We’ve only been back at school for a few weeks now – just enough time to get through our first round of spring semester exams – and already it seems like everyone is sick. Below are some basic tips on how to prevent, diagnose and treat whatever new virus is going around.

First of all, there are certain things you can be doing to prevent infection in the first place, most of which we all know, but do not follow as closely as we should.

Wash your hands. People cough, sneeze and breathe all over the desks we write on and computers we type on. Whether jotting down notes in psychology lecture or answering an e-mail on a Whispers computer, we are coming in contact with thousands of bacterium and viruses. So before you get in line at Holmes for your carvery wrap, head to the bathroom and wash your hands.

Eat well-balanced meals with plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean protein. Additionally, there are certain foods that have been linked with preventing common colds and the flu due to the vitamins and minerals they contain. According to Kathy McManus, R.D., director of the department of nutrition at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, whole grains, bananas, cayenne pepper, sweet potatoes and garlic can help prevent or even cure bacterial and viral infections. The zinc in whole grains, vitamin B6 in bananas and Vitamin A in sweet potatoes are all involved in making leukocytes (white blood cells) and fighting infection. Cayenne pepper helps ease congestion because the capsaicin found in the pepper thins the mucus in nasal passages, making it easier to breathe. Garlic is perhaps the most useful because allicin, one of the active components in freshly crushed garlic, instantly stops the reproduction of viruses by blocking the enzymes that are used in the viral metabolic pathways – which in turn, will stop the infection. Garlic has also been identified as a viable alternative to antibiotics in treating bacterial infections.

Sleep. Just because you have lots of studying to do, doesn’t mean you can cut out on your zzzs. You still need to sleep. The average college student should be getting eight to 10 hours of sleep a night, but since we all know that is unlikely/impossible with our schedules, we should at least aim for six to eight hours a night.

So if my prevention strategies fall through, and you do get sick, how do you know what you have? Most illnesses are viruses and can fall under the category of the common cold or the flu. However, you need to be on the look out for strep throat or worse, mononucleosis, so here is a quick guide to help you self diagnose. (Note: If you feel terribly sick, please make an appointment at Student Health Services as soon as possible.) If you have a sore throat, mild cough, are congested/sneeze frequently, but do not have a fever, you probably have a common cold and can treat yourself with over-the-counter cold medication, plenty of rest, and fluids. If, however, those symptoms are accompanied by a high fever and extremely painful body aches, sudden and severe headaches and exhaustion you probably have the flu. The flu can be treated over the counter, but if you identify your symptoms as being “flu-like” you should probably stop by Student Health Services for an appointment.

If your only symptoms are extreme sore throat and high fever, look in the mirror, open your mouth and see if you can see white spots in the back of your throat. If so, you probably have strep throat. Even if you can’t see the bacteria growing on your throat, if you’ve had a sore throat that has persisted without additional symptoms and you start to have a fever, please see Student Health Services. Strep throat can easily be treated with antibiotics but if left untreated, it can lead to a terrible infection, so please seek medical attention as soon as possible if you experience the above symptoms.

Perhaps the most dreaded of all college sicknesses, mononucleosis, is characterized by fever, sore throat, headaches, white patches on the back of the throat, swollen glands, feeling tired and loss of appetite. If you have these symptoms, but they dissipate within a few days, you most likely do not have mononucleosis. If these symptoms persist week after week, however, see Student Health Services, where they can give you a “mono-spot” which will test for the levels of immunity. Unfortunately, mono cannot be “cured” – it will go away on its own – but recovery rates vary and it could take more than a year before you are back to feeling yourself again.

Please note, these are only guidelines and should not be used as the primary form of diagnosis.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. So hopefully, if you follow these primary guidelines, you can avoid getting sick in the first place.

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This entry was posted on Friday, February 16th, 2007 at 12:00 pm and is filed under Scene. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.