To help clear a possible underlying infection, give your child an echinacea and goldenseal combination formula. The immune-boosting effects of these herbs are well documented, and both of them have infection-fighting properties as well. Give your child one dose, every two hours, for eight hours. Then give him one dose, three times daily, for one week.
Note: You should not give your child echinacea on a daily basis for more than ten days at a time, or it will lose its effectiveness.
Garlic has documented antibacterial properties. It can help resolve an infection associated with fever. This pungent herb is more pleasant to take in odorless capsule form. Follow the age-specific dosage directions on the label. You can have your child swallow the capsules, or dissolve them in hot water or soup.
Ginger tea is especially effective against a fever associated with a cold, flu, or stomachache. It is most helpful for the child who tends to feel cold, especially in the hands and feet. To decrease chills and increase perspiration, snuggle your child under light covers after giving him the tea. Give your child 1/2 cup, four times daily, for one day. If your child finds the taste too pungent, mix the tea with fruit juice, or dilute it with water. If your child is over one year old, you can add a bit of honey to sweeten the tea.
Homeopathy
When your child has a fever, select the most appropriate symptom-specific homeopathic remedy and begin administering it as soon as possible. You should notice some response within thirty minutes. After one or two doses, the temperature will usually start coming down. If the fever does not respond, try a different remedy. If you try two remedies without a response, call your doctor.
Aconite is useful at the very beginning of a fever and for a fever of sudden onset. This homeopathic is most often used during winter, when a child may have been exposed to a cold wind. It is recommended for the child who is restless, moving around and tossing in bed, difficult to calm down, hyperactive, and possibly afraid. Give this child one dose of Aconite 30x or 9c, every two hours, for a total of two doses. After the second dose of Aconite, switch to another remedy.
Arsenicum album 30x or 9c is for the child whose fever increases between midnight and 2:00 A.M. This child is anxious and fidgety, and reports pain in his legs. He wants a cold compress on his head and blankets on his legs. Give this child one dose, every two hours, up to a total of four doses.
Belladonna is also used against sudden fevers. This is for a feverish child who has chills, with a flushed and heated face and body. His pupils are typically dilated, and noise and light bother him. Give this child one dose of Belladonna 30x, 200x, 15c, or 30c, every hour, up to a total of four doses.
Bryonia 30x or 9c is for the irritable child with a fever, strong thirst, and possibly constipation. This child asks to be left alone. Give him one dose, every two hours, up to a total of four doses.
For a fever associated with teething, give
Chamomilla. This is for a child who feels worse with any kind of heat,
worse in a hot room, worse under blankets, and, unfortunately, worse at night.
If your baby has one hot, red cheek, and one pale and cold cheek, and wakes
up crying throughout the night, an emerging tooth may be the cause of the
fever. The child may seem comforted when carried around, but the calm will
last only for a short time. Give him one dose of Chamomilla 12x, 30x,
6c, or 9c, every two hours, up to a total of three doses. Once this infant
is no longer red-checked and clutching at you for comfort, his fever can be
further resolved with Ferrum phosphoricum.