One of the worst things you can do is take a fever reducer as it will likely increase the infection as well as decrease the response overall prolonging the illness.
That's actually incredibly rare. We can tolerate a bit more heat than doctors care for and they're finding that out only recently. For the average fever, don't take a fever reducer. If you're at a point where you'd need one, you should probably go to the hospital anyway.
The phrase taking your temperature makes me think of the Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle where you can never actually measure something accurately because the act of measuring it changes it. I know this is tangential, must be the fungus in my brain
It's really how it should be, I think. I mean, sure, there are times when you really need to know something, but I really enjoy scratching that itch inside my brain.
Back when I was a kid, my mom would actually use this to comfort me, saying something along the lines of "If you've got a fever, it's a good thing, it means your body is fighting the disease."
But in the same context, I also heard people claim that you shouldn't actively try to bring the fever down (unless it's dangerously high), so that your body has the chance to do its thing. Can't vouch for the scientific accuracy of the latter statement.
I heard this as well, and I also don't know about bringing a fever down. I think there are some times when you have to do this to save the life, for instance, but a doctor I am not!
One of the worst things you can do is take a fever reducer as it will likely increase the infection as well as decrease the response overall prolonging the illness.
There's a time when it's a good idea, though, right? Like, if you don't reduce the fever you will die - that kind of time?
That's actually incredibly rare. We can tolerate a bit more heat than doctors care for and they're finding that out only recently. For the average fever, don't take a fever reducer. If you're at a point where you'd need one, you should probably go to the hospital anyway.
Cheers for the shout-out, Andrew! I learned some stuff here that I never knew.
Thanks, Mike! I gave you a shout over here as well, just in case you didn't see it. It was inspiration! https://goatfury.substack.com/p/seeing-farther
The phrase taking your temperature makes me think of the Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle where you can never actually measure something accurately because the act of measuring it changes it. I know this is tangential, must be the fungus in my brain
Andrew, I just un-paywalled this sucker:
https://goatfury.substack.com/p/the-observation-problem
I think you might really get a kick out of thinking about this stuff with me.
Awesome, thanks man! I'll check it out
I like the way you see research as a leisure activity.
It's really how it should be, I think. I mean, sure, there are times when you really need to know something, but I really enjoy scratching that itch inside my brain.
Back when I was a kid, my mom would actually use this to comfort me, saying something along the lines of "If you've got a fever, it's a good thing, it means your body is fighting the disease."
But in the same context, I also heard people claim that you shouldn't actively try to bring the fever down (unless it's dangerously high), so that your body has the chance to do its thing. Can't vouch for the scientific accuracy of the latter statement.
I heard this as well, and I also don't know about bringing a fever down. I think there are some times when you have to do this to save the life, for instance, but a doctor I am not!