lemon wrap for fever - hoping someone can advise me quickly

[Tici]

Hi All,

My 2 year old has a fever and I am looking everywhere for the lemon wrap method.

We are on holidays so i don't have any of my info with me.

Google is a bit higgeldy piggeldy with info on it.

Anybody able to help ?


Thanks so much in advance.

[MinorityView]

http://www.waldorflibrary.org/Journal_Articles/sjohnsonfever.pdf

a couple of paragraphs down in the article

[gilima]

I have used this technique before but just with plain water, I never knew about the lemon juice.
Anyone know what the lemon juice is for ?

[Tici]

Thank you MV. SO MUCH.

I have been trying all sorts of things with no luck. Then i remembered ... ''the lemon wrap'' !!!!!!!

I have just done this and she fell asleep within 10 mins, soundly. Not like the last 48 hrs of tossing and turning and crying type sleep.

Thanks again.

There is some really good advice in there that makes a lot of sense to me.

[MinorityView]

Years ago when I was living in Chicago, I heard Dr. Andrea Rentea speak to a group of parents about caring for ill children. She mentioned the lemon wrap in the context of treating fevers. I don't remember all the details of her talk, but on fever she said it was very important to pay attention to which part of the body was hot and to note if another part was cold. She seemed to be implying that the concentration on "taking the temperature" with a thermometer bypassed real observation of the overall condition.

The article says:
A lemon wrap does not cause a large drop in
temperature but rather it works by pulling the inflammation away from the head.

which seems to fit with Dr. Rentea's comment on noticing where the heat is. I guess children can have a hot head and cooler feet! And generally, they'll be less miserable if you can heat the feet and cool the head, which makes sense.

[Wonder-Full]

I keep trying to form thoughts around this topic of reducing fevers naturally...haven't really fully formed my thoughts, but thought I'd put it out there for discussion.

Is this not also buying into the fear of fever and that we must reduce it? Do we actually want to to get rid of fevers? The fever's not actually the problem is it when it is there serving a purpose with the body fighting off infection or virus? Would it be best to only use a method like this say in the OPs situation with an uncomfortable restless child opposed to one that happily sleeps it off?

Also, interestingly, I never feel my kids heads for fever (they usually have cool foreheads), but it's their upper backs that seem to hold all the heat. So maybe following with the theory of drawing the heat from the head that they seem to deal with fever ok.

[MinorityView]

I think you are on the right track. This must be why Dr. Rentea was talking about feeling different areas to see what was hot and what wasn't. Paying attention to behavior is also important in deciding how to treat. Children who just sleep through fevers probably don't need treatment at all.

The developmental leap thing mentioned at the end of the article fits my observations of my grandchildren. Stella had the flu a few weeks ago (or a bad feverish cold), and has matured dramatically since then. In a positive way. One of the horrors of bringing up children nowadays is the pressure from society and commercialism trying to induce children to become fake grown-ups by pushing premature sexuality, cynicism and intellectuality in kids.

[Tici]

No we definitely don't want to get rid of fevers. I just wanted to make her more comfortable so she could sleep and I was willing to try anything (except panadol/ nurofen) as she was deteriorating.

It was very hard going but she definitely improved after that sleep, a good solid sleep as I mentioned.

Can I just say...I am so glad that I have this forum to come to to discuss logically with people that fevers are not a bad thing. I am here with several family members on holidays living in a small area together and all I have heard is how wretched fevers are and that we are letting her suffer by not bringing the fever down.

Hope I am making sense here as I have had only a little sleep the last few days. But my little one is coming in leaps and bounds and is nearly back to her cheeky self.

It's turned out to be a virus of some sort. Not totally out of the woods but she is much happier than she was. Without drugs !!!!


One of the horrors of bringing up children nowadays is the pressure from society and commercialism trying to induce children to become fake grown-ups by pushing premature sexuality, cynicism and intellectuality in kids.
Yes !!! This is a whole other thread right here.
We attended a disco at the local community hall on NYE. I thought they would be playing all the classic kids songs and games. Noooo there were young girls (maybe 5 or so) gyrating to Rhianna and dressed in the most revealing outfits. Made me want to vomit.

[MinorityView]

I'm glad this forum is here, too.

Your story about the disco is horrid.

[ZGT Mummy]

We attended a disco at the local community hall on NYE. I thought they would be playing all the classic kids songs and games. Noooo there were young girls (maybe 5 or so) gyrating to Rhianna and dressed in the most revealing outfits. Made me want to vomit.

:saddest:

I just don't get it. Why on earth would any parent allow their child to act like that? Why would they even KNOW to act like that?

This is why I never wanted a girl, though I'm sure there are issues for boys too, but I just see that for girls it is much worse. The sexualisation of girl children just completely disgusts me beyond believe. Now that I have a girl I am terrified of the influences she may be exposed to from her peers.

[Momtezuma Tuatara]

Believe me, what boys are exposed to from their peers is just as bad, if not worse. Which is why we homeschooled.