Want to know how to lower a fever without Tylenol, Motrin, or Advil?

Unfortunately, I have to start this post with the annoying FDA disclaimer: you know — this post is for educational purposes only; nothing on this blog is intended to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any illness; nothing here has been approved by the FDA, see your doctor if/when you need to, etc. etc. etc.

With that said, I’m going to tell you what we do.

We Don’t Treat Fevers

But wait!  The title of the post said this was about lowering fevers, so what gives?  We’ll get there.  But we have to start here.

While most of us have been taught to fear them, fevers, in general, are a good thing.  The fever is not the illness; the fever is the body’s effort to fight the illness.  To medicate the fever away is a little like sending a soldier into battle, but taking away his weapon!  Maybe he can succeed in hand-to-hand combat, but the battle’s going to be a lot longer and harder.

So as much as possible, when a little one is sick, we concentrate our efforts on making him as comfortable as possible, and on supporting the body as it fights.  Sudorific or diaphoretic herbs (herbs that induce sweating or perspiration) can be helpful for lowering a fever somewhat, but they do it in a manner that also encourages the throwing off of toxins.  Certain essential oils can be beneficial in supporting the body as it fights off viruses or bacteria.  Mostly, we encourage hydration and rest.

…Unless We Have To

But we have a couple young’ns who have been known to get pretty toasty.  And although I worry about them a little when their fevers start to spike pretty high; I worry about CPS even more.  (That’s a sad statement to have to make, but it’s true.  I don’t trust them anymore to stay out of our business if they disagree.)  So if we start to see temperatures above 104, or hovering close to 104, we try to bring them back down a little to a more comfortable range.

We’re not absolutely opposed to using medication to do that if we need to, but although fever-reducing medicines are fairly safe, they do carry some risks, so we’d rather stick with natural methods if we can.  This “stinky sock” treatment is extremely simple, but it has been extremely effective for us.  In fact, I think my youngest could tell it made him feel better last time he was sick, because he doesn’t like it, but after the first time, he cheerfully submitted to having the socks put on him.  I got the impression he knew that he’d feel better in short order.

So what is the stinky sock treatment?  Vinegar-soaked socks.  Really.  It’s (pretty much) that simple.  You soak some cotton socks in apple cider vinegar (and wring them out so they aren’t dripping or anything) and put them on your little one’s feet.  Easy as that.  But here are a few tips we’ve found that make it better/easier:

1. Apple cider vinegar doesn’t smell very nice.  That’s why I call it “stinky socks.” (It also helps that “stinky socks” sounds silly — always a plus when dealing with cranky kids.)  Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia or L. officinalis) essential oil can help a little with the odor, is antibacterial and antiviral, and is safe for all but perhaps the very tiniest of babies.So here’s what I do: I pour the cider vinegar — maybe 1/4 – 1/2 cup — into a small bowl.  I add a couple drops of lavender oil and swish it around, then immediately dip the socks in to soak it up, and wring them out.
2. Wet socks aren’t especially easy to get on one’s feet.  Since most of you have probably had the experience of putting the kiddo’s underwear on him/her while still a bit damp from the bath or shower, I’m sure you can imagine!  It helps if you use an older sibling’s socks so they’re a little too big.
3. When I first learned of this method, the instructions included putting a pair of dry wool socks over the cotton ones.  The main purpose for these, I believe, is to keep the feet from cooling to quickly when exposed to the air.  My kids are always under blankets, so I don’t worry about this.  I just put the socks on them and then make sure they’re covered up.  If yours aren’t blankets, dry socks over top might be a good idea.

As it happens, the Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle sale is going on this week, and it includes a whole book about Treating Fevers Naturally!  Meagan’s book contains a variation of the “stinky sock” treatment above, and lots of other options (and a bunch of information about fevers), as well.