The Benefits of Fever

Should you take medication to lower your fever with COVID or the flu? Many health care providers consider fever risky and advise taking medication to increase comfort.

STORY AT-A-GLANCE

• In most cases, there’s no reason to fear a fever; using fever-reducing medications may prolong the illness

• Increasing research supports the “let it ride” philosophy, which states that fever is protective and should be allowed to run its course

• When critically ill patients were aggressively treated to reduce fever, the study had to be stop…