It's that time of the semester again - the middle of October, which means midterms, shorter, crisper days and longer, colder nights. Many students find themselves bogged down with work. When some students can't keep up with their assignments they devote less time to healthy living.
So this change in the weather brings something else with it: The start of the cold and flu season. The common cold brings sore throats, stuffy noses and sneezes to students all over campus. Beginning in late September, the incidence of colds increases slowly for a few weeks and remains high until March or April, according to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease.
The sudden increase in the occurrence of colds has little to do with the weather, and more to do with people's lifestyles indoors, said Student Health Center doctor Anne Howland.
"We see more colds at this time of year, but I don't know if it's because of the cold weather or because heaters are on, windows are shut, people are spending a lot more time indoors, in much closer quarters, so it spreads easier," Howland said.
Cold symptoms come from an inflammation of the upper airways due to a viral infection, according to Howland.
Dr. Deborah Norris, adjunct professor and scientist in residence of the Psychology Department, clarified that cold symptoms can also come from bacteria in someone's system.
"When you get a cold it means one - your immune system is down, and two - you have been exposed to either a virus or bacteria," Norris explained.
In order to prevent the onset of a cold, Norris suggested maintaining a healthy immune system.
"The primary thing to do is to keep the immune system functioning optimally, that is by not taxing it with stress," she said. "Stress can be in any form, whether it be stress we normally think of, like anxiety and tension, or activities. It can also be nutrition deficiency, not getting enough nutrients, or getting too many toxins in our systems," Norris said. These toxins include those consumed by alcohol or smoke intake.
Both Howland and Norris agreed that one of the best ways to prevent a weakened immune system that might lead to a cold is something that is rarely practiced on a college campus: Sleep.
"Getting enough sleep is key. Sleep is so important. During sleep is when Human Growth Hormone is released," Norris said.
HGH helps the body to heal. When people don't sleep their bodies can't produce enough HGH and their cells deplete so their bodies can't heal fast enough, according to Norris. Simple colds are only one of many things that can be caused due to lack of sleep.
"When they have done research on normal college volunteers that are deprived of sleep, they come down with lots of problems. One of them is muscle aches and pains, even muscle atrophy [the wasting away of muscle tissue]," Norris said.
The doctors also offered some ways to shorten the duration of a cold. Sleep can certainly help with this, they said. However, with classes to attend and work to do, it isn't always possible to stay on a strict sleeping pattern. When the symptoms of a cold set in, there are many available options for treatment, Howland said.
"If someone comes in the Health Center with a cold, we give them what's called symptomatic treatment. I may tell them to go get a decongestant, maybe a little bit of cough syrup, over the counter. We tell them to drink lots of fluids, and suggest ibuprofen for any aches and pains," Howland said.
Norris also suggested less conventional methods to boost the immune system and treat cold symptoms, such as herbal treatments.
"One of the popular things today used to boost the immune system is Echinacea, which comes from a flowering plant some of us in our gardens. It is available in powder form or in tablets at the grocery or drugstore," she said. "Garlic is also fantastic in treating a cold. There are a lot of studies of alternative therapies and research that have been done on garlic as a remedy for the common cold and other things as well, even as far as treatment for cancer," Norris said.
Using these methods, freshman David Manchester diagnosed and treated his own cold successfully.
"I started feeling lethargic and my nose got stuffy. I used Afrin and took Aleve Cold and Sinus for about two days to treat the symptoms, and by that time I was feeling much better," he said. "I think most of my problem was due to lack of sleep, and the fact that living in the dorms, we all live in such close proximity and everything can spread," Manchester said.
Freshman Andrea Bwzynski did not have as much luck with traditional and over-the-counter remedies. Instead she experimented with herbal remedies that proved to be helpful, she said.
"At first I tried more conventional methods like Thera-Flu, which usually works. Then I heard about Echinacea. I heard you were suposed to take it right when you felt the cold coming on, because it helps to boost your immune system. I thought I would give it a try, and within two days my symptoms were gone," Bwzynski said.
Norris pointed out the importance of catching a cold in its early stages when it's easy to treat.
"You can be tired and rundown and feel like you are getting something, and indeed you are. If you continue on that path, you might become very sick. Stop right then, go sleep or take a nap and drink some water, eat something nourishing; it could be gone and you would never know what it was," Norris said.
A common cold, when treated, will begin to clear up in seven to 10 days, Norris said. She added that it is possible, however, for the cold to progress to something more severe.
"Sometimes people get something like a sinus infection. What happens is bacteria likes to grow in mucus, so when you have all this mucus in your nose, bacteria is going to grow, and you get what's called a secondary infection," Norris said.
The bottom line is to try and stay healthy by keeping a steady sleep pattern and eating a balanced diet.
