Naturopathy

The term fever is applied to a condition of the body where the temperature has gone above the normal, which in health ranges between 98.4degree F and 99.5degree F.

Naturopathy believes that fever develops in a body only when the system is in a condition of internal uncleanliness. Fever is a direct manifestation of an acute disease but at the same time it represents the effort of the body to expel the poisons which have accumulated in it. If the fever is allowed to run its course in a natural manner, the sufferer would be in better health than before after the body has thrown off the affliction.

It is nature’s way of spring-cleaning of the body.Modern medicine seeks to cure the fever with drugs but it succeeds only in suppressing it. There may be a seeming cure after the administration of drugs and the temperature may go down but in umpteen cases maladies more serious than fever result because the drugs suppress the ejection of the poison which nature tried to by means of a rise in the temperature of the body.

Fever is a natural crisis and it must be helped to run its normal course; any interference, such as administration of drugs, is only likely to retain the poisons which caused the crisis. The first thing that should be done to help the body to carry out the spring-cleaning is to make the sufferer fast. The system of a person suffering from fever does not need any food because all his energies are directed towards ejecting the poisons accumulated in the body.

If the body has to divert a part of those energies towards the digestion of food which in most cases is forced on the patient because the physician thinks that his strength is to be maintained, the only result is that the course of nature is obstructed creating complications. One must not forget that anorexia- loss of appetite- accompanying most fevers is a signal from nature that the patient should not be given anything to eat.

Treatment:

The accumulation of poisons in the body, which results in fever, can be dealt with by making the patient fast. Only water and orange juice in limited quantities should be given. Denial of food to the patient may have to be continued for a week. Only when the temperature has dropped to 98degree F and the tongue of the patient is a healthy pink should he be given food.

During the fasting period the patient should be given a warm water enema daily; it should be discontinued after he has started feeding normally. The best and the safest way of reducing the temperature of the body is to use cold packs; they may be applied to the whole of the body in the case of high temperatures like those of malaria and typhoid, to the chest in the case of pneumonia, and to the throat in the case of diphtheria.

A large piece of linen material or a sheet may be dipped in water, wrung out and wrapped twice round the body (in the case of high temperature) and the patient covered with a blanket. The pack on the throat may be covered with a piece of flannel. Cold or tepid sponging of the body is also recommended and if the patient can stand it he may be given a cold shower.

The packs may be removed after temperature has come down to 100 degree F but the body should be thoroughly sponged. Mud-packs and hip baths also help.Those administering cold packs must hold on to their courage and not panic; if they do and send for a traditional physician, the patient may come to harm, because any food, solid or liquid, after the patient has fasted for some days would worsen his condition.

After the fever has gone down and the tongue of the patient is no longer furred, he should be put on an exclusive fruit diet of some days. The first two days only juice of fruits should be given and then the whole fruits; oranges, grapes and other juicy fruits are the best.

On the third day a limited quantity of unboiled fresh milk can be added to the diet of the patient. After he has been on a diet of fruit juices and milk for three to four days, he should be advised to start taking boiled vegetables and unleavened bread made of whole meal. If fruits are not available during the period of convalescence, vegetable juices may be given. Soups and broths made of animal material - chicken soup etc. - should be avoided.