If the body raises its temperature to kill bacteria, why is it bad to take a hot shower when you have a fever?
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It depends what you mean by raises its temperature to kill bacteria.
If you mean a raised body temp is high enough to kill the bacteria then no, that’s not what it is doing.
The raise in body temperature is to give a boost to the immune system which works better at a higher than normal body temp. and it is this which then kills the bacteria. So the killing of bacteria with a raised body temp. is a more indirect method of killing bacteria.
However, I can’t remember ever being told by a doctor to not take a hot shower when I have been sick. In fact, the opposite is true. The old remedy of cold baths or showers to treat a fever is not recommended.
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