| Before you reach for that bottle of aspirin | | | | searching for foreign pathogens" "So, the |
| when you have a cold, you may want to | | | | overall efficiency of immune defense is |
| consider the result of a new study on fever. | | | | actually augmented." The findings were |
| Researchers have found that running a slight | | | | published in the journal Nature Immunology. |
| temperature bolsters the immune system, and | | | | Future studies may show it is beneficial not |
| might actually help people with colds and | | | | to reduce a fever. |
| other infections recover more quickly. | | | | |
| | | | "It may not be necessary to repress a fever |
| Experts say little has been known about the | | | | in the early stages of infection as long as |
| role body temperature plays in disease. For | | | | it's well-controlled." "The issue becomes |
| example, do people run a fever because their | | | | when it is very, very high, and you know that |
| immune systems are working hard to make them | | | | is talking above 105 degrees [40 Celsius], |
| well? Or is an elevated temperature part of | | | | above the temperatures we used in our study. |
| the healing process? | | | | Then you always have concerns, especially in |
| | | | children, that you might have real problems |
| "Studies from our group and from others | | | | in the brain and other organ failure |
| really raise the concept that in moderate | | | | systems." |
| ranges, the febrile temperature is providing | | | | |
| just one more advantage to the immune | | | | Healing is the process whereby the cells in |
| response, the immune defense," said Sharon | | | | the body regenerate and repair to reduce the |
| Evans. | | | | size of a damaged or necrotic area. Healing |
| | | | incorporates both the removal of necrotic |
| In a healthy individual the body deposits | | | | tissue, and the replacement of this tissue. |
| about a 100,000 disease-fighting white blood | | | | |
| cells every day into each lymph node, which | | | | In order for an injury to be healed by |
| is part of the body's immune system. These | | | | regeneration, the cell type that was |
| white cells, or lymphocytes, act as sentinels | | | | destroyed must be able to replicate. Most |
| for infection. To gain entry into the nodes, | | | | cells have this ability, although it is |
| the cells must cross delicate blood vessel | | | | believed that cardiac muscle cells and |
| tissue and membranes of the lymph system. | | | | neurons are two important exceptions. |
| | | | |
| But when there is a local infection or cold | | | | Healing must happen by repair in the case of |
| that requires a heightened immune response, a | | | | injury to cells that are unable to |
| flood of white cells pack the lymph glands. A | | | | regenerate, e.g. cardiac muscle or neurons. |
| particular study looked more closely at this | | | | Also, damage to the collagen network, eg. by |
| process, and the role fever plays since it | | | | enzymes or physical destruction, or its total |
| accompanies infection. The researchers used | | | | collapse, as can happen in an infarct cause |
| mice whose core body temperature was raised | | | | healing to take place by repair. The healing |
| to about 39.5 degrees Celsius, that of an | | | | process at work in spontaneous remission is |
| average fever. | | | | explained in detail in Cancer Free For Life, |
| | | | as well as the reasons why we get sick. |
| Investigators found that elevations in body | | | | |
| temperature doubled the speed at which the | | | | This article is available for reprint for |
| infection-fighting white blood cells entered | | | | your website and newsletter, provided that |
| the lymph system. "In other words, more | | | | you maintain its copyright integrity and |
| lymphocytes are coming through constantly and | | | | include the signature. |