Staying Healthy at University/College
Illness Prevention Away From Home
Students are notoriously susceptible to sicknesses, thanks to their large workloads, late nights and typically poor diets (not forgetting the amount of alcohol consumed by the average scholar every week – there's not really such a thing as a "school night" when you're living away from home).
With Swine Flu still infecting people worldwide, knowing how to defend yourself against bugs and viruses as well as knowing how to cope when you become ill is extremely important. Here are some tips to help you understand how to take care of yourself while you're having fun as a freshman.
Illness Prevention: House Chores
Keeping your living quarters clean and tidy is the best defense against illness. To avoid becoming sick, it helps to get together a basic first aid kit before you move into your dorm room, halls of residence or digs. Along with this essential package, it is advisable to put together a box filled with cleaning products and, as patronising as it sounds, find out how to use each item before you leave.
In a shared house, ensure you are only using your own towels, especially for drying your hands and face. Germs are easily passed from person to person this way, and can spread cold viruses from person to person quickly, causing a mini epidemic. Wash your own towels often; once a week, along with your bed sheets should suffice. Dirty towels can spread germs, but they can also make spots and skin conditions worse. It's better to be safe than sorry.
Washing up dinner plates and cooking utensils can often lead to household disputes, so not only is it good for your health to keep the kitchen clean, it also creates better harmony between housemates. Food poisoning accounts for 76 million illnesses in the USA alone, and getting into the habit of doing simple chores as soon as they need to be done – such as cleaning a worktop or throwing away outdated food – will help ensure that you don't catch anything nasty from your own cooking.
Keeping the bathroom clean isn't anybody’s idea of fun, but a dirty shower can spread all kinds of nasty fungal infections between unwitting housemates. Set up a rota, and make sure every necessary area is cleaned properly. If somebody ends up getting sick, he might have to spend a lot of time in there, and things could only get worse if it hasn't been looked after properly.
Basic House Chore Kit
To keep your living space clean, you will need:
- Anti-Bacterial Spray
- Anti-Bacterial Handwash
- Scourers and Sponges
- Bleach and Toilet Cleaner
- Rubber Gloves
- Laundry Washing Powder
Illness Prevention: Diet and Lifestyle
Preparing meals can be a daunting prospect for those who have never had to do it before. Learning a few healthy recipes before leaving home can at least ensure that some vitamins are entering your diet from time to time. Vitamin C is a well-known cold-preventative, so during the wintery months it is advisable to add citrus fruits to your diet.
Cooking healthily on a budget isn't easy without practice, however, and so vitamin supplements can be invaluable to the sickly student. Be careful not to mix supplements though, and also be aware that some herbal remedies react with any other medications you may happen to be taking on prescription.
Meeting new people at college or uni is an obvious part of student life, and so it's important to also look after your sexual health. Don't rely simply on internal contraceptions such as the pill or implant – these will not protect you from sexually transmitted infections (STIs); some of which can be symptomless and passed on again unwittingly to somebody else. Get yourself checked regularly at a GUM or sexual health clinic for any infections; most can be treated with a simple course of antibiotics.
Remedies and Treatments for Non-Serious Illnesses
To arm yourself against colds and viruses, you will definitely need a basic first aid kit. Below is a list of items to keep stocked up in case of bedridden emergencies.
- Paracetomol - pain relief and acts as a decongestant
- Ibuprofen - pain relief, not to be taken if you have asthma
- Plasters
- Anti-Bacterial Cream - for non-serious burns, stings and bites
- Effervescent Vitamin Supplements (such as Berocca) - great for replacing minerals lost during a cold or hangover
- Lemsip, or similar hot drink remedy
Make sure also that you register yourself with a local doctor's surgery as soon as you move. Do not wait until you need an appointment to sign up, there is always a chance that their surgery is already filled with patients. This will give the doctor a chance to review your medical history and call you in for a first-time check-up.
Additional Advice
During the H1N1 or Swine Flu outbreak, it has been advised that you should assign yourselves a "Flu Buddy" who can go and pick up medicines and extra remedies for you should you become ill. If you suspect you have caught Swine Flu, government advice is to stay at home as long as you do not have a condition that could exacerbate the symptoms. Below are official government-approved websites with information on what to do in this situation.
America – http://www.aap.org/advocacy/releases/swineflu.htm
UK – http://www.nhs.uk/AlertsEmergencies/Pages/Pandemicflualert.aspx
Sources
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/food_poisoning/article_em.htm
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