2008 Woodie Awards
Achoo!
A Quick Guide to Staying Healthy in Flu Season
By: April Wynn
Issue date: 1/31/07 Section: Entertainment & Features
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April Wynn
Staff Writer
While everyone is longing for warm and sunny spring days, winter is still here and so is the annual flu season. During this time of the year, influenza, better known as the flu, can make a person extremely sick and often takes a few days to get over. From a fever and coughing to a headache and sore body, the flu is one nasty virus. Last year's flu season was one of the worst in recent years, according to About.com. What will 2007 bring then?
For college students, there is no staying in bed and riding out the flu wave. It is not easy missing one class and trying to catch up, and even harder to miss multiple classes multiple times. Want to avoid that puny feeling this season and not end up behind in class? Simply follow these tasks to stay healthy, wealthy and wise.
College students are not known for having the healthiest diets, consuming a lot of caffeine and salty foods during those late night study sessions or runs to Waffle House. Right now, it is best to eat smaller amounts of sugar. Sugar brings the immune system down and does not allow it to work properly. This makes it easier for a virus such as the flu to attack the body without the immune system being able to fight it off. Try drinking juice rather than soft drinks or eating a piece of fruit rather than French fries.
Get some sleep. College life goes at a fast pace and runs on such a strict schedule that between classes, homework, food and friends there is hardly any time for sleep. As hard as it may be with a busy schedule, sleep is another key factor in avoiding the flu. People will function better with more sleep and it will make it easier on the body to fight off the infection. Try going to bed one hour earlier a night to feel better in the morning, and do the body a favor in the process.
Continual hand washing throughout the day is vital. After having contact with someone or touching more than one doorknob, hands should be washed. If there is not a rest room nearby, pick up hand sanitizer and carry it along. Hands come in contact with everything from light switches and keyboards to the eyes and mouth. Who knows who or what has touched them and whether or not they are sick. Do not drink after anyone right now, no matter what the person may say. It doesn't matter if the person claims they aren't sick, it is better to be safe than sorry with the flu this year.
Another option is to get a flu shot from the local health department. The shot takes about two weeks for the antibodies to provide protection from the flu. The flu vaccine can prevent 70-90 percent of the symptoms of the flu and other flu related viruses, according to About.com. Flu Mist, a nasal spray, was created as an alternative to the vaccine a few years ago.
Staff Writer
While everyone is longing for warm and sunny spring days, winter is still here and so is the annual flu season. During this time of the year, influenza, better known as the flu, can make a person extremely sick and often takes a few days to get over. From a fever and coughing to a headache and sore body, the flu is one nasty virus. Last year's flu season was one of the worst in recent years, according to About.com. What will 2007 bring then?
For college students, there is no staying in bed and riding out the flu wave. It is not easy missing one class and trying to catch up, and even harder to miss multiple classes multiple times. Want to avoid that puny feeling this season and not end up behind in class? Simply follow these tasks to stay healthy, wealthy and wise.
College students are not known for having the healthiest diets, consuming a lot of caffeine and salty foods during those late night study sessions or runs to Waffle House. Right now, it is best to eat smaller amounts of sugar. Sugar brings the immune system down and does not allow it to work properly. This makes it easier for a virus such as the flu to attack the body without the immune system being able to fight it off. Try drinking juice rather than soft drinks or eating a piece of fruit rather than French fries.
Get some sleep. College life goes at a fast pace and runs on such a strict schedule that between classes, homework, food and friends there is hardly any time for sleep. As hard as it may be with a busy schedule, sleep is another key factor in avoiding the flu. People will function better with more sleep and it will make it easier on the body to fight off the infection. Try going to bed one hour earlier a night to feel better in the morning, and do the body a favor in the process.
Continual hand washing throughout the day is vital. After having contact with someone or touching more than one doorknob, hands should be washed. If there is not a rest room nearby, pick up hand sanitizer and carry it along. Hands come in contact with everything from light switches and keyboards to the eyes and mouth. Who knows who or what has touched them and whether or not they are sick. Do not drink after anyone right now, no matter what the person may say. It doesn't matter if the person claims they aren't sick, it is better to be safe than sorry with the flu this year.
Another option is to get a flu shot from the local health department. The shot takes about two weeks for the antibodies to provide protection from the flu. The flu vaccine can prevent 70-90 percent of the symptoms of the flu and other flu related viruses, according to About.com. Flu Mist, a nasal spray, was created as an alternative to the vaccine a few years ago.
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