It is inevitable; it happens every semester when everyone comes back to campus or when midterms and finals start to set in. Waves of sickness sweep across the campus, and you either make it through healthy or you feel like you’re dying from the inside out. If you fall into the latter group, don’t fret. Here are a few home remedies carried down from my parents to give you a little piece of home to hold on.
Warm Liquids
This is probably one of the more obvious remedies, but it is something that is constantly forgotten and often overcharged for in on-campus stores. This was something that my Dad never let me skip when we’d use to stay home and watch Price is Right and Jerry Springer. There are many different ways to get the warm liquids in your system that you need if only to get some nutrients into your body.
One of the most obvious ways is a huge fan favorite: soup, specifically chicken noodle soup. Whether you get noodles or stars, this is bound to soothe that sore throat and get some extra nutrition into your body to get you feeling right. However, any type of broth-based soup will have the same effect. Be careful to avoid milk-based soups (typically cream of _____ soups), because that can slow your healing.
Depending on the person, my parents have very different approaches to this. My Dad’s favorite is “Italian Wedding Soup” because of the meatballs and it has more flavor than regular chicken noodle soup. My Mom’s favorite is “Pastina”. It is a type of pasta that is smaller than rice, but you cook it in broth to give it some flavor.
Electrolytes
My Mom always stressed this as THE most important part of self-care when you are sick. You lose a lot of electrolytes when you are sick, and without replacing the lost electrolytes, you’re not going to recover as fast as you would like. These ions are involved in many of your body processes, and having an imbalance in these ions will make you feel lethargic and off on its own, not even considering being sick. (My family are also high-key UGA fans, so Gatorade is banned in my house, but it works just as well).
Rest
As most of you know by now, this is absolutely the hardest part for the average college student. Often, lack of sleep is one of the causes of a student getting sick in the first place. Whenever you feel yourself getting sick, it is really important to slow down and take some time to get caught up on your sleep again. If you do not take the time to sleep, all of the other remedies will not be as effective and you will be sicker for longer. My parents always told me “Don’t sleep for a long time, but take a lot of little naps.” This will help you do stuff and feel semi-productive, but will also let you sleep too.
There are many remedies that have been passed around throughout the years, from hot mustard packs to Vicks VapoRub to eating lots of berries. The easiest remedies are ones that help soothe the whole body and provide a holistic experience, and helps you feel better physically, mentally, and emotionally.