What does a night of elevated body temperature management look like in our home? Here you go….
2:22am – 9-yo daughter wakes me by making noise in the kitchen. She is making ice water for herself….first sign something is wrong. Normally, if she wakes, it is to use the restroom and maybe take a sip of water from her thermos in the kitchen, not make fresh new icy water. She walks in the bedroom to wake me and tell me that she feels dehydrated, has a head tension and feels like her throat hurts and can’t swallow. I ask for a minute to wake from my daze…I don’t react well when being woken in the middle of the night.
In a minute or so I touch her forehead in half a daze and can tell it is warmer than normal….not yet full blown, but developing. Her skin is a bit damp and when I turn on the lights, I see her cheeks are rosy.
Quick mental recap of the day(s) before (as quick as I can do at 2.24): where did we go, what did we do, and what did she eat?….usually these are the first thoughts I have as a health coach….I’m looking for triggers.
Pool at a friend’s house yesterday afternoon, pool at another friend’s house the afternoon before, pool at our community the afternoon before that….3 days in a row at different pools…(she can be sensitive to pools, no matter how clean people keep them. I have a theory that if it isn’t your pool, you are not used to the germs in it…). Food: ate out last night at our favorite pizza place, had gluten-free cheese and black olives pizza…organic plain yogurt for evening snack with some raw honey at home….nothing that would really trigger this, plus she wasn’t complaining of tummy issues…..so possibly just picked up something from the 3 days of pool-hopping with many other kid friends….
Because it is so early/late and my brain is still a bit foggy, I know I will need to rely on some research to make sure I am confident in what I do….not because I haven’t done this before but because I like to validate my knowledge in time of “crisis”. I already know I am going to hydrate, replenish, use supplements and natural approaches and essential oils. I just need to hone in on my exact plan.
So I do a quick research and find some trusted sources that I have been following and know that they are meticulous about their research….I trust that I have accumulated quite some knowledge and experience first hand, but I like to feel backed up by science without having to read whole medical articles when I need to act quickly. So I go to my trusted sources.
One reminds me that calcium helps, as well as gelatin. (Check, check – I have both). Hydration, of course. Vitamin D with the calcium (for which I will need some fat to absorb….a thin slice of butter will do – check). Crushed garlic in olive oil on the bottom of feet, wrapped in plastic foil, covered by socks (check). Essential oils: peppermint, lavender and lemongrass for elevated body temperature and calming, OnGuard, lemon, frankincense and oregano for immune support (to help her fight whatever she is dealing with), fractionated coconut oil for dilution (check).
So I begin by applying some oils right away:
Peppermint, lavender and lemon essential oils – I have this premixed in a roller bottle diluted with fractionated coconut oil, so it is ready and easy to apply. I used this last week on her for something else. I apply this to the back of her neck, the side of her face (temples) carefully to stay away from her eyes. I also apply it to the bottom of her feet and rub in.
Lemongrass essential oil – this oil has more heat so we applied it diluted to the bottom of her feet to support her body.
I can feel her body is still getting warmer. My instinct is to panic and think about medicine right away, but I remind myself that an elevated body temperature is not necessarily a bad thing, it is the body’s immune support system working and if monitored and managed properly, it is very beneficial to allow the body to naturally fight off whatever it is dealing with. I always tell myself that I will try to naturally manage it and if there is no response within about 30 minutes, I can still take out the “big guns”….
I go into the kitchen and prepare it all:
Calcium - I have some liquid Calcium Gluconate in my medicine cabinet from home. I give her a half dose. I also prepare a ½ tsp of Natural Calm Plus Calcium drink in 1/4 C water.
Gelatin – I add ½ Tablespoon Great Lakes gelatin (Collagen Hydrolysate – the green bottle) into the magnesium drink mix….the flavor of theis will mask the gelatin. Good.
Garlic + Olive oil – in a small bowl I mix a bit of olive oil with 1 clove crushed garlic. I add 1 drop of oregano oil. I bring this all and some plastic wrap into the bedroom.
She is complaining of the headache. I give her the concoction and she sips it while I massage her feet with some additional oils:
I dilute 1 drop of each:
Frankincense, OnGuard, lemon, oregano essential oils in a bit of coconut oil and massage into bottom of feet.
I also give her:
Vitamin D - When she is done with her drink, I give her a drop of (1000 IU) Vitamin D with the slice of butter and tell her to lie on her stomach.
I apply more of the essential oils on the back of her neck and bottoms of her feet. I also spoon half of the garlic+olive oil mixture on the bottom of her feet, wrap tightly with plastic wrap and place socks on her feet. It is now 2:50am.
I add a drop of each of these oils in a diffuser and place it next to her. Aromatic application of essential oils does miracles. As she starts to dose off into sleep, I ask her to drink a few more big gulps of water.
3am: I check on her and her body is just slightly less hot but she claims she is feeling better. That’s a good sign. I decide to give her another 30 minutes.
3:25am: I touch her forehead and her body temperature is almost back to normal. Huh…I sigh a big sigh of relief. Good. I turn off the humidifier, apply more of the diluted oils mix to her neck and let her rest. She says half asleep: “Thank you for doing this for me”. My heart melts.
I believe that the human body has amazing self-healing power if given the chance, the proper nutrition, raw materials and natural support to do so. I am not anti-medicine. I just like to try my arsenal of safe, centuries-old natural and proven alternative first, before reaching for synthetic medication.
4:30am: She woke again with fever. We applied more of the diluted oils on the feet and the back of the neck and hydrated with fresh water. She also complained about her tummy rumblin, which made me wonder about a tummy bug /pool bug….
So we applied DigestZen and peppermint oils (1 drop each in a teaspoon of fractionated coconut oil, rubbed into tummy area) to support her digestion.
If her status does not deteriorate, we just continue with naturally supporting her body to defeat whatever bug she has got. I am closely watching her and am ready to pull out the big guns if needed….most times, they aren’t needed:) And I am thankful for that!
Stay happy and healthy,
Eva