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What to do about COLDS & FLU
International
Rendezvous Series For
February:
Informal, drop-in discussion
groups for International and
Exchange students.
A flu or cold spreads through coughing and sneezing or touching anything that has been
touched by someone infected with the virus. Such surfaces include: hands, toys, doorknobs, and publicly used buttons like bank machines, computer keys and elevators!
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Prevention
Myths
Feb. 7th, Winter Blues or Feeling
Down?
2:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
HCS Boardroom, 2600 CTTC
Building
Feb. 21st, Living the Double
Ever heard of the stomach flu?
Keep yourself as healthy as possible Life?
eat well, get enough rest and exercise Vomiting and diarrhea are usually not the 2:30 p.m.- 4:00 p.m.
HCS Boardroom, 2600 CTTC
flu. These are more often symptoms of gas- Building.
regularly.
Get a flu shot and encourage your fam- troenteritis, commonly called “gastro.”
ily and friends to do the same (keep in These symptoms can be caused by contami- For more info:
carleton.ca/health
nated food or water and can occur anymind, it will not protect you against
colds and the occasional mild flu bug). where from a couple of hours to a couple
Inside this issue:
of days after contact.
Practice Healthy Habits: Cover your
Ever been told you’ll
mouth and nose while coughing and
National Eating
2
catch
a cold by being outside?
sneezing, and wash your hands!
Disorder Week
You are not more likely to contact a virus
Wash or sanitize your hands before
touching, eating or preparing food and outdoors. A virus is spread from person to Reading Week Travel 3
person.
after sneezing, coughing or using the
Upcoming Events
3
Antibiotics
washroom.
Antibiotics will not cure a cold or flu since
Don’t share hand towels or drinking
Granola Bars
3
both are caused by viruses. Antibiotics can
glasses.
only work against infections caused by bac- HPV
Keep your kitchen and bathroom
4
teria. If your fever doesn’t go away or your
counters clean, especially
coughing secretions are not clear, seek a
when someone is sick.
medical opinion.
Cough or sneeze into a
tissue or the V of your
arm.
What makes the FLU different from a COLD?
It comes on suddenly.
Avoid touching your
You can go from feeling fine to horrible in a matter of hours.
eyes, nose and mouth. Germs are often
You have a fever.
spread this way after touching a conYou feel exhausted. While you can usually function with a
taminated object.
cold, the flu leaves you wanting to crawl into bed.
If you have a fever - stay home until it’s
gone!
Information from WSIB Ontario.
2600 CTTC Building, carleton.ca/health
cu_healthy
CU_Healthy
February 4th - 10th, 2007
Eating disorders are extreme expres- Most people fall into one of the following categories. Do any apply to you?
sions of a range of weight and food
issues many individuals, particularly
Overweight Dieter
women, experience. Both anorexia and
You keep diet book pubbulimia are characterized by a fear of
lishers in business beweight gain, feelings of ineffectiveness,
cause you are always tryand low self-esteem.
ing some new diet to take
For now, let’s focus on restrictive diet- off that extra weight. You do lose
ing – less serious than an eating disor- weight when you stick to a diet. However, the moment you slack off, the
der, but still a common food issue.
weight comes back on. You’ve probaMost people diet because they think
they are “over” weight. However, the bly been overweight off and on for a
number of years.
reality in Canada is that:
• 1 out of 5 women in Ontario between the ages of 0-34 is under- Healthy Weight Dieter
You’re at a healthy weight but you
weight
would like to be thinner. Perhaps last
• 40% of 9-year-old girls have dieted despite being within healthy year’s clothes don’t fit or you’ve
gained a little over the last few years.
weight ranges
Whatever the reason, you go on a diet
• 80% of 18-year-old women have
even though you want to lose only a
dieted
few (five to ten) pounds.
Clearly, not all restrictive eaters do so
because they are fat. They just feel fat, Underweight Dieter
Although you are thin, you can’t see it.
which has become a way to express
feeling bad. It increasingly appears we You diet thinking you will like yourself
better when you have a “perfect” body
are judged by the way we look in a
that is fat-free. To this end, you probaculture where acceptance and selfbly exercise excessively. However,
esteem are often linked to physical
appearance. So, it makes sense that we your obsession with dieting is hurting
you both physically and mentally.
want to “fit in” and look our best.
You’re not alone if you aren’t happy
about your weight. About every third
person you meet is either on a diet, has
just fallen off a diet or intends to go on
a diet. But, is there a “perfect diet”?
After all, 95% of diets fail, which is
why people continue to search for new
ones.
You need to reconsider your weight
goal if you see yourself in any of these
profiles. Is it realistic? Remember,
every body is different. We all have
different genetics which influence our
bone structure, body size, shape, and
weight differently. So, what’s your
ideal body weight? It’s the weight that
allows you to feel strong and energetic
and lets you lead a healthy life.
The reason diets don’t work is because
your body needs food for energy,
just like a car needs fuel to operate.
Food is fuel for your body! It’s
important to listen to your body and
respond to its natural hunger. If you
don’t listen, it will find ways to keep
reminding you – like headaches, a
growling stomach, and obsessing about
food. Eat balanced meals full of
nutritious foods
that you want to
eat. Eat when you
are truly hungry.
Stop when you’re
full. Enjoy regular,
moderate exercise.
Listen to your body and this will
help you be your ideal weight.
Check out these
websites for information on
eating disorders:
www.anred.com
www.hopewell.on.ca
Visit the Peer Educators
eating disorder info booths:
Date: February 7th
Location: Atrium, Unicentre
Time: 4 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Date: February 8th
Location: Res Commons
Time: 5 p.m. - 7 p.m.
You May Be At Risk For Contracting Hepatitis.
To reduce your risk of hepatitis A
To reduce your risk of hepatitis B
while travelling:
while travelling:
1. Get a vaccination
1. Get a vaccination
2. Wash your hands frequently
2. Adopt safe sex practices
3. Drink or brush your teeth with sterilized, bottled or
boiled water
3. Avoid tattooing or body piercing
4. Avoid ice cubes in drinks
5. Do not use illicit injectable drugs
5. Eat cooked vegetables and avoid salads and uncooked
seafood
6. Choose fruits you peel yourself
7. Avoid food from street vendors
Information from GlaxoSmithKline - Hepatitis. The Hidden Travel Risk.
Cold and Flu Display Booth
Date: Thursday, February 1st, 2007
Time: 5 p.m.- 7 p.m.
Location: Res Commons
Description: Come out and talk to the Peer Educators about the
difference between a cold and the flu, how to treat it and when to see
a doctor. Put your name in the raffle box for a chance to win
a basket full of cold remedies!
Know the Score Booths
Date: February 5th - 8th, 2007
Time: 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. - 7 p.m.
Location: 11 a.m. Session - Unicentre Atrium; 5 p.m. Session - Res
Commons
Description: Increase your understanding of responsible gambling at
display booths around campus. Prizes each day! Check out
www.responsiblegambling.org.
Sexual Health Week Info Booths
Date: February 14th - 15th, 2007
Time: 4 p.m.- 5 p.m. and 5 p.m.- 7 p.m.
Location: 4 p.m. Session - Unicentre Atrium; 5 p.m. Session - Res
Commons
Description: Come out and get some Chocolate Kisses and Condoms and learn about sexual and reproductive health from the Peers
and Planned Parenthood.
4. Do not share razors or needles
Consult a travel clinic to find out what vaccines
and other precautions you should take before
travelling. Visit the on campus travel clinic at The
Prescription Shop located on the first floor of the
CTTC Building or by phone at 613-526-3666.
Granola Bars. Healthy Snack or
Glorified Candy?
A stroke of marketing genius back in the 1980s led cereal companies
to press healthy-sounding granola bars into snacks you could eat on the
run.
Today, these companies have replaced most - if not all - of the granola’s whole grain oats with “crisp” (sugar-coated) white rice, white
flour, many sugars and candy like chocolate, marshmallow, icing and
caramel.
Check below for some of the healthier granola bars, but keep in mind
that even the best bars do not compare to fruits, vegetables, salads,
yogurt or healthy sandwiches. Wholesome foods beat bars hands
down.
•
Hop & Go Multigrain (except Dark Chocolate)
•
Kellogg’s Two Scoops Raisin Bran
•
Nature’s Path Organic Hemp Plus Raisins
•
Nature’s Path Organic Flax Plus Pumpkin
•
Nature’s Path Organic Peanut Butter Chunky
•
Slim-Fast Optima Whole Grain Muffin
•
Quaker Oatmeal To Go Oatmeal Bars (except Cinnamon Roll or
Maple & Brown Sugar)
Information from Nutrition Action
Page 3
Volume 1, Issue 2
HPV is a common virus that affects
both males and females. There are
more than 100 types of human papillomavirus (HPV). Most types of HPV
have no symptoms, are harmless and
go away on their own.
severe the abnormal cells, the more
There is a new vaccine for
likely it is that cervical cancer can de- women called Gardasil. It protects against 4 of the most comvelop in the future.
mon strains of HPV which cause
Genital Warts
warts and cancer. The vaccine
Genital Warts are not life threatenconsists of three doses and is
ing, but they can be life altering.
80% covered by the CUSA drug
However, there are more serious
Genital warts are usually fleshplan. Speak to your doctor if
types of HPV you should know about.
coloured growths that are caused by you are interested in getting the
Genital HPV
certain types of HPV (these are differ- vaccine or if you would like
more information. A vaccine for
More than 30 types of HPV affect the ent than the types of HPV that can
cause
cancer).
Men
and
women
have
a
men is currently being develgenital area:
10% risk, on average, of developing oped.
• Some types can cause abnormal genital warts in their lifetime.
cervical cells, cervical canWho Gets HPV?
cer and other reproductive
HPV Facts
cancers.
Men and women who have sexual
• Cervical cancer, abnormal
activity involving any genital contact
• Other types can cause genital
cells and genital warts are
warts and benign (abnormal, but could get HPV, even if there is no
caused by certain types of HPV, a
non-cancerous) changes in the intercourse. Young women becommon virus.
tween the ages of 15 and 29 years
cervix.
• An estimated 75% of Canadians
are at the highest risk.
All types of genital HPV can cause
will have at least one HPV infecPeople with HPV can pass on the viabnormal Pap tests.
tion in their life.
rus without knowing it because they
Cervical Cancer
may not show any signs or symptoms. • Anyone is at risk of developing an
HPV infection, but young
Cervical cancer is not considered hewomen between the ages of 15
reditary. It is caused by certain types
What
Can
You
Do?
and 29 years are at highest risk.
of HPV. Cervical cancer is cancer of
the cervix (the lower part of the
Routine Pap testing throughout life is • Men and women have a 10% risk
uterus that connects to the vagina).
an important screening tool for
of developing genital warts in
Cervical cancer can develop in rare
women to help monitor their risk. A
their lifetime.
cases if you are exposed to the more Pap test looks for abnormal cells in
• One woman dies everyday in
serious types of HPV and your body the lining of the cervix before they
Canada from cervical cancer.
doesn’t clear the infection.
have a chance to become precancer• Having regular Pap tests, limitAbnormal Cervical Cells ous or cervical cancer. For both men
ing your number of sexual
and women, limiting your number of
Abnormal cervical cells are cells in
partners, using condoms,
sexual partners and condom use can
the lining of the cervix that have
and vaccinating against HPV
help prevent HPV infection.
changed in appearance. The more
Information from www.tellsomeone.ca