Our readers know that our main goal here at Real Food Whole Health is to empower parents to take charge of their family’s health and feel confident about how to address health concerns naturally.
Learning to eat healthy and take care of ourselves when we are primarily free of sickness is a lot easier than when we are ill. For parents, especially, knowing what exactly to do when your child becomes sick is of primary concern.
What different precautions should be taken when we are ill?
When a child is ill?
When an infant is sick?
One of the most common issues that causes stress for a parent is knowing how to handle and treat a fever when their little one is sick.
We sincerely believe that normal, everyday fevers are simply a healthy body’s way of dealing with infection. Rather, than being something to fear, fevers are an important part of the immune system and should not be artificially suppressed in most cases.
With this in mind, we’re pleased to announce that Meagan Visser,RN, FH from Growing Up Herbal has written an awesome new e-guide, Treating Fevers Naturally. This book was written to help parents feel confident in their response to their child’s fever.
We’re speaking with Meagan today to learn more about her book, what led her to write it and how it can help you when you are worried about your child’s fever.
Amy: Welcome, Meagan! So excited you could be here today.
Meagan: Thanks, Amy! I’m very glad to be here.
Amy: I’m really excited about this book. It’s so in line with our personal and professional philosohpy, and I am eager to get this information into the hands of parents! Can you tell us more about how this book came about? Who did you write it for, and why?
Meagan: Well, this book originally started as a way for me to research a common situation that many parents will face as their children grow: fevers. It was for my own personal use.
I’m a registered nurse and an herbalist, but before all of that, I’m a mom that has a strong desire to raise my children naturally. I wanted to know how to properly and naturally handle a fever without having that feeling of doubt down in my gut, wondering if I was doing something “wrong”.
I wanted to know if there were natural, effective ways of lowering fevers once they were too high. I wanted to be able to do this without getting scared of the number I was seeing on the thermometer and opting for the over-the-counter fever reducers right away.
Amy: So it sounds like this book originally started as personal project and it has now turned into something bigger. Is that right?
Meagan: Yes! As I continued to research and write down what I was learning, I realized that I could not keep all this info to myself! I knew there were other moms out there, like me, that wanted to know this exact same thing.
Maybe, they just didn’t know how to find it or put it together. I decided that I’d do it for them. This guide is written for mamas just like me. Naturally-minded moms who are looking to find another way of helping their children through a fever, besides opting for fever reducers right off the bat.
They want to know how to treat their child’s fever in a more natural, holistic, and most of all, safe, way.
Amy: So is this book just for moms with young children?
Meagan: It’s not, actually. It’s for children of all ages… and honestly… the information in this guide is for adults, too! Fevers work the same way in adults as they do children.
Adults and children, alike, will benefit from the information in this e-guide!
Amy: That’s wonderful. So, I know you said this book is based on research you did as a naturally-minded, concerned mother. Besides, your experience as mother, what other research is the book based on?
Meagan: This book contains so much more than just my own thoughts. The research I did for this book comes from both medical and alternative sources. I’m an RN, and even though I’m a very naturally minded RN, there’s no way I could write something without adding in the medical side of the story!
Fevers are a natural function of the body, and this book helps parents to understand WHY the body does what it does– from the medical perspective.
It helps build confidence in a parent who knows that something isn’t WRONG with their child, but that their child’s body is doing exactly what it needs to do to heal itself.
For this work, I pulled from several sources including some well-studied herbalists, talked to respected peers to see how they had dealt with fevers naturally and effectively in their children, and several studies on specific herbs and their anti-viral abilities.
All of this, plus the many items I read and the questions I asked current readers of my blog, Growing Up Herbal, my friends, and family, all helped me to fill this guide out and make it into what it has become.
Amy: Wonderful! It sounds like there is a lot of information from varied sources in this book. Do you think it might be overwhelming to the average parent? Does a reader need to have medical background to understand it?
Meagan: Oh, definitely not. This guide is written with those who have no medical background in mind. It is written in a very relaxed voice, that is easy to understand. My hope is that it comes across as if we were sitting together chatting about this topic over a nice cup of hot herbal tea.
Amy: Fantastic- love that! Now, another question for you. If someone already believes that fevers are good for the body, will they learn anything new from your e-guide?
Meagan: Oh, Absolutely! Many, many people now realize that a fever is a good thing. That it is actually the body’s way of taking care of itself. But, a lot of people don’t know what’s actually going on in the body during a fever and why.
Plus, there are many misinterpretations and myths when it comes to understanding different degrees of fevers, common and uncommon side effects of fevers, and when to be concerned and seek medical help. For example, people are scared of febrile seizures or brain damage, even.
These scary issues are discussed in this guide, in a way that sheds light on each subject and helps the parent to better understand those concerns.
Amy: Great! Now, I am curious, are are there certain herbs you recommend to use with fevers for children?
Meagan: Yes. There are many antipyretic (aka fever reducing) herbs known today. The use of these herbs all depends upon where a person lives and how available they are in that area.
The herbs I mention in my guide are all herbs that are safe for children and tend to be readily available in local health food stores or online. They are also herbs that are well-known and have a good reputation behind them for being used in children’s fevers.
Amy. Great. Now, let’s say a parent is simply afraid of fevers, what would you tell them?
Meagan: Well, the first thing I would do would be to ask them what scares them about a fever and why? Once I know their specific concerns, it’s easier to address those particular needs.
I would also offer them some brief information on how fevers are a sign that the body is healthy and functioning the way it was designed to.
I would then discuss the 4 basic stages of a fever (which is detailed in the guide) to give them a better idea of the pattern a fever takes. I would also give them some ideas on ways to deal with a fever that would make it all less scary.
Above all, I’d encourage them to learn more about fevers because the more a person knows and understands something like this, the less scary the “unknown” seems to be.
Amy: Great. That makes so much sense to me- We are often afraid of what we don’t understand. But, the more we know, the more confident we can feel in our decisions.
Meagan: Exactly. And that’s what I am hoping to do in this guide, is educate people so they don’t have to be afraid.
Amy: Now, obviously there comes a point when too high is too high, right? Is there a “magic number” when you’d suggest a parent should leave home and take their infant or child to the doctor?
Meagan: This is different for everyone and every single situation. Honestly there is no set-in-stone answer here.
Every child has a different medical and health history, every parent has a different confidence level, and not all fevers are caused by the same thing.
This guide is designed to give a parent a thorough overview of fevers and help them learn how to work with the fever and their child in a way that promotes healing and comfort.
There is a section on when to be concerned and to seek professional medical attention as well.
Amy: Great! Well, Meagan, thank you very much for joining us today over at Real Food Whole Health. We thoroughly enjoyed learning about your new e-guide, Treating Fevers Naturally. I was really impressed with the range of information inthis book- I know it will benefit families for sure!
To learn more, check out Meagan’s new e-guide, Treating Fevers Naturally by clicking HERE. If you know anyone who might benefit from the information provided in this interview, or Meagan’s book, please share this post with them.
Fevers can be very scary, especially for new parents, and the information provided in this new guide will empower and encourage parents to help their children be comfortable without unnecessary worry and as a result, have a positive impact on their children’s health!
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