My health topics: (page under construction)
Skiing/ Snowboarding
- Have your equipment checked before each season and your ski bindings rechecked.
- Wear a snowsports helmet that is well adapted to your tête and complies with EN 1077.
- Take a course at a snowsports school and improve your technique under the guidance of professionals.
- Adapt your speed and style to your ability and the conditions on the slopes.
- Respect the rules.
- Source: http://www.bfu.ch/fr
And again
And more:
The food pyramid
The Swiss food pyramid provides a pictorial representation of a balanced diet. Foods in the lower tiers are needed in greater quantities, while those in the higher tiers are sufficient in smaller quantities. A healthy diet does not impose any restrictions. It is simply the result of combining foods in the right proportions.
Optimal plate
The optimal plate illustrates a balanced main meal (breakfast, lunch and dinner). It shows the foods that make up a complete meal and the average proportions in which each food should be used to ensure a balanced meal.
Snacking
"I'm hungry all the time, is that normal?"
A short video on snacking via here.
The SASME website offers valuable advice, particularly for students looking for health/accident insurance.
You can also make an appointment or go directly to the reception desk.
Addictive substances and behaviours
The health service offers consultations to address your occasional or regular substance use.
Alcohol
Am I drinking too much? Is my alcohol consumption risky? Is my health put at risk by my drinking? The self-evaluation test answers these questions and helps you to assess your drinking behaviour.
Do I drink too much?
Cannabis
Cannabis (or hemp) is a plant grown in many parts of the world. It contains around 400 chemical compounds including around a hundred cannabinoïdes. The best known are THC (delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (cannabidiol). THC is responsible for the plant's main psychotropic effects, while CBD is thought to have other effects, notably a relaxing effect. The level of THC and CBD depends on the variety and method of cultivation of the plant.
Drugs
MDMA- Amphétamines- Opioïdes- Hallucinogènes
This is it, you're in it, this exam period with all the stress that goes with it…
Stress is part of our existence, it is above all an ancestral survival action of our organism to respond to the demands of the environment. To cope with these physical (an illness, for example) or psychological dangers, our hypothalamus sends an alarm signal to the suprarenal glands, which then produce cortisol, adrenaline and noradrenaline. The release of these hormones provides a massive and rapid supply of oxygen to our brain and muscles. This is followed by a series of actions: heart rate, breathing rate and muscle tone increase, digestion slows down and our thoughts quicken.
After this alert phase, and if the dangers persist, our body will adapt so that it can survive. But if this climate of hostility continues, there is a risk of becoming overwhelmed and the stress can become dangerous. Prolonged stress and accumulated tension can result in aches and pains, digestive problems, headaches, infections, sleep problems or anxiety, for example.
If you want to talk about it, if you need advice or support, contact us or drop by our department.
The important thing is to take action before you draw on your resources!
Some tips for managing your stress
Before exams
- Set realistic priorities and goals, organise your visions.
- Get enough sleep
- Keep yourself well hydrated and fed, as your brain is under great strain
- Allow yourself breaks and relaxation
- Continue your favourite activity or sport
- Ask for help
- Adopt tools to regain inner calm (Yoga, relaxation, mindfulness meditation, etc.)
During exams
- Between exams, give yourself a break
- Avoid self-medication. Consuming products (drugs, stimulants, etc.) can have medium or short-term side effects
- Continue to keep well hydrated and eat well
Beforeès examinations
- analyse your winning strategies for coping with stress and those you can improve
- take a holiday
- repose yourself or do whatever you couldn't do during your exams!
When is too late?
The negative consequences of overdoing it are varied and depend on each person's personal situation. The most commonly reported are listed below:
Psychological and emotional consequences
- Need to spend more and more time on the internet or playing video games
- Feeling of emptiness when offline
- Anxiety / depression
- Irritability if one is disorganised in one's practice and unable to stop
Physical consequences
- Lack of sleep or irregular sleep / tiredness
- Lack of appetite / weight loss or gain, malnutrition
- Chronic headaches/visual fatigue
- Carpal tunnel syndrome / back pain
- Musculoskeletal disorders
- Vertigo
Relational consequences
- Isolation
- Conflicts with close friends and family when they try to control/prohibit the excessive use of média
- Lies and cheating by the user about their practice
- Abandonment of other leisure activities
- Endangerment of significant relationships (e.g. marital separation, distancing from family or friends)
- Professional/school-related consequences
- Decreased performance, disengagement, lateness, absenteeism, breakdowns
Source: Centre du jeu excessif, CHUV, 2018, The Centre for Excessive Gambling (CJE), Carrefour Addiction
Do you need a place to breastfeed or express milk? Accueil Santé UNIL has a number of fully-equipped rooms at your disposal. Requests for access should be made to proma@unil.ch
- Amphimax, room 434
- Amphipôle, room 302
- Anthropolis, room 1058
- Batochime, room 1211
- Biophore, room 2920
- Bugnon, room 9-231
- Génopode, room 2011
- Géopolis, room 2771
- Internef, room 147
- SOS1 Omnisports hall, room 030
- Synathlon, room 1423
- Unithèque, room 1.321
Contact the team by e-mail (accueilsante@unil.ch), by phone (021 692 25 77 ) or go directly to Accueil Santé (Anthropole 1056).
Changing tables
Several changing tables are available on campus
Protect yourself from the sun's rays
- Avoid prolonged exposure to the sun at peak hours, between 11am and 3pm; Stay in the shade as much as possible;
- In the sun, wear a hat, glasses and suitable clothing;
- Keep babies and young children always shaded and clothed; If this is unavoidable, use special protection specially designed for children providing very high protection (« High protection ») from the age of one year;
- Use suncare products offering protection against both UV B AND UV A rays on unprotected parts of the body and choose products with the logo for protection against UV A;
- Apply sunscreen products in sufficient quantities. After swimming or drying off, a further application of sun product is necessary to maintain protection.
Measles
The measles virus is five or six times more contagious than seasonal flu and cases of infection are regularly declared. The conditions of coexistence at the University, which brings large numbers of people in contact with one another, are particularly favourable to exposure: it takes only one person, contagious prior to the appearance of symptoms, to expose everyone present in an auditorium.
Despite its reputation this illness is not benign for a population of young adults among whom it can cause complications such as pneumonia or encephalitis.
Vaccination (two injections at least one month apart) is strongly recommended for those who have not had the illness. It offers protection and also prevents the contamination of those who for medical reasons are unable to be vaccinated (infants, pregnant women or those with an immunodeficiency).
For a student, vaccination is a way of avoiding all risk of eviction from the place of study (up to three weeks) which the cantonal doctor must enforce in cases of exposure to measles, even in the middle of a semester or an examination period!
Individuals knowing themselves to be particularly vulnerable or who have concerns regarding this illness can obtain immediate information at Accueil Santé.
© UniSEP (Service de sécurité, environnement et prévention), Dr Baehler Pascal
Tough procedure
In case of questions, suspicions or case reports, please contact promptly:
Accueil Santé / Health reception – UNIL
021 692 25 77
accueilsante@unil.ch
Vaccination
Your GP can vaccinate you. Two other options are available close to the University
- Policlinique médicale universitaire - Rue du Bugnon 44 - 1011 Lausanne
- Vidymed, Route de Chavannes 11 - 1007 Lausanne
Mental health is a state of well-being in which a person can function, cope with the normal stresses of life, do productive work and contribute to the life of his or her community. In this positive sense, mental health is the foundation of an individual's well-being and of a well-functioning community.
Sources: WHO
Sexual health is a state of physical, mental and social well-being in relation to sexuality. It requires a positive and respectful approach to sexuality and sexual relationships, as well as the opportunity to have sexual experiences that are sources of pleasure and without risk, free from coercion, discrimination or violence.
Source: WHO
Emergency pill
Emergency contraception still makes it possible to avoid pregnancy even though sexual intercourse has already taken place.
IST- Sexually Transmitted Infections and HIV
Some conditions are transmitted during sexual relations. These are known as « sexually transmitted diseases » (STD) or « sexually transmitted infections » (STI), in English respectively « sexually transmitted diseases » (STD) or « sexually transmitted infections » (STI).
HIV is the best known of these infections. The acronym HIV stands for « human immunodeficiency virus ». Put simply, it is a virus that weakens the human immune system. It destroys the body's immune defences, or the immune system, leading to AIDS. AIDS is also an acronym, standing for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. Its English equivalent, aids (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome), is also used.
In addition to HIV, there are a good number of other pathogens that can be transmitted during sexual intercourse (viruses, bacteria, single-cell organisms, fungi). Some of these infections, such as hepatitis B, gonorrhoea and herpes, are more common than HIV infection, and can also have serious consequences.
Undetected and untreated transmissible diseases can have serious consequences: these range from severe discharge and white discharge, through liver lesions, to stagnation and certain forms of cancer.
Sexually transmitted diseases are vectors for other infections. In the superficial foci of infection that they most often cause on the sexual organs, in the mouth or in the anus, there are special cells that are much more sensitive to other pathogens than healthy skin or mucous membranes. Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) therefore increase the risk of HIV infection.
Sources: www.check-your-lovelife.ch
According to the WHO, disability is a generic term for impairments, activity limitations and participation restrictions. It refers to the negative aspects of the interaction between an individual with a health problem and personal and environmental factors.
According to the UN, almost one in ten people in the world suffers from a physical, mental or sensory disability. This is the largest minority in the world.
At UNIL
In order to meet the needs of people with disabilities, the Université de Lausanne offers various facilities :
- For your studies: each faculty offers a contact person, you will find more information on your faculty pages.
- The health service, Accueil santé present on campus, can offer you a personalised health support protocol;
Don't hesitate to contact us for further information: accueilsante@unil.ch
Tobacco is one of the main causes of death in Europe. It is responsible for more than 9,000 deaths in Switzerland every year. No other consumer product is more dangerous or kills more people than tobacco. Smoking is a public health problem and its prevention remains a topical issue, especially as the proportion of smokers remains relatively high among young people and the most vulnerable, despite an overall decline in tobacco consumption. (source : Canton de Vaud)
You want to stop smoking?
Stopping smoking is one of the best things you can do to improve your health and quality of life, whatever your age! The benefits of quitting smoking are numerous and not just health-related. Some of them start to appear after just a few hours. When you stop smoking, you increase your life expectancy and gain years of better health.
There are many ways to stop smoking, but none of them are miracle methods. Get professional advice. The infirmières of the health serviceé UNIL are at your disposal.
Different professionals, organisations and tools are available to help you with your arrest process.
Actors in smoking prevention in the canton of Vaud
- Direction générale de la santé: DGS
- Tobaccology Unit of the University Medical Polyclinic (PMU)
- Ligue Pulmonaire vaudoise, secteur prévention (LPV)
Other Links
What is a tick
A tick is a parasite that feeds on the blood of mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians. There are around ten species of tick in Switzerland, the most common of which is Ixodes ricinus. It is most commonly found on humans and mammals. It generally lives in forests and forest edges. It becomes rarer above 1000 metres altitude. Ticks live at ground level and in low-lying vegetation. Ticks can be found all year round, but the risk of being bitten is higher in spring and autumn.
Diseases transmitted by ticks
In Switzerland, there are two main diseases transmitted to humans by tick bites:
Tick-borne encephalitis: can cause inflammation of the mucous membranes and, more rarely, damage to the brain and spinal cord in humans. Infected people develop flu-like symptoms such as fever, fatigue, headaches and muscle aches one to two weeks after the bite. This phase usually lasts one to eight days and usually leads to a final cure. Around 10% of those infected develop neurological complications. Once the disease has been diagnosed, there is no specific treatment for tick-borne encephalitis.
Borreliosis or Lyme disease: a disease of bacterial origin, transmitted by ticks carrying the borrelia bacterium. There are 3 stages to Lyme disease:
- appearance of skin redness around the bite within 30 days of the bite. This phase may be accompanied by a flu-like condition.
- this 3rd phase manifests itself years after the sting with the appearance of blue patches, inflammation of the joints, and more rarely, meningitis.
The first 2 phases are generally easily treated with antibiotics. There is no vaccine against borreliosis.
Some tips to help you be prepared
- Wear closed shoes and clothing that covers and fits the legs, arms and neck. It is strongly recommended that the bottoms of trousers be tucked inside socks.
- Vehicles should be light-coloured to make it easier to spot the tick that has settled on its surface.
- Apply a repellent ( e.g. Anti-brumm Forte) to the skin and an insecticide for e.g. : Permethrin) to clothing
- Stay on well-trodden paths
- Carefully examine clothing and skin when returning from a walk in a forest edge or forest.
- Check the scalp too
What to do if, despite this, you are bitten by a tick
- Avoid applying any products such as éther, alcohol etc. This may cause the tick to regurgitate and increase the risk of infection.
- Pull the tick gradually, as close as possible to the skin. Use fine tweezers.
- Always disinfect the puncture site with alcohol after removing the tick.
When to consult a doctor?
- You are unable to remove the tick.
- Redness of the skin or pus appears at the site of the bite.
- A flu-like condition or redness of the skin appears after the sting.
The frequency of tick bites is higher in spring and autumn.
Information taken from: "Knowing ticks "
Thanks to Covid, computers are becoming an increasingly important part of our lives. Here are a few practical tips to help you make the most of your computer.
Working with a computer
If possible, work with an external screen, keyboard and mouse.
Working with a laptop
If you don't have an external écran:
- Place your computer on a filing cabinet tilted towards you.
- Use an external keyboard and mouse.
Pain prevention
Daily, moderate physical activity is the best prevention for back pain.