With symptoms such as sneezing, coughing and wheezing, students are trying new tricks to avoid getting sick.
Flu germs are contagious and can be widespread across BYU campus. The germ spread coincides with the time of the semester when midterms begin and class is crucial to attend. Because of this, students have come up with their own ways of preventing and treating their school-born illnesses.
Shahn Larson, a graduate from BYU in chemistry, recalled the swine flu epidemic from a few years ago. She caught it, and she felt she still had to go to class. When she went to class, she was miserable the whole time. She came up with her way to beat being sick.
Larson said that taking a few drops of thieves oil (a mixture of cinnamon, lemon, eucalyptus, cloves and rosemary) every few hours works wonders when sick.
“Also, meditate,” Larson said. “I really believe that if you think hard enough, your body will begin to heal itself. It’s like the placebo effect, but in reverse.”
Jessica Callahan, a BYU graduate in physiology and developmental biology, also recalled the swine flu season. When she started showing symptoms, her roommate sanitized their entire bathroom. Her roommate still acts that way when Callahan is sick.
“A couple weeks ago I was sick, and my roommate was covering her mouth and nose with her shirt while sitting by me,” Callahan said.
Vanesa Rada, a music student from Bolivia, said that in her country, they believe being too cold can make you sick. Drinks are served without ice, because cold drinks are believed to cause illness.
Drops and pills made from the Echinacea plant were popularly mentioned among students. It is made from the root of the echinacea and is believed to heal illness if taken when symptoms start.
Lindsey Lawson, a sophomore pre-animation student, said snuggling up with a blanket while watching a movie works wonders when sick.
“Organic raspberry leaf tea, sleep and veggie soup also makes me happy,” Lawson said.
If home remedy methods are not working, and a doctor is needed, appointments for the BYU Health Center can be made at health.byu.edu.
