Get smarter in sixty seconds with brain Stuff from how stuffworks dot com Hi Marshall Brain. When your body temperature rises because of an infection, it's called a fever. Fevers are caused by chemicals called pyrogens flowing in the bloodstream. Pyrogens make their way to the hypothalamus in your brain, which is in charge of regulating your body temperature. When pyrogens bind to certain receptors in the hypothalamus, your body
temperature rises. So where do the pyrogens come from? One common pyrogen is called inner luken one or I L one. I L one is produced by white blood cells called macrophages when they come into contact with certain bacteria and viruses. One purpose of a fever is thought to be to raise the body's temperature enough to kill off certain bacteria and viruses that are sensitive to temperature changes. One interesting
debate right now, therefore, is would you lower a fever. Aspirin, for example, will reduce fever, But if the fever is actually helping rid the body of infection, then lowering it might not be such a good idea. On the other hand, people sometimes die from fever. Right now, the general medical consensus falls on the reduced the fever side of the coin. Do you have any ideas or suggestions for this podcast? If so, please send me an email at podcast at
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