Wear Wet Socks, Lower Your Fever. Really.

When flu season approaches, fevers become more and more prevalent. A fever is actually part of your body's defense system - germs hate heat, so when they invade your body, it naturally produces a fever to help drive off the enemy.

If your fever is 101 degrees or less, you might want to let it run its course. But sometimes the fever can get a little out of control and cause more problems than it solves. You will want to lower any fever over 101 degrees, and seek immediate medical attention if the fever goes to 104 or 105, as a temperature this high can cause serious problems.

So, if your fever is 102 or 103, there are some things you can do yourself to bring it down to a manageable range. One of those things is the wet-sock treatment, which is a common method that the pioneers used to reduce fever. (Don't laugh, lots of people swear by this!!).

Here it is:

When it's bedtime, warm your feet by soaking them in warm water. An easy way to do this is to sit on the side of the tub, run some warm water and take it easy for a few minutes.

Soak a pair of thin cotton socks in cold water, wring them out and put them on your feet immediately before going to bed. Yep, it sounds crazy, but there really is a good reason for this.

Next, slip on a pair of thick socks, preferably wool, over the wet ones and get yourself to bed. Have nice dreams of getting those %#$@! wet socks off your feet.

While you are resting, the wet socks are drawing your blood to your feet, which substantially increases blood circulation. Increased blood circulation generally leads to a lower body temperature. Voila!

Oh, and don't believe the old wives tale that you should "starve a fever". The only thing this will do is weaken you even further at the very time that you should be eating something to build you up, even if it's only chicken soup and crackers.

Here's hoping that you don't need this remedy for a long, long time. Have a safe flu season!