All posts in sick

Frosh-cessities: How to avoid getting sick

By: / October 8, 2015 / No Comments /

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There are several facts of life that everyone must accept. For example, death is inevitable and college students can be–and are–gross. From the latter stems a great problem: the epidemic of flus and colds at Brown. For those of you who are specifically avoiding the post hook-up cold, Blog has you covered here. For those of you who refuse to get sick, or those who are refusing to believe you are actually sick, here are a few tips.

1. Get your flu shot.

Health Services will be offering free flu shots for students starting on October 14. They will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Friday in the lower level of Faunce.

2. Avoid Keeney at all costs.

Keeney is a swarming hub of germs. To be fair, it can’t be blamed. There are a lot of people in tight quarters and soap isn’t always stocked. So, to play it safe, avoid Keeney. Don’t worry if you live there, though! BlogDH has already listed the warmest places to hide. I strongly recommend the mysterious vents in front of Bio-Med.

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The post-Spring Weekend detox plan

By: / April 21, 2015 / No Comments /

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With the end of Spring Weekend debauchery comes one of the most feared and talked-about social ills known to campus: the post-bender hangover. Whatever crazy things you did these last few days will undoubtedly be followed by a series of ailments. Whether it’s an incredibly hellish headache, stomach issue, sinus infection, or any combination of illnesses, it’s your body’s way of saying f**k you, this is payback. So what can we as Brown students do? Although pretending that we aren’t enrolled in college and staying in bed all week does sound like a good idea, we have to live up to our play hard-work hard reputation. That is why we created a list of the best ways you can detox here on campus.

The Vita-Coco Cleanse

There is a reason the Blue Room stocks these bad boys. Use all your meal credits, points, Bear Bucks or cash, and stock up on as many as you can get your hands on. No solid foods for the next week.

The Bathroom Steam Sauna

We hope to make RPLs angry Norwegians jealous with this time-honored Scandinavian tradition. All you need is a few towels, some eucalyptus oil, and a lock on your bathroom. Just throw a few towels underneath the door, turn all the showers on to full blast, and inhale the sweet vapors of a steam room. (Disclaimer: BlogDailyHerald is not legallyor financially responsible for any damage done to the dorm, oneself, or one’s pride.)

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Get Your Free Flu Shot!

By: / October 7, 2014 / No Comments /
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‘Tis the season for sniffles, fevers, and body aches. So this morning, Health Services (finally) announced the dates and times of the flu vaccine clinics! If you’re a hypochondriac like I am, you’ll be downstairs in Faunce tomorrow at 9:55 a.m. In order to reduce my chances of catching ~influenza~ this year, I kindly request that everyone get their shots. Don’t be a wimp.
FLU VACCINE CLINICS BEGIN OCTOBER 8th — Wednesday, Thursday, Friday starting this week and continuing through October:
10a.m. – 4p.m. each day in the Campus Center Lower Lobby 
No appointment needed.  Bring your Brown ID. Free for enrolled Brown students.
This week: Wednesday 10/8, Thursday 10/9, Friday 10/10
Next week: Wednesday 10/15, Thursday 10/15, Friday 10/17
Then again: Wednesday 10/22, Thursday 10/23, Friday 10/24
 
“Even healthy people can get the flu and it can be serious.  This season, protect yourself — and those around you — by getting a flu vaccine.”
xoxo,
Health Services (& Me)
If you have any questions, email nursing@brown.edu or call 401-863-1330.
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PSA: Don’t be “The Sniffler” this cold and flu season

By: / September 14, 2014 / No Comments /

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As much as we hate to admit it, it’s starting to get colder. The leaves are changing colors, the Main Green is becoming less crowded, and pumpkin-spiced lattes are back at Starbucks. Unfortunately, the changing of the seasons also signals that the cold and flu season is upon us. Yes, college is a time when exploration and learning are interspersed with crazy amounts of debauchery, but it is also a time when being sick is pretty much the norm. Living on top of one another in the dorms, sharing germs and intimate space, will usually do that to you. That is why we are asking, or rather, begging you, to please not be that guy or girl who wont stop sniffling in the AQR.

You all know the person to whom I am referring: phe who steps foot into the library all bundled up to fight the chills, armed with a gallon of tea and a box of tissues.  As soon as they sit down, they no longer are a Brown student, but instead become a germ-spewing, snot-sniffling megaphone that never seems to know when to leave and relieve some nasal pressure. Below we’ve highlighted a few tips to help you avoid being this library nuisance.

1) BLOW YOUR NOSE. It’s really not that hard. Before you go into a quiet place, take the time to really clear yourself up.

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Norovirus (aka stomach flu) outbreak on campus

By: / March 20, 2013 / 1 Comment /

“I’m just one stomach flu away from my goal weight.”

An email was sent out at noon today regarding the recent influx of students reporting gastrointestinal illness to Health Services. It does seem that, these days, every few hours you are hearing of someone else getting the dreaded stomach bug, and there’s nothing sadder than sober vomiting.

The email suggests contacting Health Services if you’re suffering from intense dehydration, prolonged vomiting/diarrhea, and other troublesome medical symptoms that hopefully you would have noticed even if no one had emailed you. Prevention is sort of hard when everyone shares bathrooms/goes to the Ratty/touches stuff other people touch, but exercising extreme hand hygiene during this time is recommended. You might even want to be that person who carries Purell around with them.

Unfortunately, I had the flu last week, before it was trendy, and am now getting all these worried texts like, “Did you experience some tiredness?!? I’m feeling sort of tired … maybe I’m sick?” Interestingly enough, it seems as though hypochondria and viruses spread at the same rate.

While it would absolutely suck to be sick for the first few days of break, it is is sort of a blessing in disguise this is happening right before we leave – there’s a much greater likelihood of making it out alive uncontaminated with the prospect of our own beds in the near future. Good luck staying healthy! Wash your hands!

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Shots.

By: / October 2, 2012 / No Comments /

Flu shots, that is!

Starting this week, Health Services will be offering free flu shots from 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Wednesday through Friday in the lower lobby of the Campus Center. The free shots will be offered through the week of October 19th.

Before you make some BS excuse—”side effects,” “overvaccination,” or “the owies” (seriously?)— consider this: influenza is the eighth largest cause of death in the U.S.

Okay, that’s mostly a scare tactic: the people who die of the flu are mostly old people and young children. But still, you don’t want to be sick when you’re hooking up with that hottie or (more likely) studying for finals. So get in line and get pricked!