Fever a term derived from the Latin febris, refers to an elevation of body temperature due to disease or injury. Fever is not a disease, but a symptom that may indicate the presence of disease.               Normal body temperature ranges from 970 F to 990F.It varies from individual to individual. Rectal temperature is usually about 10F higher than oral temperature, and body temperature varies in the course of the day-it usually increases in afternoon. Women have a higher temperature after ovulation than before ovulation.             Fever occurs when the body’s immune response is triggered by pyrogens (fever-producing substances). Pyrogens usually come from a source outside the body and, in turn, stimulate the production of pyrogens inside the body.

Pyrogens tell the hypothalamus to increase the temperature set point. In response, our body begins to shiver; our blood vessels constrict (close); we get under the covers in an attempt to reach the new temperature that is higher than our baseline.
             One should not have undue concern unless body temperature rises above 1020F (1030F in children).often, running a temperature is helpful to body. This defense mechanism of the body acts to destroy harmful microbes. A part of the brain called the hypothalamus regulates body temperature by regulating heat loss, mainly from the skin.
            Fever serves as one of the body's natural defenses against bacteria and viruses which cannot live at a higher temperature. For that reason, low fevers should normally go untreated, unless accompanied by troubling symptoms. When destructive microbes or tumor cells invade the body, the immune cells rushing to fight them release proteins that tell the hypothalamus to raise the temperature. Moderate temperatures (under 1030F for adults) encourage the body to manufacture more immune cells
            There are some situations, however, in which fever can cause problems. A high fever (1040F or higher) may pose a risk for people with cardiac problems, since it makes the heart beat faster and work harder, and car cause irregular rhythms, chest pain, or heart attack .Fever over 1060F especially for prolonged periods, can cause dehydration and brain injury.

Types of Fever

• Continued Fever - the temperature remains above normal for long period of time.
• Intermittent Fever - type of fever wherein body temperature periodically rises and falls.
• Relapsing Fever - type that recurs sometimes a number of times, several days after the temperature has returned to normal.

Some other types of fever include:

• Common Fever (includes Bacterial Infections, Viral Fevers, Parasitic Fevers)
• Dengue Fever: High fever accompanied by an intolerable headache, body aches, backache and joint pains mark this deadly disease.
• Influenza: hugely acknowledged as `flu`, is perhaps the most viewed in everyday type of common fever, which ensues from infection by influenza viruses.
• Malaria: Patients suffering from malaria are by and large prone to high fever, accompanied by chills and severeness.
• Typhoid Fever: can be categorized as that type of common fever, which defines itself as a piercing systemic disease.
• Measles: is defined as an acute febrile eruption, a rather uncommon type of common fever, creating knotty situations for the ailing health.
• Filaria: A patient suffering from filarial can have body temperatures shooting up to 103-104 degrees Fahrenheit, also accompanying chills and unendurable troubles.
• Rheumatic Fever: has always been looked at as a most severe and grave disorder. Rheumatic fever of inflammatory rheumatism is a very serious chronic sickness
• Meningitis: usually comes after an attack of otitis media (middle ear disease, most common in children), or mastoiditis (infection of bone projecting behind the ear), or brain abscesses and even tonsillitis.

Causes and risk factors
The cause of the fever is quite an intricate process. Our blood and lymphatic systems produce white blood cells which are what fight off infection. As our white blood cells increase in number, like an army to fight the germs, they go faster and faster attacking the germs, this causes our bodies to heat up, thus causing the fever or rise in body temperature. The hypothalamus in the brain, which is the body's heat regulating mechanism, is affected by the pyrogens, or the white blood cells. So, in effect, we can say that the fever is what is fighting the infection. That is why it is not good to try to bring down a fever too much or too fast. A temperature of 100 to 101 degrees Fahrenheit is good for the body because it shows that the body is fighting the infection. However, if a fever goes too high, measures must be taken to bring the fever down a bit. Antipyretics are medications that lower fever, such as Tylenol, aspirin and so on. Never give a child aspirin products if it is believed they have chicken pox or the flu. This could lead to a condition called Reye's syndrome that is potentially fatal.
Other conditions that involve fever include inflammations such as arthritis, leukemia, where the body produces defective and useless white blood cells that cause fever but cannot fight infection, and in heat stroke, where the body's heat regulating mechanism no longer functions properly, due to overexposure to the sun. The body cannot bring down the temperature nor sweat. This is a potentially life threatening situation that requires emergency first aid
 
Fever can be caused by many conditions. Some conditions that cause them are: infections such as strep throat, pneumonia, flu and chickenpox, tissue injuries, silicosis, tumors or cancer diseases that cause medications.
The main risk of mild or moderate fevers is dehydration. When a person has a fever, they need more fluids than usual. A fever greater than 106 degrees Fahrenheit can result in brain damage and possibly death. Fevers greater than 106 degrees are very unusual.

Sign and symptoms
There are different symptoms of a fever. The symptom of a fever depends on what is causing it. Sometimes a fever can cause a chill. A chill occurs because when the brain raises the body's "thermostat," the body responds by shivering to raise the temperature. Shivering produces heat in the body. Once the temperature goes up, the person often feels warm. When the fever goes away, the person may start to sweat.
Other symptoms of a fever include: aching everywhere, listlessness, elevated body temperature on the thermometer, red cheeks, and feeling hot or cold, shaking. The body basically shivers and has chills when the fever is rising, especially rapidly and sweats when the fever is dropping, or breaking.

Depending on the cause of the fever, symptoms may include:

• Dehydration
• General weakness
• Headache
• Inability to concentrate
• Loss of appetite
• Muscle aches
• Sweating
• Trembling, shivering

High fevers between 103 F (39.4 C) and 106 F (41.1 C) may cause:

• Confusion
• Convulsions
• Hallucinations
• Irritability

Dietary and Nutritional Factors

To begin with, the patient should be put on a fast on orange juice and water. The procedure is to take the juice of an orange in a glass of warm water every two-hour during the day. It will provide energy, increases urinal output and promote body resistance against infection thereby hastening recovery.
The use of the leaves of holy basil (holy basil) is the most effective of these remedies.
Fast on fruit juice till fever subsides.
Catnip tea with dandelion and lobelia, taken in tea or extract form, is good for lowering fever.

Recommendations
Drink plenty of distilled water and juices, but avoid solid food until the fever breaks.
Take cool sponge baths.
To induce sweating, which may shorten the length of the fever, wrap up in a warm blanket or robe for twenty minutes. Replace lost fluids as soon as you can.
If body temperature rises above 1020 F (1030 in a child), take measure to reduce the fever, and consult your health care provider. This can be a sign of a serious condition.