h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Nice article Farlander, you're very consistant that way.
This seems like the appropriate place to ask, and you the appropriate expert. What about that old adage "Starve a Cold, Feed a Fever"? I've never held much belief in it. If I'm hungry I eat, if not I don't. I take plenty of fluids any time I feel ill. I'm not sure anyone really follows "starve a cold, feed a fever" but whenever you get a cold or flu someone HAS to say it. This also brings up another fallacy I see from reading your article. A cold is a fever (slight to 102 as you say). So what kind of infections cause a lowered temperature?

hi, count zero! thanks

i think that what you would need most where infections are concerned for your immune system to be working properly. and i don't think a functional immune system can be attained by starving yourself!

i have yet to come across an infection that causes lowered temperature. of course when you get infections like malaria and dengue, you get the chills, but your body temperature isn't exactly plummeting... well, at least i don't *think* it does... if anyone finds an infection that turns people to ice, i would be very much interested to research it.

I also heard that taking asprin or paracetamol to lower a fever might not be a good idea, since the temperature is 'doing' something to help get rid of the infection. No idea if this is true or not and I can't remember where I heard that, so it probably falls into the old wives tale branch of modern medicine .

well, yeah, in a way. most pathogens are adapted to temperatures close to our body temperature - most won't survive past 40-42C. the idea is that the body raises the temperature to a level where it is infavourable for the pathogen (er, ok ok, more like, kill). of course, it's also a matter of how long the fever lasts... a temperature that's not good for a pathogen isn't likely to be good for you in the long run either our bacteriology lecturer used to warn us not to take paracetamol unless we had had the fever for more than two days running...

A slight fever is ok. But a temperature of 103f or above can cause brain damage if it persists for very long. If a fever goes much above that and doesn't respond to anti-inflammatories then hospitalisation is required and a cooling bath is usually used.

I read somewhere that the old wives tale should be:
'*If* you starve a cold you'll have to feed a fever'

Thanks for the info Farlander.

I learned something and you reinforced some of the things I was doing right. Suprised about the vitamin C though.



YB

Sorry, I meant