Sunday, September 27, 2009

Gardasil: Safe or Not?



Gardisil, the relatively new vaccine approved by the FDA in 2006, used in preventing genital warts and cervical cancer, is recommended for girls and women between the ages of 13 and 26 years old. There are three shots given in the series, and if one shot is missed, the vaccine will prove ineffective. A common misconception regarding this vaccine is that it is not used to treat HPV if a person has already contracted it. Personally, my doctor's office was really pushing for all high school senior girls to get the vaccine before we went off to college, even back in 2006, when it first came out. It has been causing controversy with health specialists, mainly because the side effects and long term effects are not clearly known at this time.

According to the Wasthington Times, as of July 2008, it has been reported that there have been over 8,000 health problems as a result of the vaccine ranging from "fainting, numbness, seizures, and paralysis." This doesn't even include the number of acute side effects that weren't even reported. Apparently, a 13 year old girl got the third shot and ended up paralyzed in 2007. On the flip side of the argument, however, over 16 million doses of the vaccine have been given.

*Do you think it is worth risking the side effects for such a new vaccine, or would you wait a couple of years and then see what the FDA is saying about it?*

For more general information on the vaccine, as well as the warnings go to:
http://www.drugs.com/gardasil.html
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/jul/10/merck-fda-expand-gardasil-warnings/

Monday, September 21, 2009

H1N1 Outbreaks Across College Campuses



In my entire schooling career, I don't think I've ever heard a professor tell me to stay home on the days when I had a sore throat or a cough, until this year that is. College campuses are getting hit harder than ever with flu epidemics this fall, more specifically with cases of the H1N1 virus, also known as swine flu. With college students sharing everything from dorm rooms, dining commons, and community bathrooms, it is no wonder germs and sicknesses are spreading faster than ever.

According to WebMD, it is advised that students, as well as the faculty, should wash hands often, cover coughs and sneezes, avoid contact with other people, and clean community surfaces as much as possible. It is definitely something that is being taken very seriously amongst college athletics, as well. In fact, at my field hockey game the other night, we weren't allowed to shake hands with the other captains during the pregame meeting because it might spread germs. Athletes are especially vulnerable because they share little things like water bottles and towels with their teammates without even knowing if they are sick.

I came across an interesting article from USNews when I was looking up ways to track swine flu online and found out there is actually a free iPhone application called "Outbreaks Near Me" that actually tracks the H1N1 outbreaks across communities and college campuses! Of course, I downloaded it for fun and discovered that as of September 18th, Wellesley College, MIT, Boston University, Boston College, Brandeis University, and Northeastern University had the highest reported cases of H1N1 outbreaks so far. I guess there really is an iPhone application for everything these days!

Until next time, wash your hands and cover your coughs!

http://health.usnews.com/blogs/on-parenting/2009/09/03/new-ways-to-track-swine-flu-outbreaks-on-campus.html

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

"The Freshman 15"


College is a time when freshman are away from their parents, really for the first time, and whether we want to admit it or not, many new college students neglect the proper nutritional care for their bodies. There is no one to tell them when or how much to eat and therefore, portion control becomes a huge problem. Eating Ramen noodles at two in the morning after a long night of drinking becomes a regular habit, and suddenly those new clothes they bought for back to school no longer fit.

According to Freshman15.com, women are more vulnerable to gain weight once they go off to college than men. Many of the new students turn to food as a way to comfort the new stressors of roommates and challenging classes and drink excessively to fit in at parties. Although it is said that the "freshman fifteen" should more realistically be called the "freshman five," some of the horror stories tells of new students gaining over seventy pounds.

It is recommended that students don't skip breakfast, eat on a regular schedule, pack snacks to take to class should they be studying all day, exercise routinely and be especially careful about what is eaten and drank on weekends! Everything should be done in moderation!

*Did you gain weight as a freshman? If so, what do you think was the cause? If not, what did you do to prevent it?*