Last year, at this time, you awoke one painful morning unable to lift your head from your pillow. Your throat felt as if it were lined with daggers. Your nose was plugged despite the stream of green dried to the side of your face. Your entire body was screaming with pain.
For a college student, there is little that can be more inconvenient than the side effects of becoming sick. In college, missing work, assignments, or your garage band's three-hour practice can't be made up for with a forged note from "Mom."
This year, to avoid such ill-fated mornings, even in the wake of summer, one would be well advised to follow a few simple preventative measures.
Some of you may have noticed the red-eyed stranger sitting behind you in class, who is sneezing and coughing all over the place. The UB campuses, with more than 27,000 students and faculty passing through every day, are a breeding ground for germs and bacteria just waiting to invade your immune system. Library books, stairway handrails and door handles are covered with germs and bacteria. Even brief contact could transfer germs, resulting in sickness.
Jackie Hennas, supervisor of the clinical lab at Michael Hall, the student health center on South Campus, said there are small ways students can keep themselves healthy.
Hennas said to resist "chewing on pens or pencils, sharing drinks, foods or eating utensils and biting nails," and to keep hands away from mouths.
Theresa Betz, a nurse practitioner at Michael Hall, cites stress and unhealthy habits as a reason for becoming ill, as stress is accountable for lowering the immune system's defenses.
"Students need to balance their stress levels," she said.
Betz recommended that students find a way to incorporate exercise into their busy schedules, be it jogging on the treadmill at Alumni Arena a few times a week or taking a walk around campus.
Tammy Vance, a senior biotechnology major, said in her experience, diet also plays a big role.
"More students need to eat healthier foods which contain nutrients that are good for their body and keep them healthy," she said.
Vance suggested that students reach for healthier foods, such as green vegetables and fruits for snacks. According to webmd.com, these foods contain phytochemicals, which are natural chemicals in plants that provide the vitamins in food with a "supercharged boost."
According to the same Web site, a daily cup of low-fat yogurt can cut the risk of cold by 25 percent.
The tips to stay healthy are usually ones heard many times before, but according to the experts, it's still doing the small, simple things that go a long way.
Rose Zendano, a pharmacist at Michael Hall, said it is essential for students to frequently wash their hands in preventing seasonal sickness.
"Students can carry hand sanitizer with them in their backpacks," Zendano said.
Jen Johnston, a healthcare professional with Independent Health, recommended students take vitamin C and eat foods containing vitamin C, such as oranges and carrots, to help keep the immune system balanced.
Some students, like Nik Mejias, a freshman pharmacy major, swear by a daily multivitamin to keep them healthy.
"Students consume fewer vitamins when they go away to school," he said.
According to webmd.com, sneezing or coughing into the arm or a tissue, will spread fewer germs than sneezing or coughing into the hands.
The Web site also recommends cutting alcohol consumption, as well as smoking. Alcohol dehydrates the body and deteriorates the liver, an essential organ for filtering germs. Statistics reveal that smokers suffer from colds more frequently.
In the end, taking steps to remain healthy, by getting enough sleep and staying hydrated, is the best way to avoid becoming sick.
But if and when sickness does turn its ugly head and turn your head ugly, at least you can stay home and watch "The Price is Right."
Nicole Coleman did additional reporting for this story.
Email: spectrum_features@hotmail.com
Photo: Courtesy of Matthew Messina, from the RMBERS' Instagram page
