the temperature may increase with endocrine disorders.

In addition, the failure of thermoregulation occurs in the event that a person is long in a stuffy room, in the sun or in a bath. In children, the temperature rises faster than in adults. Another mechanism for the occurrence of fever due to the processes occurring inside the brain. Some people have strong emotions, feelings and even thoughts that can affect the hypothalamus and increase the temperature.

It should be borne in mind that in children the hypothalamus is not yet fully formed. The body of a newborn child behaves like a cold-blooded one at all - it cools quickly at a low temperature and heats up at a high temperature. In older children, thermoregulation is also not perfect.For example, if an adult enters a stuffy room, he begins to sweat and breathe more often, thereby cooling his body. The child still does not know how to do it, because he is starting a fever.

The reasons for the increase in temperature

This symptom may appear due to various diseases, pathological conditions or non-pathological changes in the body. The most common causes of temperature increase are as follows:

1. Cold. Regular acute respiratory viral infections can contribute to an increase in temperature from subfebrile numbers to persistent febrile. Children are more likely than adults to respond to a respiratory infection by fever. By itself, the cold is not particularly dangerous if it is not the flu. However, one should beware of complications and be treated by a doctor.
2. Pneumonia. This is the main complication of ARVI, although it occurs not only as a result of respiratory infection. With pneumonia, the temperature can rise significantly and reach 40 ° C. In addition, if all the symptoms of respiration are gone, and the cough and fever remain, you should immediately consult a doctor.
3. Intestinal infection. In children, it occurs as often as respiratory.Like any other pathogen, intestinal infection causes fever. In this case, the child may have diarrhea, vomiting, anorexia.
4. Inflammatory diseases. In children are less common than in adults. It can be appendicitis, pyelonephritis, cystitis, and any other pathological condition. Particularly high temperature figures gives pathology of the kidneys. All of them must be treated in the hospital.
5. Thyrotoxicosis. So called endocrine disease, in which the increased levels of thyroid hormones. This speeds up the metabolism, the child quickly loses weight, he has tachycardia, tachypnea, increased eyeballs, hyperactivity, fever in the absence of inflammation or infection. Such a child is always hot.
6. Rare tropical diseases. A disease such as malaria can cause a fever. At what, it should be borne in mind that in the CIS countries, it also occurs. All that is needed is a mosquito of the genus Anopheles and source of infection. For example, if a neighbor visited Africa, where he contracted malaria, and then came home, he would not be able to infect a child. But, if the same mosquito with a difference in a month bites a neighbor, and after - a child, then the child will have malaria. The mechanism is complex, for our latitudes the disease is very rare.
7. Psychogenic disorders. Sometimes, for particularly sensitive children, the temperature rises simply because they are nervous. This is especially common in schoolchildren and adolescents. A psychotherapist should work with such children.
8. Stay in the sun. In the summer, children should go outside only in a headdress and play only in the shade. They are more adults get heat and sunstroke. At the same time, body temperature can rise to significant numbers.
9. Stuffy room or warm clothes. Especially often these factors cause a rise in temperature in children of the first year of life. Children perceive the temperature of the environment is not as adults, but they are not always cold. The room should be warm, but not hot.

Ways to combat the temperature

To begin with, it is necessary to determine in which case it is impossible to treat the child independently. If there is even the slightest suspicion of an infectious or inflammatory process, you must contact your pediatrician. A child with high fever should not be taken to the clinic, it is better to call the doctor home.If, after five days of treatment, the temperature does not decrease, and the cause of the disease remains unclear, he may even be placed in the infectious disease ward in the isolated Meltzer box.

In case the temperature is not caused by a serious illness, you can try to fight it yourself. There are the following proven methods:

1. Let it be as it is. The advice sounds strange, but it is worth remembering that during the infectious process, temperature is a way of combating the body. If a child's ARVI manifests itself with a temperature, you can not touch it at all. Up to 38 ° C in children over 5 years old, you can not shoot down anything. The fact is that at high temperatures, bacteria and viruses multiply worse, which helps the immune system to get rid of them. The only condition - the child feels fine, despite the fever.
2. Reassure the child. In some children, the temperature rises due to their excessive activity. The child runs, is overstimulated, he is red and wet. If you measure his temperature - it will be high. And if it was high before that, it will be even higher. A child with a temperature must comply with bed rest.
3. Cool it down. This is especially true of infants.If the child is restless, naughty and his temperature is high, most likely you just heated him. Ventilate the room, open the baby and put on his clothes easier. Often this solves all problems. The same can be done at a temperature in older children. The main thing now is not to overcool the child. In the nursery there should always be a room thermometer.
4. Cool rubdown. Old-fashioned way, which has not lost its relevance. It should be noted that the water temperature should be at room temperature (not less than 25 ° C). Wipe the baby with a damp sponge. In addition, you can pour it with cool water, but not abruptly and with a satisfactory general condition.
5. Drink plenty of water. The child can be given teas, juices and water at room temperature (in any case, not from the refrigerator!). Lushe prefer citrus fresh juices that contain a lot of salicylates, which reduce the temperature. You can also tea with raspberries, rich in vitamin C, or lemon.

There are many other ways to bring down the temperature, some of which can be dangerous for a child. Here is a list of what you can not do:

1. To wipe the baby with ice. Of course, this will bring down the temperature, but the process itself is more like torture. The child will be unpleasant, painful and cold. In addition, this way you can aggravate a cold or chill a child if he was healthy before. It is especially not recommended to apply ice to the head. There are special bags (bubbles) for ice, they can be applied. Just ice is impossible.
2. Cold wet socks. Another effective way to reduce the temperature and earn pharyngitis or laryngitis. The fact is that the vessels of the pharynx and larynx are reflexively connected with the legs. If we overcool the legs, the vessels of this area spasm and inflammation occurs. This explains why a child who was running through puddles yesterday has a sore throat today. Because of the socks will be the same. It is worth remembering that laryngitis in children is extremely difficult.
3. Rubbing alcohol or vinegar. Remarkable effective method that can lead to intoxication. Inhaling the vapors of these fluids is not recommended even for adults, and even more so for children. In addition, with the help of alcohol and vinegar, you can easily leave a burn on delicate baby skin. It is better to do just water.
4. Wash down the drugs with citrus juice. The impression may be that the more funds struggle with temperature, the faster it will decrease. This is true, but not in this case. Juice and drugs can together give the strongest allergic reaction up to anaphylactic shock. Therefore, first one thing, and after a couple of hours - another.

Thus, we can conclude that the temperature in a child may arise due to various reasons. If this is a serious disease that worsens the general condition, you should contact your pediatrician. In other cases, you can try to reduce the body temperature at home on their own. However, it is necessary to strictly adhere to the recommendations and not to use prohibited methods.

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