Also, I get that the fever can get really high at some point, which causes other effects, but why is our body not able to control its response to the infection so as to not do more harm with the fever?
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You control fever when it reaches dangerous levels. I’m in Europe thus we measure it in Celsius (don’t really know units in other units). Usual body temperature is 36.5C when you have fever of 38C your immune system is fighting the infection and you can leave it at that. With no complications your body should get healthy on it’s own. But if you have fever of 39-40C then it becomes dangerous and you need to control fever. Here doctors will prescribe paracetamol, but advice to use it only if fever reaches certain thresholds. And essentially you don’t want to remove fever, just to reduce it to manageable level so your immune system can still fight the infection for you.
Also abusing medicine can lead to resistant or even immune bacteria as it can evolve way faster than bigger animals. I remember when I had covid and fever of 40C and my normal body temperature is 35.5C (I’m that cool), with paracetamol it would come down to 39C still miserable, but somewhat more tolerable.
You control fever when it reaches dangerous levels. I’m in Europe thus we measure it in Celsius (don’t really know units in other units). Usual body temperature is 36.5C when you have fever of 38C your immune system is fighting the infection and you can leave it at that. With no complications your body should get healthy on it’s own. But if you have fever of 39-40C then it becomes dangerous and you need to control fever. Here doctors will prescribe paracetamol, but advice to use it only if fever reaches certain thresholds. And essentially you don’t want to remove fever, just to reduce it to manageable level so your immune system can still fight the infection for you.
Also abusing medicine can lead to resistant or even immune bacteria as it can evolve way faster than bigger animals. I remember when I had covid and fever of 40C and my normal body temperature is 35.5C (I’m that cool), with paracetamol it would come down to 39C still miserable, but somewhat more tolerable.
Dr. Mike claims that immune cells work better at higher body temperatures, which is part of the reason for the fever, and also that you shouldn’t reduce the fever unless it’s dangerously high because it can extend the time it takes to get over the illness.
As for whether he’s right, don’t know, not a doctor.
Dr. Mike claims that immune cells work better at higher body temperatures, which is part of the reason for the fever, and also that you shouldn’t reduce the fever unless it’s dangerously high because it can extend the time it takes to get over the illness.
As for whether he’s right, don’t know, not a doctor.
Research shows you shouldn’t lower your fever with drugs unless you have additional risk factors or your fever gets too high. But if you have a low fever you are likelier to recover faster if you don’t lower your fever.
Research shows you shouldn’t lower your fever with drugs unless you have additional risk factors or your fever gets too high. But if you have a low fever you are likelier to recover faster if you don’t lower your fever.
Basically, our bodies evolved to fight off infection in a good-enough manner. But it isn’t a precision machine, it’s just ‘good enough’. And sometimes, it overreacts, harshly. Our brains gave us the ability to learn and understand and gain control over those mechanisms to help mitigate the overreaction of our natural systems. And we’re pretty good at it. Do a bit of research on how our immune system works- and then on how medication supplements it. It’s a fascinating subject- just don’t be surprised when you learn that our natural defense mechanisms suck horribly compared to our medical advancements, which, funnily enough, is the answer to your question.
Basically, our bodies evolved to fight off infection in a good-enough manner. But it isn’t a precision machine, it’s just ‘good enough’. And sometimes, it overreacts, harshly. Our brains gave us the ability to learn and understand and gain control over those mechanisms to help mitigate the overreaction of our natural systems. And we’re pretty good at it. Do a bit of research on how our immune system works- and then on how medication supplements it. It’s a fascinating subject- just don’t be surprised when you learn that our natural defense mechanisms suck horribly compared to our medical advancements, which, funnily enough, is the answer to your question.
Our biological systems aren’t perfect, not by a long shot. They respond well in certain situations, but they can’t possibly react appropriately in all situations. Evolution is far too slow for these systems to keep up with every change.
There will be circumstances where an immune reaction is not desirable and causes damage. The only thing that matters to evolution is that enough individuals of a species survive to propagate the species. A few dying in extreme situations won’t necessarily prompt adaptations.
A lot of the time, it’s about the lesser of two evils. It’s better to risk complications due to a fever that’s too high, than not respond aggressively to a virus.
Our biological systems aren’t perfect, not by a long shot. They respond well in certain situations, but they can’t possibly react appropriately in all situations. Evolution is far too slow for these systems to keep up with every change.
There will be circumstances where an immune reaction is not desirable and causes damage. The only thing that matters to evolution is that enough individuals of a species survive to propagate the species. A few dying in extreme situations won’t necessarily prompt adaptations.
A lot of the time, it’s about the lesser of two evils. It’s better to risk complications due to a fever that’s too high, than not respond aggressively to a virus.
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