When a bacteria, virus, protozoa or any infection enters our body, our immune system initiates specific steps to fight and remove the infection.
Only those organisms which can survive in the human body, can cause an infection. There are hundreds of factors. Our body temperature is one such factor. Only some organisms can survive at our body temperature. Our body temperature is tightly maintained around 37 degrees Celsius.
When an infection happens, our immune system identifies the organisms and increases the body temperature. This is called fever. A higher temperature is maintained for some minutes and then lowered back to the normal temperature. This higher temperature kills the foreign organisms. And a memory is formed in the immune system about this organism. When the same organism infects again in future, due to the presence of memory, the infection is rapidly removed.
This is the natural course of infection and our recovery from it. There are many infectious organisms around us. One by one, they all infect us. Our body fights and recovers every time and creates a stronger memory.
Hence, over a period of a few years, the immune system will become very powerful.
And subsequently the number and severity of infections goes on reducing.
It is not possible to eliminate the infection causing organism from our surroundings. Hence, this repeated exposure to infection and development of a strong memory is the only option we have. This all happens and gets completed during childhood itself. And after this, the child is ready to live a long healthy life.
HERE COMES THE INTERESTING PART.
If parents of this child think that the fever, lack of appetite, body pain and weakness that happens during infection are abnormal. And the child is suffering. We take the child to a hospital for treatment.
Paracetamol is given to reduce the pain and fever. Parents are told to forcefully feed the child. Antibiotics are given to kill the bacteria.
Fine, this gives a lot of relief to the child. But the child's immunity to this infection is not developed.
When this infection occurs again, it happens with the same or increased severity.
So, everytime the child is medicated, the pain is reduced but immunity strengthening is prevented.
So, instead of depending on the immune system, this child will have to forever depend on medicines to deal with even a small infection.
Think about the mentality of such a child. This child can never live a normal life as there are thousands of organisms that repeatedly cause infections. And lower immunity leads to many other health problems.
Are we able to reduce the pain and suffering with medicines? Yes.
Is it really helping when it comes to life itself? Not at all. In Fact it's making life miserable.
Is the child dying due to fever? Not at all.
I am not against medicine. A child should be treated when fever is very high for a long time, when fits start or when fever is life threatening. But treatment is not necessary when fever can just reduce in a few days. Home remedies, liquid foods, rest is enough most of the time.
We have implemented these practices. Adhya and Anju recover easily within half to one day when they get fever. I need 1 to 2 days. Savithri also recovers in a day. And we have not taken antibiotics for many years. Infact Anju has never taken antibiotics. Everytime we get a fever, it's milder than last time. And when one of us gets a fever, one by one, all of us gets it as the organism is transmitted.
Fever, lack of hunger, pain and weakness are not misery. These are signs of repair. If you consider these as misery and fight, you will end up creating more misery.
Similarly there are hundreds of other things that are part of life that are wrongly labeled as misery. There is no misery. Poverty, work, abuse, debt, injuries, loss, death etc are not misery. These are signs of life.
Your body and you will figure out a way to overcome these.
Life is miserable. Better to be miserable and make money. All your efforts to avoid misery, further strengthens the misery.
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