Naked Science Forum
Life Sciences => Physiology & Medicine => Topic started by: omid on 04/01/2011 15:16:56
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if everything seem normal in ur body and in correct working order,,,,then what could be a possible reason for a consistant high body temperature?
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A high body temperature keeps our metabolic rate up, while this does have a negative effect on how long we live, evolutionarily it gives us a better chance to procreate. I read somewhere that if we could drop our body temperature by 20 degrees (F) we could double our age, but we would also move slower and probably couldn't think as fast.
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are you indirectly stating that if it lasts for long,,,,the person can possibly die earlier????????
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Of course if you could lower your core body temperature to -40°F or -40°C,it will last a very long time.
98.6°F is considered "normal". But, depending on the person, time of day, ambient temperatures, activity level, etc, the actual temperature could vary significantly from that.
In the winter, a temperature of 97°F could be perfectly normal, with hypothermia being temperatures below 95°F.
In the summer, under vigorous exercise, the temperature may rise to over 100°F. At my old job, they had a health and safety program in the summer, and would require people to take breaks if their body temperature exceeded 100°F or 101°F.
If you consistently run a temperature above 100°F, independent from extremely hot weather and vigorous exercise, then you likely have a pathologic process, and I would encourage consulting a physician, especially if you have noted a change, or that it seems to be different than "normal".
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I'm saying that body temperature and metabolism usually go hand in hand, so if your body temperature is extremely high your metabolism is usually higher. From what I understand of the aging process, a higher metabolism means faster aging of a persons cells. Incidentally, look up "Tibetan Monks body temperature through meditation." I found it quite fascinating. I might even start meditating.
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No Omid, nobody dies just of having a fever. Having a high fever 106 F (41 C) for a longer time can be dangerous, not necessarily because of the fever in itself, but for what other infections and bodily disturbances it may point too, and also create in a prolonged high. That means that if it goes up to, or over, 106 F (41 C) and then stays there continuously for more than a day, you call a physician, as that may point to a more serious issue, hidden behind the fever, and also try to get it down as soon as possible.
When trying to lower a fever:
"Do NOT bundle up someone who has the chills.
Remove excess clothing or blankets. The room should be comfortable, not too hot or cool. Try one layer of lightweight clothing, and one lightweight blanket for sleep. If the room is hot or stuffy, a fan may help.
A lukewarm bath or sponge bath may help cool someone with a fever. This is especially effective after medication is given -- otherwise the temperature might bounce right back up. Do NOT use cold baths, ice, or alcohol rubs. These cool the skin, but often make the situation worse by causing shivering, which raises the core body temperature."
Here are some guidelines for taking medicine to lower a fever:
"Acetaminophen (Tylenol) and ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) help reduce fever in children and adults. Sometimes doctors advise you to use both types of medicine.
Take acetaminophen every 4 - 6 hours. It works by turning down the brain's thermostat.
Take ibuprofen every 6 - 8 hours."
Those are all short term solutions though, used if the fever gets really high. If someone have a fever for longer terms, then that happens :) It's not unheard of and can have all sorts of reasons. But as long as one keep under the danger-level described above there is no need to worry, but, if one do get that high a fever use medication, and the advice above, and call a doctor.
Take a look here. Fever. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fever)
And for those suffering from a longer stretch of fever those suggestions for examining might help.
"A comprehensive and meticulous history (i.e. illness of family members, recent visit to the tropics, medication), repeated physical examination (i.e. skin rash, eschar, lymphadenopathy, heart murmur) and a myriad of laboratory tests (serological, blood culture, immunological) are the cornerstone of finding the cause.
Other investigations may be needed. Ultrasound may show cholelithiasis, echocardiography may be needed in suspected endocarditis and a CT-scan may show infection or malignancy of internal organs. Another technique is Gallium-67 scanning which seems to visualize chronic infections more effectively. Invasive techniques (biopsy and laparotomy for pathological and bacteriological examination) may be required before a definite diagnosis is possible.
Positron emission tomography using radioactively labelled fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) has been reported to have a sensitivity of 84% and a specificity of 86% for localizing the source of fever of unknown origin.
Despite all this, diagnosis may only be suggested by the therapy chosen. When a patient recovers after discontinuing medication it likely was drug fever, when antibiotics or antimycotics work it probably was infection. Empirical therapeutic trials should be used in those patients in which other techniques have failed."
The last means that sometimes one, all medical techniques aside, still won't get to the bottom of what cause that long term fever, and as the physician you then will have to make a educated guess, and first after treating see if it was correct treatment. It's not as unusual as one might think, but before doing that one really should have done the tests described above.
Also remember to drink as the water also attends the heat regulation in our bodies. That is why we drink more water, when we are infected with a fever. Water takes up heat and transports it out of the body transpiring, and so make your thirsty, listen to your body. Food is also good, in that it feeds you the energy you need to work properly.
The general minimum rule for how long one can survive without food/water/air is roughly 30/3/3. This is what you get taught in some services. Ah, that count days for the two first, but minutes for the last :) But those figures are highly individual and so can, and will, differ.
Yep, I'm pretty sure of the last being minutes.