Did you know that fever is beneficial?

New research suggests that allowing mild fever to run its course without immediately resorting to medication may be beneficial. A study conducted by the University of Alberta found that allowing moderate fever to run its course helped fish clear their bodies of infection quickly, controlled inflammation, and repaired damaged tissue. The research showed that natural fever provides an “integrative response that not only activates defences against infection, but also helps control it,” according to the study’s lead author, immunologist Daniel Barreda.

The study found that fever helped clear the fish of infection in approximately seven days, which was half the time it took for those not allowed to experience fever. Additionally, fever helped shut down inflammation and repair tissues that had been injured. Barreda explained that moderate fever is self-resolving, which means that the body can induce and shut it down naturally without medication. Although the health benefits of natural fever to humans have not been confirmed through research, Barreda believes that similar benefits are likely to occur in humans because the mechanisms driving and sustaining fever are shared among animals.

The study suggests that individuals should resist reaching for over-the-counter fever medications, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), at the first signs of a mild temperature. Although NSAIDs alleviate the discomfort associated with fever, they may also reduce the benefits of this natural response. The study helps shed light on the mechanisms that contribute to the benefits of moderate fever, which has been evolutionarily conserved across the animal kingdom for 550 million years.

According to Barreda, every animal examined has this biological response to infection. Some species, such as fish, reptiles, and insects, will even risk predation and decrease their reproductive success to move to temperatures in their environments that bring on natural fever. Therefore, the big question is why humans immediately take medication at the first signs of a fever when animals will go to such great lengths to induce a natural response. The study suggests that humans may benefit from allowing mild fever to run its course instead of immediately taking medication. However, further research is needed to confirm the health benefits of natural fever to humans.

Islam and fever:

Jābir (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) visited Umm As-Sā’ib (or Umm al-Musayyab) and asked her: “What ails you, O Umm As-Sā’ib (or Umm al-Mūsayyab)? You are shivering!” She replied: “It is the fever, may Allah not bless it!” He said to her: “Do not curse the fever, for it removes the sins of the children of Adam the same way the bellows remove the impurities of iron.”  
Sahih/Authentic. – [Muslim]