Maintaining your health: How to avoid seasonal illnesses
By Hannah Corwin, Staff Writer //
The leaves are changing, the mornings are cooler, and jeans are now a necessity. Unfortunately, with the start of October comes the start of flu season. Well, not just flu season. Fall is often the time of the year when everyone gets sick, but the flu is one illness that is the most talked about.
High Point University has a Health Services Department located in the basement of Wilson Residence Hall. The department has a full-time staff.
Health Services is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. If you need to go for a check-up, you can walk in to schedule an appointment, or call the receptionist at 336-841-4683, and soon you’ll even be able to schedule appointments online.
While Health Services is a convenient resource for students to go to if they get the flu, no one wants to have to wait until they get sick. There are many steps students can take to avoid the flu.
Though it is harder to avoid the flu because college students are living in close quarters, it is still possible.
Dr. Ron Ragan, Dean of the School of Pharmacy at HPU, said one of the best things you can do is to get the flu shot. It is available at Health Services, CVS, and Walmart.
He also advised maintaining a healthy diet, getting plenty of sleep, exercising and managing your stress levels. These are the hardest pieces of advice for college students as students work hard, eat what’s available and get what little sleep they can.
Some of the easier pieces of advice are to avoid people who are sick, wash your hands frequently, avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth, and keep your room and possessions clean and disinfected. These are simpler tasks for college students that don’t take much time to complete and are good habits to pick up.
If you do have the flu, some of the symptoms will be fever, headaches, body aches, runny or stuffy nose, sore throat and a cough. If you have these symptoms, don’t try and tough it out. Dr. Linda Sekhon, the founding chair for the Department of Physicians Assistant Studies, recommends going to Health Services immediately as they will be able to let you know what you need to do and possibly prescribe antiviral medications that can be filled in their office.
Also, stay in your dorm room as forcing yourself to go to class will only make you sicker and infect others.
In summation, complete the following steps to avoid the flu and other illnesses that might be going around campus:
- Get the flu shot
- Eat healthy
- Sleep regularly
- Exercise often
- Manage stress
- Keep living environment clean
- Wash hands frequently