Cold season tends to wreak havoc on the immune systems of college students. Colds, strep throat, pneumonia and flu run rampant in the classrooms and halls of the campus, spreading easily among students who cannot escape. It is important for students to know where they can go if their seasonal illness takes a wrong turn.
Held in the SUB Coeur d’Alene Room on Thursday, the Wellness Fair provided a variety of choices between health care and fitness programs, including Aflac, Numerica, AIG, Spokane Teachers Credit Union (STCU), Persi and Precision Fitness to name just a few. Its purpose is to talk about the physical and financial aspects of people’s wellness, whether a person needs health care, dental care or a place to work out. People came to the Wellness Fair to gather information about various insurance companies and health care plans and, as a representative for Alfac put it, “They get free stuff!”
Persi, for example, is a retirement plan all NIC employees receive automatically. It allows its members to enjoy disability benefits, death benefits, portability of funds and cost of living adjustments. In other words, it takes care of the ones devoting themselves to higher education.
However, not just the professors are concerned about health. The representatives of the various companies expressed their want to help people achieve the best health possible. They enjoy informing people about their health options and helping them choose the health care or retirement that suits them best. A representative from STCU stated that the Wellness Fair was “making wellness tangible.”
In the relaxed, non-demanding atmosphere of the Wellness Fair, a person was free to choose among the many booths to find what they were looking for. The representatives running the booths were friendly and ready to answer any questions.
With NIC students equipped with so much information on how to keep themselves healthy, the cold season does not have a chance to destroy the upcoming winter.
In addition, it is crucial to take all the necessary precautions when it comes to your health. Here is list of ways that you can protect yourself and others against the common-campus ailments:
1. WASH YOUR HANDS! “Keeping hands clean is one of the most important steps we can take to avoid getting sick and spreading germs to others. It is best to wash your hands with soap and clean running water for 20 seconds.” – CDC (Center of Disease Control)
2. Cough or sneeze into your arm, not your hand. If you do cover with your hands, be sure to wash them immediately.
3. Keep up to date with your vaccinations. Immunization is the surest way to prevent work and school hindering illnesses.
4. Getting all the vitamins and minerals the body needs to keep blood-flow strong and white blood cell count steady. Different vitamins and minerals aid different functions of the body.
5. Drink water. We all know we’re supposed to do it, and yet like so many other things, we create excuses not to. A glass in the morning and a glass before bed are recommended.
