To treat or not to treat

That is the question

Fevers

I get called all the time from patients when they are not feeling well. I guess that comes with the territory when people call you Doctor.

It could be worse though. I could have been a waste treatment sewage engineer.

Do you know what you call a waste treatment sewage engineer?

A shitty engineer!

Think about it….

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But let’s get to todays topic.

Fevers

Treat or Not to treat, that is the question.

Let’s discuss using a conversation.

I met with a patient new to my practice. Let me introduce you to him.

His name is Newt. 

Newt Patient.

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Newt Patient

Hey DrH. Nice to meet you. I’m here because I have had this annoying cold for a few days. The normal mild sore throat, runny nose and post nasal drip. I also have an intermittent fever. The highest the fever goes to is about 100.6. What can I do about the fever?

Should I take Tylenol or Ibuprofen?

DrH:

Neither.

Newt Patient

I’m confuzzled. Is there something else I should take for the fever?

DrH:

Nope

Newt Patient- (shaking his head)

Now I’m further confuzzled. Can you please explain?

DrH:

Sure (pauses)

Newt Patient

Can you please explain now?

DrH:

Sure.

Fever is the natural immune response to help in fighting infections so we don’t always want to reduce it. So unless the fever is very high or makes you very physically uncomfortable, it might be wiser to let the fever ride and let your body naturally do what it needs to do.

Newt Patient

Wow. I was not aware of that.

DrH:

Well, now you are.

It’s all part of letting the body do its thing. In helping you fight the infection I prefer to help you learn how to help your natural response which is usually enough. But if you don’t get better we can always change course and give the body a little extra help.

Newt Patient

Wow. I was not aware of that.

DrH:

Again, well, now you are.

But wait. There is more.

No treatment comes without a chance of side effects.

Did you know that Tylenol, aka Acetaminophen, can be toxic to the liver in doses not much higher than the highest recommended dose. Tylenol dosing does not leave much room for error. My thoughts are that if Tylenol tried to get approved today it would be rejected, unless of course it was another mRNA treatment and then it would be approved and probably mandated.

Did you know that Ibuprofen, otherwise known as Motrin or Advil, is in a class of drugs that is one of the highest causes of gastrointestinal bleeding, especially in adults and is a large cause of hospitalization and death in the elderly.

Well now you know.

So while Tylenol and Ibuprofen have been used for years, perhaps they are not as innocent as we have been led to believe.

So next time you grab Tylenol or Ibuprofen, think about whether you really need them or whether perhaps, just perhaps you can do without.

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So I hope this gave you something to think about.

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Found this meme and I liked it. Can you guess why?

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As always, comments and questions welcome. For some reason I am expecting more questions on this one.

Don’t try and prove me wrong 😎 on that prediction.