So Why Is It Called a Cold?

 

As everyone who has talked to me in the last three days knows, I have a head cold.

The most interesting thing about feeling too crumby to do anything is that it exposes me to daytime television which is how I came across this odd information.

Pediatricians have been going over data and come to the conclusion that lowering fevers is not important. The doctor who was interviewed said that there was no evidence of brain damage or other complications in children who had high fevers, and that parents should only pay attention to other symptoms unless the child had some other medical condition. Fevers probably even help fight off the virus.

Now I'm hoping the same is true for adults because fevers are fun. The first thing I do when I feel sick is take my temperature. There is something very satisfying about having a number to verify how much sympathy I deserve.

Unfortunately, I would then take an aspirin which lowers my temperature back down, but I'm still sick, but feel chagrined if I complain. Now that I don't have to worry about brain damage, I'm changing that.

And even better, having a fever makes me a little loopy. The world is a lot funnier once that mercury gets over 101.

Nancy Sherer

 

 


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