Search Results for: blog treating fevers

Amazing Sick Day

You know that you’ve angered someone, somewhere, when you wake up after a restful night of sleep and your child is whimpering with a temperature of 103. I’m not sure who I upset but my son was not a happy camper mid-week and this has certainly had its effect on the remainder of the week and my ability to do all sorts of things. There are lots of bad things when you have a sick child. Lots. You have to reschedule your life around the baby. You have to quickly figure out who’s going to skip work (or what babysitter … Continue reading →

Using Infant or Children’s Tylenol May Increase the Risk for Asthma

When little ones have a fever or pain, the drug of choice is usually Tylenol, or acetaminophen. It does the job quickly and without the risk of Reyes Syndrome, a serious and sometimes fatal disease that can develop when a child is given aspirin for fever. While there has been a lot of new lately concerning the safety of children’s cold medication (which should not be used for babies under two), it seems that we may have to also be concerned with the use of acetaminophen, too. The medical journal Lancet published a study that found that infants who were … Continue reading →

Witch Hazel

Despite the spooky name, this tree has nothing to do with witches! The name comes from an Old English word meaning “pliant” because the flexible branches made good bows for archers. Witch hazel is native to most of North America — the only place the tree is hard to come by is in the far west. It tends to grow in moist areas and prefers light woods and rocky streams. The tree prefers partial shade and sandy or peaty soil. Native Americans made a tea from the leaves and bark of the witch hazel tree. The tea was used to … Continue reading →

Pain Medicine: Acetaminophen

As an alternative to aspirin, acetaminophen has been around a long time! The FDA approved acetaminophen in 1951. This medicine is both analgesic (pain reliever) and antipyretic (fever reducer). You may know acetaminophen as: Tylenol and others — more than 200 medications include acetaminophen. How does it work? Acetaminophen relieves pain by elevating the pain threshold — in other words, it takes more pain for you to feel the discomfort. Acetaminophen reduces fever by telling the heat regulating part of the brain to cool things down when the body’s temperature is above normal. Acetaminophen is available in many different forms, … Continue reading →

Fever, Fillings & Five Minute Naps

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Just a few days ago, I was talking about My Spouse Won’t Go To The Doctor and the difficulties we cope with when these situations come up. Monday night, I was confronted with this particular situation head on again. As a mother and a wife, it’s rare that the needs of those different roles come into conflict with each other – but Monday was a different story. Monday Morning My daughter woke up with a relatively high fever Monday morning. It’s important to note that she rarely, if ever runs fevers, even when she’s had very bad ear infections she … Continue reading →

Baby Sniffles: What NOT To Do

Has your little one been sick yet? They’re miserable, congested, can’t sleep (which in turn means you can’t sleep) and just generally cranky! Up all night, you pace, try sitting in the steaming bathroom, and maybe sometimes your desperate enough to use cold medicine? This could turn out to be a fatal error. The CDC is now issuing a warning to parents that they should never give their infants cough or cold medicine without talking to a physician. Recently, a medical examiner ruled that cough and cold medicine was the underlying cause in the death of three infants, ages 1 … Continue reading →