Sidestep sickness this winter with tips from students and staff

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By: Akbar Reid

Staff Writer

Do you have a runny nose, sore throat, pounding headache and endless coughing?

Students and Health Services professionals have advice to help end this winter burden.

In 2017, the American College Health Association conducted a survey in fall 2017 of undergraduate students and their health. 31,463 participants responded and 15.6 percent said their health was fair or poor. 38 percent said their health was good.

The study described how college students have greater risks of getting sick due to stress, new environments, being around many people and the influence of alcohol and drugs.

As finals approach, students tend to forgo proper health. Some aren’t eating healthy, not sleeping enough, or not drinking enough fluids, which causes incidents of fainting and fatigue.

“We see [a spike] in stress-related things [at the end of the semester]. Lack of sleep, lack of proper nutrition… it does affect your health,” said Claudine Potvin-Giordano, the Director of Health Services.

 

How to Avoid Getting Sick:

“What you’d want to do to avoid getting sick in the winter is dress warmly,” said Malik Hamilton, a biological science student.

Hamilton assured that would definitely lower the chances of catching a cold.

Nursing student, Grace Vogel, emphasized the importance of hygiene and minimizing physical contact and proximation with sick individuals.

“You’ll find people inside of rooms together now, rather than outside,” Vogel said. “So, you’ll just get a cluster of people and [bacteria] just spreads quicker that way.”

Vogel also shared the importance of hand hygiene from her hospital experience.

“Constantly washing your hands has a huge impact,” she said. Hands are the most common thing used when making physical contact with other individuals.

Vogel encouraged carrying a personal hand sanitizer to help kill germs.

Potvin-Giordano addressed another common mistake: forgetting to keep hydrated.

According to Potvin-Giordano, you should avoid caffeinated and alcoholic beverages if you are trying to hydrate yourself. Stay hydrated by drinking mostly water.

 

Sore Throat:

Pamela Loojune, cybersecurity student, shared her trick to combat fevers and congestion. In a mug, mix together hot water, lime and honey.

“If you’re having a sore throat or congestion, you drink it and you should feel relief in your throat,” Loojune said.

An alternative remedy Loojune recommended is a mixture of hot water and turmeric and drinking it in teaspoon portions.

“If your throat is sore, but it’s manageable, you would try something over the counter to fight the sore throat,” Potvin-Giordano said.

She suggested Tylenol or Motrin, and stressed following the directions on the bottle in order to take the proper dose.

“If you don’t get better in two to three days, or if you start feeling worse, then you would want to seek medical attention,” she said.

 

Sinus:

Damingo Garcia, a liberal arts student, suggested Vicks VapoRub for sinus congestion.

“Vicks is like an ointment,” Garcia said. “It helps open up your pores and if you put it on your chest it helps open up your lungs.”

“[A hot shower] loosens all the congestion you have,” Chynna Lockenwitz, individual studies major, said.

Loojune recommended placing a hot, damp washcloth on the forehead to open up the sinuses and ease the nasal airway.

If you do happen to get sick this winter, Potvin-Giordano suggested visiting the Health and Wellness Center, located in the Siek Campus Center, room 270.

“On campus, a lot of students don’t know that we do have a nurse practitioner and we have nurses that can help guide you to make sure that you’re safe,” she said. “Our concern is always safety.”