Psychological fevers

Apparently, the body has its own mechanism of regulating its temperature. Its thermostat is set at 360 C. But when the body senses that there is some infection or some illness, the brain resets the thermostat to a higher temperature.

The body will then increase its temperature, hence the fever. Higher body temperatures make it hard for most bacteria and viruses to survive or grow. The body is therefore able to deal with most infections without any need for medication.

Of course, persistent high temperatures are not desirable. That is why we seek medical attention. Now, if you go to the hospital with a fever, a competent doctor will not just give you medication to reduce the fever but will find out the cause of the fever. Once the bacteria, virus or disease is eliminated, the fever goes away automatically.

Anxiety,stress etc are psychological fevers. It is the body’s reaction to some psychological pathogen. Some psychological fevers go away on their own without much intervention.

But sometimes the fever persists even after taking “paracetamol” for days. Paracetamol is what is often prescribed in stress management seminars. Exercise,take a break,positive thinking etc. These may provide temporary relieve but do not eliminate the cause of the fever.

In essence when it comes to psychological fevers, we often focus on treating the symptoms rather than the disease.

Life is life

Fabio