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The Doctors Book of Home Remedies for Seniors: Fever

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Fever

When you’re older and you get sick, you may not feel as hot as you used to. Literally. “Older people usually don’t get as high fevers as young people do in the presence of infection. A person in her twenties or thirties might have a temperature of 104°F, but an older person might have 101°F or maybe only 99°F,” says Peter V. Lee, M.D., professor emeritus of family medicine at the University of Southern California School of Medicine in Los Angeles.

Why that’s the case is a bit of a mystery. Certain medications, such as sedatives or antitremor drugs for Parkinson’s disease, can inhibit your body’s ability to generate a fever, says Thomas C. Rosenthal, M.D., professor and chairman of the department of family medicine at the State University of New York in Buffalo. Mostly, though, it’s just natural for older people to run lower fevers when they’re sick.

Even a low fever is one you have to watch, however. For someone over 60, a temperature reading that hovers around 100°F for more than 24 hours could be a sign of a high-grade illness or infection and warrants a visit to the doctor, says Dr. Lee. “A fever is the same thing as rapid heart rate or elevation of blood pressure. It’s a signal that something is wrong,” he says.

If you do have a mild fever caused by a cold or flu, here are some suggestions to make you more comfortable.

Try This First

Keep up with the fluids. A fever can cause you to lose almost an extra quart of fluid a day, Dr. Rosenthal says. So make sure you drink eight or more eight-ounce glasses of fluid per day. Plain old water is the best, but juices and clear sodas can also help you keep hydrated. Avoid liquids that have caffeine or a lot of sugar in them. They can actually cause you to lose more water in the long run.

Other Wise Ways

Take two and.......you know. Take two regular or extra-strength acetaminophen or aspirin. These medications can bring the fever down and make you more comfortable, Dr. Rosenthal says. Non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen can also help and may hold the fever down longer.

Don’t overdo exercise. If you already exercise, you can continue to do so even while you have a low fever. But don’t overdo it. You can’t sweat out a fever. If you normally run or jog, switch to a walking pace when you’re sick. “Go ahead and move, but don’t push yourself,” advises Dr. Rosenthal.

Managing Your Meds

If you’re allergic to a medication, one of the ways your body will tell you is through fever. But it won’t always happen right away, says Peter V. Lee, professor emeritus of family medicine at the University of Southern California School of Medicine in Los Angeles. If you develop an unexplained fever, sometimes accompanied by a rash or joint pain, within 7 to 10 days after taking a new drug regularly, you might be allergic to it. Talk to your doctor immediately about a substitute.

If you’re taking aspirin for your fever, it’s important to remember that many medications may interact with it, warns W. Steven Pray, Ph.D., R.Ph., professor of nonprescription drug products at Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford.

Take a quick dip. If you’re feeling uncomfortable and want to cool off, give yourself a sponge bath or a good soak in the tub but keep the water lukewarm. You don’t want to plunge into a very cold or very hot shower, because that could make you feel dizzy and affect your balance, says Susan Black, M.D., doctor in private practice in Tewksbury, Massachusetts. If you have a fever, the lukewarm water will actually feel cool and soothing.

Don’t starve a fever. Starving yourself while you have a fever won’t really affect the fever, but it can make you feel weaker and sicker. Although you may not have very much appetite when you’re sick, do try to eat a little something, even if it’s only a cup of broth and some crackers. “If the food doesn’t upset your stomach, it’s fine to eat,” Dr. Black says.

Figure out what your base temperature is. Because people over 60 can run temperatures that are cooler than younger adults, it pays to learn what your normal temperature is when you’re not sick. Dr. Black suggests that you take your temperature when you are well for a week, every morning and again after 4:00 p.m. each day to get a sense of what’s normal for you. A problematic fever is two points or more above your normal temperature.

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