The "Dorm Plague"

It's that time of the year- students are calling in sick to class, professors are cancelling classes, and there isn't a whole lot of movement around the dorms. No, a huge snowstorm was not involved (at this point a lot of us are probably glad that last week's storm never really happened, I certainly do not have enough energy to go snowboarding). Students and faculty are just sick.

I never get sick. Yet, yesterday I was awake for only 6 or 7 hours and today has not been much better. It is also important to note that I may have cursed myself. On Wednesday, Casey was complaining about how he's been sick twice since the beginning of the semester. I thought I'd be cool and comment about how I never get sick, and then a couple days later I was sick. Lesson to be learned: don't brag about how you never get sick unless you want to be sick. At least today it occured to me that I could read my textbooks between naps, which has resulted in higher productivity than yesterday.

There are those of us who are embracing our sickness (or lack the energy to stay awake long enough to fight it) and then there are those who are fighting it. I blame the ones who are fighting it for getting the rest of the campus sick, because we sit in class with them for two or three hours soaking up their germs. Now, I'm by no means a germ-a-phobe, but I would rather not have your germs, especially since I don't seem to know how to be sick because I've never really been sick in my life (prior to Saturday, I think 3/4 of a day was about the longest I'd ever been sick). I've heard the "Turn up the heat, pile on the blankets, go to sleep, and sweat it out" method of getting better mentioned around campus a few times. I don't know if it works or not though because yesterday it was more like "Turn up the heat, pile on the blankets, and still be freezing cold".

How not to get sick in college:

• First of all, why we have the 'dorm plague': "Colds and the flu spread like wildfires in college dorms because of the confined space many college students must share. Since students are sharing rooms and bathrooms, colds and sicknesses can be transferred very easily. "
• "With most colds and sicknesses, people who are infected don't show signs of the cold right away ... This makes every person a student comes into contact with a suspect that needs to be avoided." So basically I should avoid going to class? I don't think my professors will go for that one.
• "Wear gloves as much as possible- wearing gloves will help students from directly touching surfaces that could potentially contain a virus or cold." I don't imagine too many students will go along with the idea of wearing latex gloves everywhere they go.
• "Use Lysol disinfectant on everything." Simple enough
• "Try not to hook up with too many people - every person you hook up with is multiplying your chances of getting sick. Try to limit yourself until the cold season is over." At a very male-dominated campus, this should be incredibly simple for the guys. It is also quite simple for the girls that are trying to keep any kind of positive reputation about themself.

Some more tips to prevent the cold or flu include:

• "Wash your hands." Preferably using warm water and soap and more than 10 seconds of your time.
• "Don't share cups or silverware." Probably why the majority of the campus is sick to some degree. We eat off of our friends plates, use their silverware when we're too lazy to get up and get our own, and drink out of each others water bottles.
• "Boost your immune system by getting plenty of rest, eating a well-balanced diet, exercising regularly, decreasing stress, and cutting back on smoking and excessive consumption of alcohol." I don't think this website was directed towards college students. C0llege students are not exactly known for getting tons of sleep, eating balanced meals in the cafeteria, planning far enough ahead to avoid stress, or their healthy life-style choices in the areas of smoking and partying. My recommendation: multivitamins- they do a wonderful job of making up for all of the vitamins and minerals in the foods that you should eat but do not.
• "Boost your immune system by incorporating garlic, dairy foods, vitamin C, and zinc into your meals." I dunno about the garlic, but dairy foods sound do-able. Again, multivitamins- they have vitamin C and zinc.
• "Fresh ginger root, warm beverages, and chicken noodle soup are said to help you heal. Getting lots of rest, drinking lots of fluids (I don't think they mean the alcohol kind), and using a humidifier are also said to help you heal." So, in other words, drink lots of hot chocolate? Sounds good to me!

Well, it's back to napping for me. Until next time, try to stay healthy. OK? :)