What is your TEMPERATURE?

To sustain life, the human body has to stay within a narrow range of 36.5-37 degrees Celsius with normal temperature at 37 degrees Celsius. Within this ideal range, your immune system is strong and holds you in fine emotional and physical stability.

Having said that, normal body temperature can vary according to a wide range of factors including a person's age, the time of day and whether someone is active or not. For women, body temperature is very sensitive to hormone levels and may be higher or lower when she is ovulating or having her menstrual period.

What is body temperature?

Body temperature is a measure of the body's ability to generate and eliminate heat. Our body is very capable at keeping its temperature within a narrow, safe range in spite of large variations in temperatures in the external environment.

Incidentally, scientists have found the reason why our body temperature is maintained at the ideal range. Apparently it is the perfect balance - warm enough to prevent fungal infection but not too hot that we need to eat nonstop to maintain our metabolism.

When there is too much heat around, the blood vessels in your skin expand (dilate) to carry the excess heat to your skin's surface. You may begin to sweat, and as the sweat evaporates, it helps you to cool down. On the contrary, when you are too cold, your blood vessels narrow (contract) so that blood flow to your skin is reduced to conserve body heat. You may start shivering, which is an involuntary, rapid contraction of the muscles, an action meant to generate more heat.


How can temperature protect the body?

The body has an in-built mechanism to use temperature control to protect itself against illness and injury when any specific part is having inflammation or under much stress.  This is a biological reaction occurring when destructive microbes or tumor cells invade the body, prompting the immune cells to release a certain protein that stimulates the hypothalamus (a part of the brain) to raise the temperature.

What about a fever?

In most instances, a fever is not a disease but a manifestation of a disease and thus does more good than harm unless it rises to a critical level of 41 to 43 deg C which can result in dehydration and brain damage.

-  Symptoms

The common symptoms accompanying a fever include headache, muscle ache, sweating, shivering, poor appetite, dehydration, restlessness, rash, rapid breathing, rapid heart rate and general body weakness. It can also cause mental strains such as clouded consciousness, hallucinations, excessive sleepiness and seizures.  Occurring with diarrhoea and vomiting, it is likely due to gastroenteritis and if accompanied by coughing, wheezing and phlegm may indicate pneumonia.

-  Persons at high risk

+  Adults experiencing high body temperature should not be unduly worried unless there is viral epidemic like SAR.
+  Children with lower immunity should be examined and given due medical attention.
+  Heart patients have to be careful as high fever can cause irregular heartbeats which can be life-threatening.

-  Treatments

FOR ADULTS

+  Drink plenty of water and fruit juice to keep hydrated, and replenish with vitamins and minerals (should not contain zinc and iron).  No solid food till fever retreats
+  Wear loose clothes and take warm baths to keep the body cool  (avoid cold water as it has a tendency to close up pores on the skin and prevents evaporation)
+  Do not cover with blanket even if you feel cold as this causes further rise in temperature (if really need to, at most 20 mins). Sleep well.

FOR CHILDREN

+  Do not give aspirin to them for fear of causing a fatal neurological disorder
+  Do not rub alcohol or ice water to bring down the temperature
+  A child can be wrapped up in a blanket to induce sweating and leave to rest well
A fever that never seems to go off needs further examination.  It can be associated with diabetes, hepatitis, mononucleosis etc.  Otherwise, let the fever runs its own course as the body is helping to ward off infection and eliminate toxins from our systems.


What happens why temperature is uncontrollable?

When the body fails to regulate its own temperature, resulting in rising degrees to an exceedingly high level, a heat stroke may occur, termed hyperthermia. The ability to sweat and transfer the heat to the environment is reduced. In critical cases, heatstroke can cause severe dehydration with body organs malfunctioning if not attended to promptly.

Note the change of temperatures and the likely consequences -

• 44°C or more – Death is almost certain for most sufferers.
• 43°C – Can be fatal, or serious brain damage, continuous convulsions and shock, cardio-respiratory collapse etc.
• 42°C – In the worst case - comatosed. Face may turn pale or remain flushed and red. Also, in severe delirium, vomiting and convulsions. Blood pressure may be high or low but heart rate is definitely very fast.
• 41°C – Fainting, vomiting, severe headache, dizziness, confusion, hallucinations, delirium and drowsiness can occur. There may also be palpitations and breathlessness.
• 40°C – Fainting, dehydration, weakness, vomiting, headache and dizziness may occur as well as profuse sweating.
• 39°C – Severe sweating, flushed and very red. Fast heart rate and breathlessness, followed by exhaustion. Children and epileptics may be very likely to get convulsions at this point.
• 38°C – Sweating, feeling very uncomfortable, slightly hungry.

On the contrary, when the core body temperature falls below the normal range for a prolonged period of time, troubles may be brewing internally. Termed hypothermia, this is a common happening amongst the elderly unknowingly as there is no imminent threat posed in the short term and often the weather takes the quick blame. Weak and old people should watch when body temperature runs low, especially with presence of an infection.

• 36°C - The body shivers to generate more heat, a physiological response to preserve heat. The feeling is still bearable but chronic degenerative diseases are starting to creep in.
• 35.5°C - Violent shivering is likely. The functioning of the autonomic nervous system can be disrupted causing poor muscle coordination. Person involved can still be alert, but becomes hypersensitive and moves sluggishly, accompanied by a stumbling pace and mild confusion. Surface blood vessels contract further as the body focuses its remaining resources on keeping the vital organs warm. Pale looking, the victim may have lips, ears, fingers and toes turning blue.
• 35°C - The body environment is conducive for cancer proliferation. Below 35, death is imminent.
• 34°C – Severe shivering, loss of movement of fingers, blueness and confusion. Some behavioral changes may take place.
• 33°C – Moderate to severe confusion, sleepiness, depressed or total unresponsive reflexes, progressive loss of shivering (may stop completely), slow heart beat, shallow breathing etc.

Generally, life can be sustained for a short while only when the core temperature drops to about 30.5-32.2 degrees C.

• 32°C – Hallucinations, delirium, complete confusion, extreme sleepiness that is progressively becoming comatose. Shivering is absent (may feel hot instead). Reflex may be mild to nil.
• 31°C – In comatose state, hardly conscious, little or slight reflexes. Very shallow breathing and slow heart rate (likely serious heart rhythm problems).
• 30°C and below - The exposed skin becomes blue and puffy, muscle coordination is very poor, making walking almost impossible, and the person exhibits incoherent/irrational behavior including terminal burrowing or even a stupor. Pulse and respiration rates decrease significantly, but fast heart rates can register. Cellular metabolic processes shut down leading to major organ failure. Though clinical death has occurred, but brain may not be declared dead yet.
• 28°C – Severe heart rhythm disturbances are likely and breathing may stop at any time. Patient may appear to be dead.

Causes for fall in temperatures

+ Cold exposure

+ Lack of physical exercises

+ Stress

+ Over eating

+ Shock

+ Excessive alcohol intake

+ Prolonged use of medicated drugs

+ Certain metabolic disorders, such as diabetes and hypothyroidism

Foods that can improve blood temperatures

+ Take only nutritionally dense food and avoid refined foods eg. instant noodles, canned food and fast food

+ Warming foods help to energise the body eg. fishes, red wine, brown rice, garlic, onion, ginger, red tea, wolfberry, durian

More comments

According to the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioners, ailments are usually created by poor chi (life energy), blood and fluid circulation. Thick blood with inferior quality is unable to let the body systems function efficiently. A balance has to be struck between ‘yin’ and ‘yang'. Both constitutions can give rise to different illnesses in extremities as illustrated above where temperature falls outside the bands of both sides.

By maintaining a healthy lifestyle can the body temperature remain within the range as long as possible.

VIVA corner

+  The active enzymes in VIVA Green Barley helps to neutralise free radicals and creates an alkaline environment so that the harmful bacteria finds  it hard to thrive on. Working together with the immune system to combat the invaders, chance of elimination is improved and the fever can then drop.

+  VIVABiogarlic contains an important component known as Allicin that is proven medically to be anti-bacterial, anti-viral and shows a great efficacy against infectious diseases.  This product is highly concentrated under low temperature and contains capsicum, phytochemicals and other bioflavonoids, which could enhance nutrients absorption.  Note that 100 mg of garlic extract has the same effect as 10mg of penicillin of anti-bacteria action.