It's finals time. What are you doing reading the paper? Shouldn't you be studying? Drop this rag, go buy a candy bar and hit the library. No, wait. I'm not serious. It's a good thing you're taking some time to relax. I know these days and nights are mostly filled with cramming for exams, cranking out papers and tanking up on caffeine and junk food.
Spring has sprung. The sun is shining, flowers are blooming and birds are singing. Outside there are happy sounds and sights galore. But inside some people, it is still a bleak winter - cold, gray and eternal. When you are very depressed, it feels like winter will never turn to spring.
Dear Dr. Peg, Can I get herpes or other sexually transmitted infections from sharing a water pipe? Yes. Sharing a water pipe is a great way to catch all kinds of diseases. Do you want to hear more? You sure? It might turn you off hookah forever. All right, then.
You deserve a break. You have worked hard all semester. Now it's time to relax. I hope you have scheduled some serious downtime for spring break. Sleep late, play a lot, eat chocolate, rejoice. I also hope you plan to stay healthy and safe over break, whether you travel, stay home or do some of both.
Dear Dr. Peg, My roommate thought she got a spider bite when she went home last weekend. It got big and sore, so she went to Student Health and they told her it was an MRSA infection. She said they cut it open and gave her antibiotics. Is this contagious? Do I need to be on antibiotics too? Dear MRSA-mate, I remember your roommate, or someone like her.
What comes after winter in New Mexico? Allergy season. And it has arrived in full force. Juniper pollen counts were close to 500 last time I checked, and that is high, in case your nose hadn't noticed. Next will come mulberry and other trees, then a summer full of grass itches and, finally, sneezy fall weeds.
Student Health and Counseling has been very busy lately with a lot of sick people dragging in the door for help. I thought it would interest the rest of you to know what these folks have so you can do your best to avoid it. Typical for this time of year, we're seeing a lot of respiratory infections: colds, bronchitis, sinus infections and the like.
Dear Dr. Peg, I have serious acne, but not on my face - on my back. This has a nasty side effect of making little bloodstains on the back of my nightshirt, because I unconsciously squeeze while asleep. How can I reduce the number of zits on my back? Dear Sufferer, Zits suck, as if I need to tell you.
Happy New Year! Welcome back to school. I hope you got some rest and had fun over the break. It's that time of year again: time to polish up the old resolutions or pick up some bright and shiny new ones. Are you bursting with resolve? All revved up to lose 40 pounds, quit smoking, get in tip-top shape and stop drinking coffee all by the end of January? Many of us have these or other lofty and impossible goals.
Dear Dr. Peg, I have been addicted to heroin for more than six months now. While I have never used the drug intravenously, I still must smoke every day to function normally. I have wanted to quit since school started, but I'm so scared my schoolwork, job and general life will suffer.
Solutions by The State News
