Dr. Davis Smith, Wesleyan’s medical director, will be holding an informal Q&A session about H1N1 flu.

Whether you want to know how to avoid getting it, how to treat it if you do, or what’s up with vaccine distribution, bring your own lunch and your questions!

Date: Monday, October 5

Time: Noon – 1pm

Location: Usdan 110

Come on down!

photo taken by Olivia Bartlett Drake

Click here to learn about the dates and procedures for the student flu vaccine clinic.

How do you know when swine flu has turned serious? Today, doctors from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explained what flu warning signs warrant urgent medical attention.

Dr. Anne Schuchat, the C.D.C.’s interim deputy director for science and public health, said that in the United States, 507 people have been hospitalized because of swine flu. She noted that people over 55 account for only 1 percent of cases, and 62 percent of the people getting sick are from 5 to 24 years old.

In adults, serious warning signs include:

• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath.
• Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen.
• Persistent vomiting.
• Sudden dizziness.
• Confusion.
• Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough

Another serious worry in both adults and children is when a patient seems to improve but then takes a turn for the worse and develops a cough. read the full article

Click here for updates on H1N1 flu that pertain to Wesleyan

Clean hands can help prevent the spread of infectious diseases, such as flu. This podcast explains the proper way to wash your hands. 

Wesleyan Resources: Infection Control @ Wes

UPDATE: A second swine flu update was sent to the Wesleyan community on April 29.
UPDATE: As of April 30, the CDC and the World Health Organization are now referring to the new virus as H1N1 Influenza A.

When teens go on a binge drinking episode, they may be doing serious damage to the sensitive “white matter” in their brain, a new MRI-based study suggests.

White matter is involved in relaying information between brain cells, the researchers said. This means that damage caused to the developing brain by bouts of heavy drinking could affect thinking and memory, even lowering school performance.

Although white matter impairment has been seen in the brains of adult alcoholics, “we were somewhat surprised that these adolescents who had histories of binge drinking showed significantly poorer quality of their white matter,” said lead researcher Susan F. Tapert, an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego, and director of Substance Abuse/Mental Illness at the VA San Diego Healthcare System.

read full article…

Mid-terms can be a high stress time for many students, perhaps contributing to increased tobacco use amongst those who smoke.  For those who are former smokers, this kind of stress can be a trigger point for returning to past habits. 

While relapse can be a reality when establishing any new healthier habit,  it should not be viewed as complete failure. It simply indicates a moment of “two steps forward, one step back” and provides the opportunity to recommit to your healthier habits. 

In a recent article, the Mayo Clinic shared a variety of suggestions on how to maintain your commitment to being smoke-free. These are as simple as being vigilant of situations that might trigger tobacco use to more concrete reminders of how costly smoking can be as a habit, with cigarette prices at $5 per pack. 

Read the full article here to find a few suggestions that could work for you. 

Wesleyan Resources: 

Health Services’ Smoking Cessation Resources

WesWELL Tobacco Education Resources

photo credit: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

The Mayo Clinic offers suggestions for quick, flexible breakfast options that help you fuel your body in a healthy manner.  Check it out: 

Whether you tend to stick with traditional breakfast options or you prefer the variety offered by nontraditional breakfast fare, you have plenty of ways to get in a healthy breakfast each day.

Here are some specific examples of healthy breakfast options:

• Cooked oatmeal with almonds or dried cranberries
• Cold cereal with a side of fruit
• A whole-wheat pita stuffed with hard-boiled eggs
• Leftover vegetable pizza
• Vegetables, salsa and low-fat shredded cheese wrapped in a tortilla
• A smoothie blended from exotic fruits, some low-fat yogurt and a spoonful of wheat germ
• Whole-wheat crackers with low-fat cheese or peanut butter
• A microwaved potato topped with broccoli and grated Parmesan cheese
• A whole-wheat sandwich with lean meat and low-fat cheese
• Multi-grain pancakes with fruit and yogurt
• A whole-grain waffle with peanut butter

For several years, the Office of Community Service at Wesleyan has been supporting cancer patients around the country by hosting Daffodil Days. Every March, American Cancer Society staff and volunteers around the country welcome spring with millions of dewy-fresh yellow daffodils from Washington State. The daffodil is the first flower of spring, so it was chosen by the American Cancer Society to be the symbol of hope that cancer will be beaten.

You can support the American Cancer Society’s programs of research, education, advocacy and patient services by placing an order today for big, beautiful daffodils, potted bulbs, or a Bear and Bunch – a bouquet of daffodils plus a limited edition, collectible Boyds Bear. A bouquet is just $10, potted bulbs are $15 per pot, and a Bear and a Bunch is $25. If you prefer, you can purchase a $25 Gift of Hope (or contribute any dollar amount towards one), which will support the fight against cancer while giving bouquets of daffodils to cancer patients in our community.

Place an order today! You can e-mail mtimbancaya@wesleyan.edu or call 860-685-2851 to order or for more details.  We will also be tabling at Usdan Center on the following dates: February 19-20, 23-25 during lunch and dinner times.

Pre-registration for WesWELL Non-Credit Classes is now open through Thursday, February 12, 2009 for members of the Wesleyan community. We offer a range of different non-credit classes that will help enrich your life and perhaps even fit in that physical activity that helps keep you healthier. Fees are reasonable — usually lower than similar off-campus classes — and students may elect to charge the fee to their student account for convenience.  Best of all, many classes are taught by current Wesleyan students, alumni or members of the extended Wesleyan family.

For complete information visit the WesWELL Class Information Pages.