Self-Treatments and Remedies

Part of the "Surviving College" series

This article is meant to help pass along some self-care remedies so that you can keep a better eye on your health in college. I am not a doctor, but I have learned from unfortunate experience that improper self-care can lead to being out of commission for a while.

In July 2006, I was bitten by a mosquito, and I scratched the bite so hard that it bled. 4 days later, the bite area was hot and painful to the touch, and had swelled to cover an area of skin almost 4 inches wide and 3 inches long. Turns out, I had gotten a streptococcal bacterial infection from that small mosquito bite.

To make matters worse, the bacteria stayed in my body for 5 months after the initial infection--it took 3 rounds of high-powered antibiotics and a steroid shot to flush it out by the end of November 2006. Moral of the story: Don't let a bite, cut, or scratch get infected! Treat it right away.

After this lovely little episode, I started learning more about how to care for my health, and most importantly, how to monitor it so that I know when something is serious enough to go to the doctor or to the hospital. This article is the fruit of that effort. But remember, don't think you can completely self-medicate in college! Go to the doctor ASAP if nothing you have tried has helped.

Quick Click List

Treating a Headache
Treating a Fever
Treating a Cut/Scratch/Scrape/Bug Bite
Proper Usage of Hydrogen Peroxide
Treating Small Burns, Rashes, or Fungal Infections
Treating Colds and Sore Throats
Treating Stomach Ailments

Treating a Headache

  1. Try to determine what is causing your headache, and what type of headache you have. I have the dubious privilege of experiencing several different types of headaches, and each one seems to require different treatment.
    • Tension headaches show up most often in the temples, the back of the head, and sometimes down into the neck--they are a constant pain that gets worse when you try to do something too physically strenuous. Neck massage, anti-inflammatory pain relievers (Advil, Tylenol), and a bit of relaxation help ease these; I often find that watching a funny TV show or movie, or visiting funny websites really helps my tension headaches.
    • Sinus headaches show up most often right above the brows or even right under the eyes (these locations are the locations of the four sinuses). It is a sharp pain, and it can even hurt down into your teeth. Notice whether you are congested (stuffy nose) when you experience the headache; if you are, the headache is likely sinus-related. Taking a nasal decongestant medication, like Robitussin CF, Sudofed, or Mucinex, as well as taking a general pain reliever, can help the sinus headache go away. (Advil Cold & Sinus can be a double-whammy for a sinus headache.)
    • Blood pressure headaches can sometimes act like tension headaches in that they hurt more when you're trying to do something strenuous; however, their pain spreads like a red-hot net all over the head, and can render you unable to think straight, much less do anything useful. If you got angry or frustrated in the hour before you got the headache and you're susceptible to higher blood pressure, getting calmed down is #1 on the list. Take a general pain reliever and relax for a little while--try to nap or rest if you can sleep through the pain. Stay away from high-salt-content foods for at least a day so you don't trigger another headache, and drink a lot of water to help flush your system.
    • Migraine headaches are stabbing, pulsating pains that usually occur midway between the brow and hairline, seemingly outlining the blood vessel that's at the epicenter of the headache. Migraines can also feel like they are centered right in your eye. You might find it difficult to look at light or be in bright rooms, or loud sounds may bother you more than usual. You might even vomit because of the pain--migraines can hurt so much they disrupt the stomach's natural functions, too. Taking a "migraine" pain reliever or two can help in some cases, while the minerals magnesium and potassium have been shown to help some migraines go away as well. In any case, migraines must be babied--a dim or dark room, muffled sound or silence, and some sleep are the classic treatments. However, I have found that this treatment does not always work for me; I end up lying in the dark, quiet room clutching my head and crying because I can't get my mind off the pain. If you need some distraction, reading by a very dim light or doing something equally mindless and passive might help you make it until the pain reliever kicks in.

Treating a Fever

  1. Very often, fevers will show up first as feeling hot even though the room should be comfortable. Also, lips will often chap and peel in response to a heightened body temp.
  2. Take your temperature with an oral thermometer. If the fever is registering at 99 or 100 degrees, this is a "low-grade" fever, and is less worrisome (though you should still treat it). If the fever is 101 up to 103, this is more serious. A fever of 104 means you should get to the hospital--this could cause brain damage if you don't get it treated right away.
  3. Try to determine what is causing your fever. Usually, fevers are brought on by infection or inflammation. Check to see if you've got a cut, scratch, scrape, bug bite, or even acne that's become infected; also, bruises or swelling can easily jack up the temperature of the rest of your body temporarily. Click to see how to treat a cut. If you've got some bruising or swelling, using ice in the immediate area to reduce the inflammation can help the fever in the rest of you go down in response.
  4. Take an Advil or Tylenol, or generic ibuprofen or acetaminaphen (the former is Advil, the latter is Tylenol). This will help reduce your fever from the inside out.
  5. Don't bathe in very cold water or use icy compresses all over the body--this could actually make fever worse, because your body has jacked up your temperature to fight off something, and your efforts could make your body work even harder to keep itself hot. Using lukewarm (comfortable) water in a bath or compress will work better.
  6. Use a light blanket if you get the random chills; don't bundle up too tightly if your skin's still hot to the touch.
  7. You'll know you're getting "out of the woods" when you begin to sweat profusely--this means that your fever has broken.

Treatment of Cut/Scratch/Scrape/Bug Bite

  1. Wash wound and surrounding area with antibacterial soap and warm to hot water. If you are not near readily available tap water, wipe the wound with an antibacterial wipe or smooth on some antibacterial hand gel of any kind.
  2. If there is visible dirt in the wound, if the wound came from an animal, or if the wound is a bug bite, use hydrogen peroxide as instructed below.
  3. After area is dry from washing, wiping, and possibly using peroxide, apply a small amount of Neosporin or other antibacterial ointment to the wound and small surrounding area (not too much, or a bandage won't stick).
  4. Place a well-fitting bandage over wound, making sure to keep the bandage tight against the wound, but not uncomfortable, like it's not letting blood flow to the area.
  5. Continuing treatment: Take off old bandage once each day (right after a bath works great) and redress the wound (flush wound out with peroxide if needed, apply ointment, put on new bandage). In 4-6 days, the wound should be much better.
  6. If at any point during the treatment, you notice a thin red ring or a wide red disk around the wound, and if it's hot and painful to the touch, get to the doctor immediately--this means that the wound has become infected and needs a doctor's care.

Usage of Hydrogen Peroxide

DO NOT use peroxide over a large area of affected skin (like burns, rashes, or fungal infections)--it's best for small or penetrative wounds, like bug bites, scratches, scrapes, or even small animal bites.

  1. Get to a sink, bathtub, or shower area, or just put a towel underneath the area which needs the peroxide on it to catch excess. (Peroxide will bleach some materials of color.)
  2. Pour a small amount (NOT like half the bottle or something) over the wound. It will sting a bit.
  3. Watch how much the wound bubbles--the more bubbles, the dirtier and germier the wound was.
  4. When the stinging sensation and bubbles start to go down, pat the surrounding area of the wound dry with a tissue or paper towel.

Treating Small Burns, Rashes, and Fungal Infections

For Small Burns:

  1. Aloe vera is your very best friend in case of burns. My mom has an aloe vera plant in the kitchen for such occasions--as a child, when my curious fingers would encounter a too-hot plate or pan, she could easily break off part of the plant's leaf and rub the thick juice of the leaf on the burn. Keeping a tube of aloe vera cream or ointment in the kitchen (in the fridge, especially) will be your first line of defense.
  2. Resist the temptation to run the burn under icy water--this will cool the skin too fast and produce a bigger blister. Instead, run it under comfortable water first to gently lower the temperature of the skin.
  3. After the burn has been cooled, either by water or aloe vera (or maybe both), treat it with an antibacterial ointment (like treating a cut or scratch) and cover it with some gauze.
  4. Redress the burn every day, washing it and the area around it very gently with mild soap and water, then applying fresh ointment and fresh gauze. This should help it look and feel better in a few days.
  5. If you notice that there is redness, pain, swelling, and heat around the area of the burn, or if the burn seems to be getting larger, get to the doctor immediately--you likely have an infection starting.

For Rashes:

  1. See what might have caused your rash.
    • Did you run through some grass and low-growing plants? If you did, you might have picked up a bit of poison ivy or poison oak, which produces very red, very itchy rashes. Use an anti-poison oak/ivy ointment to get the rash-causing chemical off your skin, and don't scratch at it--you'll spread the chemical with your fingernails after you scratch the rash.
    • Did you recently start using a new laundry detergent, dish soap, bath soap, hand soap, or body wash? Sometimes people get contact dermatitis, which is a small but irritating rash, from ingredients in soaps and other cleansers. Try switching back to your old product for a week and see if the rash goes away.
  2. Along with the specific treatments, take some Benadryl or another anti-histamine and smooth some rash-soothing cream on the skin.
  3. If you try all the advice above and the rash does not respond or gets worse, get to the doctor--the rash may be an exterior sign of a more serious illness.

For Fungal Infections:

  1. Fungal infections can show up as a heavily discolored or thickened nail, or itchy/strange-feeling skin with inflammation.
  2. What area of the body is the fungal infection occurring on?
    • If it's on the feet (especially between the toes), it's likely athlete's foot, and it can be treated with some ointments, like Lotrimin. Also, keeping your feet very dry and away from shower floors will be essential--powdering the affected foot with foot powder or even baby powder and then putting on a dry, clean sock will help speed recovery.
    • If it's an affected nail, try applying some anti-fungal nail cream for a day or two. If that doesn't seem to help and the nail area begins to be painful, don't mess around with it--get to a doctor for internal antibiotics.
    • If it's on the skin besides the feet, you'll need to pay careful attention to it. Anti-fungal creams will only go so far, but try applying them right when you first see the afflicted area. If the cream has not worked in a couple of days, get to a doctor.

Treatment of Colds and Sore Throats

  1. First of all, determine that what you have is indeed simply a cold and sore throat bug. If you have nasal congestion with general "stuffy head" feeling, paired with sore patches in the throat when you swallow, it's likely a cold and sore throat bug. If you have a fever, headache or other random body aches, and you feel excessively tired along with the stuffy nose and sore throat, you need to get to a doctor to get checked out, in case it's flu.
  2. Once you know it's a cold/sore throat thing and nothing else, taking cough-syrup medicines like Dimetapp and Robitussin will help start the healing from inside. Also, other types of liquids like Dayquil or Nyquil may help you feel stronger.
  3. Sucking on Vitamin C and zinc lozenges will help your recovery time shorten, and mentholated lozenges will help numb the sore throat.
  4. Keep the medicines going for a few days, taking it as often as the package suggests.
  5. Hot teas, especially herbal blends, and soups (yes, chicken soup works) will help open up your nasal passages and soothe the sore throat with their heat; plus, you'll be getting some hydration and nutrients as well.
  6. Wash your hands often, and disinfect surfaces you touch a lot (cell phone, computer, steering wheel, etc.) so you don't risk giving the cold back to yourself.

Treatment of Stomach Ailments

Vomiting/Nausea

  1. Sometimes it's better to let yourself throw up if you can--the body feels the need to expel something, in any case, so don't hold it in if you just keep feeling sicker and sicker.
  2. After you have vomited, replace your body's nutrients and water so you don't get dehydrated. Drinking water, Gatorade or other electrolyte beverages, and eating a few saltine crackers (if you can manage it) will help stabilize your suffering tummy.
  3. If you have vomited three times or more, or if you can't keep even water down, get to a doctor--this is nothing to mess around with!

Endless Cramping

  1. Laying in bed (or sitting at a desk) cramping can make you feel like a two-year-old--unable to even articulate the precise agony of your situation. Take an anti-inflammatory pain reliever, such as Advil (ibuprofen) or Tylenol (acetaminophen) to jump-start the recovery process.
  2. Next, use a heating pad. Have at least one layer of fabric between your skin and the heating pad, just to be safe, and start it on Low first, then ramp up the temperature as needed. If you don't have a heating pad, even a hair dryer set on Low and aimed at the most hurting part of the tummy area can help.
  3. Massage the whole abdomen area gently if you can stand it, rubbing in a clockwise motion to help nudge the body's processes along. Take note of how the abdomen feels to the touch--does the skin feel tight across it, or is it softer and more pliable? If the skin is tight, and especially if the abdomen area feels warm even without the aid of a heating pad, you'll need to check with your doctor.
  4. Lastly, laugh. A lot. Laughter helps ease cramping muscles by making them move in a totally new direction, and if you're engaged in watching something funny, you can more easily forget about your tummy pain!

Diarrhea/Constipation

  1. First line of attack: medication. Imodium or similar drugs help stop diarrhea; Dulcolax and other similar meds help stop constipation.
  2. Secondly, you'll need to change your diet just a touch to accommodate the conditions. Drink a lot of water and eat blander, less tummy-upsetting foods if you're having diarrhea, so you won't get dehydrated; also, drinking water and eating some fiber-rich foods, like beans, salads, whole-grain stuff, etc. if you are constipated can help move the party along more naturally. (That bean burrito from Taco Bell has a second use, LOL)
  3. If, after using the medication and changing your diet, you see no change in 24 hours, you will need to get to the doctor, just in case this is a symptom of something more serious.