If you are a fan of Elvis Presley, you might know these lyrics from one of his songs:
"Everybody's got the fever, that is something you all know. Fever isn't such a new thing, fever started long ago." Well, the lyrics got it right! Fever has been ever present as early as the days of the great philosopher, Hippocrates, where he was practicing medicine including that due to malaria. (Fun fact!)
A lot of people consider fever as a disease and equate every possible health issue to it; leading them to the phenomenon called fever phobia. You probably hear some say this, "Hey, you have cough and colds, lagnat na yan!" or "Gosh, my head hurts! Lagnat na to!" or "I can't stay off from the bed, I feel like I have fever!". Sounds familiar, doesn't it? While fever is a symptom of a health condition rather than a disease itself, it ranges from the not serious to potentially serious. It may include: viral, bacterial and parasitic infections such as the common cold, urinary tract infections, meningitis, malaria and appendicitis among others.
As old as the word fever, this saying surely is too; "It is better to prevent than to cure."
So here are four old but gold proven ways to say never to fever:
1. Wash your hands. Wherever you at, this simple reminder is a sure sight. Simply washing your hands before eating, after using the toilet, after spending time in a crowded place or around someone who's sick, and during commuting could seriously save millions!
2. Avoid sharing your personal belongings. We know that sharing is caring. However, sharing your personal stuff such as your utensils, water bottle, towel and etc. can be totally unhygienic. Thus, it could make a way for viruses and bacteria to enter your body and cause infection.
3. Drink lots of clean water. Our body can quickly lose moisture and get dehydrated through constant sweating. No one wants to feel thirsty when we know that water is the very next thing close to us, second to smartphones, right? So, aim to drink lots of clean water (at least eight ounces) every two hours to boost immunity.
4. Exercise regularly. Due to very busy schedule (or are we just plain lazy?), many of us see exercise as a want rather than a need. But one very good thing in exercising is it doesn't require you to hit the gym just to sweat off those toxic wastes in your body. A simple 20 to 30 minutes exercise done regularly at home can be a very effective way to keep immune system strong thus free you from that thing called fever.
Living in a fast-paced world whereby we unintentionally overlook these simple and basic ways that will help us to be fever-free, we still fall short to the other side and get sick.
