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I know this is an aside, but speaking as a physician the treatment of fever doesn't actually do much of anything [1]. The rates of certain injuries e.g. febrile seizures are the same with or without Tylenol [2].

[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1488736/, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12076499/ [2] http://adc.bmj.com/content/88/7/641

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That's definitely interesting! I didn't know that.

Still, I think the point is still valid that symptoms are still often worth treating, even if you are also working on the root cause, right?

You're right. Fever often feels bad, and like pain, is often worth treating. I just ask the patient if it's bothering them, and treat it if it is; the only exception is sometimes leaving a fever unmasked is useful to determine if one's treatment is working.

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