She was soon approached by health care workers who were caring for AIDS patients. They wondered if Dr. Holtzclaw's procedure would help their patients by making them more comfortable. They also have very high levels of disease-related cytokines. But we decided to try, and again the treatment was successful. The researcher explained that it is necessary to take a patient's temperature every two hours instead of only once every eight-hour shift, which is the current custom.
Some patients have two febrile episodes between temperature checks.
Dr. Holtzclaw explained that the newer, more positive attitudes about the benefits from fever are consistent with those of the ancient Greeks, who believed that fever maintained balance among the four body fluids. This belief persisted for almost 2,000 years. It isn't surprising that this attitude endured because experimental evidence of fever's importance as a host defense response is relatively new. Much of what is known about biochemicals in connection with fever has only emerged within the past 30 years. Whether Dr. Holtzclaw is wrapping the limbs to prevent shivering in cancer patients with fever caused by amphotericin B, or in immunosuppressed AIDS patients with fevers related to an opportunistic infection, the treatment is the same and equally successful.