Looking After My Health
- Alcohol Awareness
- Eating Well
- Sexual & Reproductive Health
- Stopping Smoking
- Drugs
- Cervical Screening
- Testicular Cancer
- Minor illnesses and common ailments
Alcohol Awareness
Most of us drink alcohol on all sorts of occasions and for many reasons and a small amount of alcohol can be enjoyable, but there are recommended guidelines for safe drinking limits.
New alcohol guidelines were passed by the Chief medical officers for the UK onJauary6th 2016. The Chief medical officers have changed the recommended daily intake for women and men and the new guidelines have targeted 3 specific areas of alcohol consumption.
- Recommendations for people who drink alcohol regularly
- Recommendations for single drinking episodes
- Recommendations for pregnant women
New Alcohol Guidelines 2016 - Unit changes & recommendations
The new government guidelines state that both men and women are advised not to regularly drink more than 14 units a week and to try to have at least 2 alcohol-free days per week. Here is a table from Drinkaware demonstrating the new alcohol guidelines and recommendations.
FAQ about alcohol and drinking:
What is a Unit?
1 unit = 10ml of pure alcohol. The number of units of alcohol in a drink depends on the size and strength of a drink. To find out how many units are in popular drinks see drinkaware.
Survival Guide
For information on how to have a good night out without too much pain the morning after read the survival guide to drinking.
Drink Spiking
For information and advice on drink spiking please go to the Students Union page.
Worried about your drinking
If you are worried about your drinking and need advice, you can speak to Student Health, contact your GP or call DRINKLINE free on 0800 7 314 314 at any time.
NHS Inform and drinkaware have more tips and information about alcohol.
For further information regarding the new alcohol guidelines, you can read the Chief Medical Officers report regarding the new alcohol guidelines and what they would mean for you.
Eating well
The two keys to a healthy diet are:
Eating the right amount of food for how active you are and eating a range of foods to make sure you’re getting a balanced diet.
A healthy balanced diet consists of a variety of types of food, including lots of fruit, vegetables and starchy food such as wholemeal bread and wholegrain cereals; some protein-rich foods such as meat, fish, eggs and lentils; and some dairy foods. Avoid too much saturated fat, salt or sugar. This is suitable for most people.
Having a healthy relationship with food is crucial to your health and well-being. Benefits include increased energy and stamina for active lifestyles and socialising, improved concentration and enthusiasm for studying, improved immune system and prevention of long-term health problems and healthy weight and skin tone.
Visit Eat Well for more detailed information on how to eat for good health.
Improving your diet
These are a few helpful guidelines to follow which will help you eat well:
Find simple, quick recipes created by students. Enjoy the social pleasures of cooking by submitting your own recipes once you’ve started to experiment. Go to Student Cooking TV to get started.
Go for shopping, stock up your cupboards.
Start to enjoy meal times as a learning and social experience with friends.
Making takeaways healthy
When you’re craving a takeaway; try creating your own versions of the foods you love or making a healthier choice when you order.
- Pizza: Always opt for thin crust, small or medium. Add at least two vegetables to your toppings.
- Burger: Opt for a fish or chicken burger, or even nuggets.
- Indian: Korma, Masala and Passanda dishes are staggeringly fatty. Just pour a third of the sauce on or opt for a Biryiani or a vegetable-based dish.
- Chinese: Avoid deep fried starters such as prawn toast, spring rolls and prawn crackers, replace with extra rice
- Fried chicken: Choose breast pieces and replace coleslaw and fries, with baked beans and corn.
Don’t work on the ‘amount you get for your money’ principles, or un-necessarily agree to ‘go large’ deals. Choose the food you actually want and need.
Problems with eating
Sometimes our attitude towards food can alter in response to change or challenge. Influences on our eating are both physical and emotional ranging from your alcohol intake to a hormone imbalance. It is not uncommon for young people in a new environment to experience troubles with eating, but it is important to address this before it seriously impacts health and wellbeing. You can speak to us for advice and support.
If you find yourself occupying your mind with food, or adopting strict restriction regimes take some time to read the practical advice available on B-eat.
If overeating regularly or binging has become a problem for you, enlist practical advice towards a healthier relationship with food from Over-Eaters Anonymous.
Relying on supplementation can be very expensive and if not used correctly, detrimental to your health. Always follow instructions, and try to get as much of the nutrients you need from your food at ordinary meal times.
Sometimes we just don’t feel like eating. If you have lost your appetite it can become easy to get in the habit of eating very little, as you eat less your metabolism slows and decreases hunger signals more. It’s important to combat this cycle to prevent your body becoming run down.
Start by eating something when you wake up to kick start your metabolism for the day. If you miss a meal, grab a snack such as fruit smoothies and cereal bars containing oats and nuts, to ensure you gain essential energy and nutrients. Always have a trusty backup of your favourite food in the kitchen. There’s bound to be times when you’ll need it to perk you up.
If this is a prolonged experience, you can’t change it, or you start to feel unwell, there may be a medical cause. Speak to your GP.
Top Tips
Learn to cook! It is one of the best tools for impressing your friends. Stream fun, quick, cheap and easy tutorials to your computer or iPod with Student Cooking TV.
Be very wary of extreme diets you read in magazines or the Internet. Stick to a balanced diet and exercise.
Sexual and Reproductive Health
Whether we're part of a couple, in a new relationship, have many partners or are happy and relaxed with no sex, everyone needs to take care of their sexual wellbeing.
Maybe you're thinking do I need a test?
Or do you need to find a sexual health service?
There are a variety of places you can get help and advice, such as Student Health, your General Practitioner, pharmacies and sexual health clinics. Visit Sexual Health Scotland for information.
The Sandyford Clinic
The Sandyford Clinic provides sexual, reproductive and emotional health services for women, men and young people within the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area. They also offer counselling, information and a range of specialist services. Services are confidential, free of charge and available without the need to be referred by your doctor or another practitioner.
Further information can be obtained from Sandyford tel: 0141 211 8130
Free Condoms
A range of free condoms are available at the Disability & Wellbeing Service and also at The Advice Hub, Level 7 in the Student’s Union.
Consent - It's not actually that complicated
Stopping Smoking
The key to success is wanting to stop smoking and preparing thoroughly as there is no quick fix. Stopping smoking will affect the rest of your life so it is worth doing properly. Before you stop you should take the following into consideration:
- Be sure you want to stop
- Know why you want to stop
- Be ready to make a plan that will work for you.
Why it's worth stopping
Below are some smoking facts that happen to your body after stopping smoking, that you might not be aware of
Within:
- 20 minutes your pulse rate will drop
- 1 day your carbon monoxide levels will return to normal
- 48 hours you become nicotine free meaning senses of taste and smell are improved
- 1 year your lung function will improve
- 2 – 4 years your risk of heart attack falls considerably
- 10 years your risk of lung cancer falls considerably10 – 15 years your risk of a heart attack or stroke is the same as someone who never smoked
- By staying smoke-free you can reduce your chances of lung cancer to half that of a smoker and chances of heart attack to be the same as someone who has never smoked!
Stop Smoking Services
For more information and advice on stopping smoking speak to Student Health or you can contact the following services:
- Smokeline on 0800 84 84 84
- Contact your GP
- Speak to your local pharmacist
Drugs
Drugs misuse can refer to anything from the occasional use of an illegal substance, to the recurrent abuse of a prescribed medicine. It is most prominent in 18-25 year-olds, so during your time as a student you are likely to be aware of people misusing drugs. What may be less apparent are the dangerous impacts of this upon their physical and psychological health.
Effects of drugs misuse
Although you may expect a particular effect from drugs such as cannabis, cocaine or ecstasy, this is always temporary, and you would be most likely to experience a series of undesirable side-effects, such as:
- Depression
- Increased body fat
- Acne
- Slowing in comprehension
- Flu like symptoms
- Exhaustion
- Paranoia
Furthermore, the use of illegal drugs could result in expulsion from academics and sports. If you were to face prosecution, you risk limiting the countries you can travel to, cutting your career options and can even result in a prison sentence.
To learn about different types of drugs, the risk, the law and what to do in an emergency and where to get help visit Know the Score.
Legal Highs
Just because a drug is not yet illegal, it is not necessarily less dangerous. The process of classifying a drug takes time, but in the meantime, they can be just as dangerous as the range of illegal substances. More often than not, they are mixed with illegal drugs and the true long-term effects on the body and brain cannot yet be known.
Performance enhancers and prescription drugs
If you were to aim to enhance or change your appearance, sporting, or academic abilities, by using a drug against medical advice, the negative effects upon your physical health, mental wellbeing and legal status can still apply.
Getting help giving up
If you are concerned about drugs misuse in yourself or someone close to you, then there are a whole host of people there to support you in addressing this. They will help you to make decisions, guide you through the difficult times and provide helpful resources.
For free confidential drugs information and advice call the Know the Score helpline on 0800 587 587 9. Trained advisers will be there to talk to you 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you need further help they will point you in the right direction.
There is also help, information and advice available locally. You can find help in your area by visiting the Know the Score Directory of Local and Community Services or the Scottish Drug Services Directory.
Sometimes drugs use can be masking another problem and locating and addressing the source by talking to someone may be the first step.
Say No...
Say no firmly and clearly, but without making a big deal about it. Your friends will respect you more if you’re assertive. Take a look around – you’re not the only one worrying about what other people think of you. Try to focus on your own opinion of yourself.
Cervical Screening
This is a test that involves checking cells from your cervix (the neck of the womb). The test is designed to pick up any changes so they can be easily and effectively monitored or treated. Without treatment, in some cases, the changes could eventually become cancerous.
In Scotland, all women between the ages of twenty and sixty are offered a cervical screening test every three years. Some, but not all, changes found by cervical screening tests may give an early warning sign of the possibility of developing cervical cancer. By dealing with this at an early stage, many cervical cancers can be stopped.
For more information contact Student Health, speak to your GP/Nurse or visit NHS Inform.
Testicular Cancer
Detecting testicular cancer
Cancer of the testicles is rare, but it is the most common cancer in young men. A simple, regular self-check could help you detect early signs of the disease. If you do notice changes, it is important to act right away. With early treatment, there is a good chance there will be no further problems.
Spot the signs early – How to examine your testicles and the things/changes to look out for.
Minor illness and common ailments
For minor ailments such as colds, coughs and headaches, you may not need to see a doctor. All chemist shops (Pharmacies) have a qualified pharmacist who can give advice on minor problems and recommend treatment. Many of these can be bought over the counter and fairly cheaply.
For further advice contact Student Health or for health information you can trust visit NHS Inform.
Back to General Health Support
Most of us drink alcohol on all sorts of occasions and for many reasons and a small amount of alcohol can be enjoyable, but there are recommended guidelines for safe drinking limits.
New alcohol guidelines were passed by the Chief medical officers for the UK onJauary6th 2016. The Chief medical officers have changed the recommended daily intake for women and men and the new guidelines have targeted 3 specific areas of alcohol consumption.
- Recommendations for people who drink alcohol regularly
- Recommendations for single drinking episodes
- Recommendations for pregnant women
New Alcohol Guidelines 2016 - Unit changes & recommendations
The new government guidelines state that both men and women are advised not to regularly drink more than 14 units a week and to try to have at least 2 alcohol-free days per week. Here is a table from Drinkaware demonstrating the new alcohol guidelines and recommendations.
FAQ about alcohol and drinking:
What is a Unit?
1 unit = 10ml of pure alcohol. The number of units of alcohol in a drink depends on the size and strength of a drink. To find out how many units are in popular drinks see drinkaware.
Survival Guide
For information on how to have a good night out without too much pain the morning after read the survival guide to drinking.
Drink Spiking
For information and advice on drink spiking please go to the Students Union page.
Worried about your drinking
If you are worried about your drinking and need advice, you can speak to Student Health, contact your GP or call DRINKLINE free on 0800 7 314 314 at any time.
NHS Inform and drinkaware have more tips and information about alcohol.
For further information regarding the new alcohol guidelines, you can read the Chief Medical Officers report regarding the new alcohol guidelines and what they would mean for you.
The two keys to a healthy diet are:
Eating the right amount of food for how active you are and eating a range of foods to make sure you’re getting a balanced diet.
A healthy balanced diet consists of a variety of types of food, including lots of fruit, vegetables and starchy food such as wholemeal bread and wholegrain cereals; some protein-rich foods such as meat, fish, eggs and lentils; and some dairy foods. Avoid too much saturated fat, salt or sugar. This is suitable for most people.
Having a healthy relationship with food is crucial to your health and well-being. Benefits include increased energy and stamina for active lifestyles and socialising, improved concentration and enthusiasm for studying, improved immune system and prevention of long-term health problems and healthy weight and skin tone.
Visit Eat Well for more detailed information on how to eat for good health.
Improving your diet
These are a few helpful guidelines to follow which will help you eat well:
Find simple, quick recipes created by students. Enjoy the social pleasures of cooking by submitting your own recipes once you’ve started to experiment. Go to Student Cooking TV to get started.
Go for shopping, stock up your cupboards.
Start to enjoy meal times as a learning and social experience with friends.
Making takeaways healthy
When you’re craving a takeaway; try creating your own versions of the foods you love or making a healthier choice when you order.
- Pizza: Always opt for thin crust, small or medium. Add at least two vegetables to your toppings.
- Burger: Opt for a fish or chicken burger, or even nuggets.
- Indian: Korma, Masala and Passanda dishes are staggeringly fatty. Just pour a third of the sauce on or opt for a Biryiani or a vegetable-based dish.
- Chinese: Avoid deep fried starters such as prawn toast, spring rolls and prawn crackers, replace with extra rice
- Fried chicken: Choose breast pieces and replace coleslaw and fries, with baked beans and corn.
Don’t work on the ‘amount you get for your money’ principles, or un-necessarily agree to ‘go large’ deals. Choose the food you actually want and need.
Problems with eating
Sometimes our attitude towards food can alter in response to change or challenge. Influences on our eating are both physical and emotional ranging from your alcohol intake to a hormone imbalance. It is not uncommon for young people in a new environment to experience troubles with eating, but it is important to address this before it seriously impacts health and wellbeing. You can speak to us for advice and support.
If you find yourself occupying your mind with food, or adopting strict restriction regimes take some time to read the practical advice available on B-eat.
If overeating regularly or binging has become a problem for you, enlist practical advice towards a healthier relationship with food from Over-Eaters Anonymous.
Relying on supplementation can be very expensive and if not used correctly, detrimental to your health. Always follow instructions, and try to get as much of the nutrients you need from your food at ordinary meal times.
Sometimes we just don’t feel like eating. If you have lost your appetite it can become easy to get in the habit of eating very little, as you eat less your metabolism slows and decreases hunger signals more. It’s important to combat this cycle to prevent your body becoming run down.
Start by eating something when you wake up to kick start your metabolism for the day. If you miss a meal, grab a snack such as fruit smoothies and cereal bars containing oats and nuts, to ensure you gain essential energy and nutrients. Always have a trusty backup of your favourite food in the kitchen. There’s bound to be times when you’ll need it to perk you up.
If this is a prolonged experience, you can’t change it, or you start to feel unwell, there may be a medical cause. Speak to your GP.
Top Tips
Learn to cook! It is one of the best tools for impressing your friends. Stream fun, quick, cheap and easy tutorials to your computer or iPod with Student Cooking TV.
Be very wary of extreme diets you read in magazines or the Internet. Stick to a balanced diet and exercise.
Whether we're part of a couple, in a new relationship, have many partners or are happy and relaxed with no sex, everyone needs to take care of their sexual wellbeing.
Maybe you're thinking do I need a test?
Or do you need to find a sexual health service?
There are a variety of places you can get help and advice, such as Student Health, your General Practitioner, pharmacies and sexual health clinics. Visit Sexual Health Scotland for information.
The Sandyford Clinic
The Sandyford Clinic provides sexual, reproductive and emotional health services for women, men and young people within the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area. They also offer counselling, information and a range of specialist services. Services are confidential, free of charge and available without the need to be referred by your doctor or another practitioner.
Further information can be obtained from Sandyford tel: 0141 211 8130
Free Condoms
A range of free condoms are available at the Disability & Wellbeing Service and also at The Advice Hub, Level 7 in the Student’s Union.
The key to success is wanting to stop smoking and preparing thoroughly as there is no quick fix. Stopping smoking will affect the rest of your life so it is worth doing properly. Before you stop you should take the following into consideration:
- Be sure you want to stop
- Know why you want to stop
- Be ready to make a plan that will work for you.
Why it's worth stopping
Below are some smoking facts that happen to your body after stopping smoking, that you might not be aware of
Within:
- 20 minutes your pulse rate will drop
- 1 day your carbon monoxide levels will return to normal
- 48 hours you become nicotine free meaning senses of taste and smell are improved
- 1 year your lung function will improve
- 2 – 4 years your risk of heart attack falls considerably
- 10 years your risk of lung cancer falls considerably10 – 15 years your risk of a heart attack or stroke is the same as someone who never smoked
- By staying smoke-free you can reduce your chances of lung cancer to half that of a smoker and chances of heart attack to be the same as someone who has never smoked!
Stop Smoking Services
For more information and advice on stopping smoking speak to Student Health or you can contact the following services:
- Smokeline on 0800 84 84 84
- Contact your GP
- Speak to your local pharmacist
Drugs misuse can refer to anything from the occasional use of an illegal substance, to the recurrent abuse of a prescribed medicine. It is most prominent in 18-25 year-olds, so during your time as a student you are likely to be aware of people misusing drugs. What may be less apparent are the dangerous impacts of this upon their physical and psychological health.
Effects of drugs misuse
Although you may expect a particular effect from drugs such as cannabis, cocaine or ecstasy, this is always temporary, and you would be most likely to experience a series of undesirable side-effects, such as:
- Depression
- Increased body fat
- Acne
- Slowing in comprehension
- Flu like symptoms
- Exhaustion
- Paranoia
Furthermore, the use of illegal drugs could result in expulsion from academics and sports. If you were to face prosecution, you risk limiting the countries you can travel to, cutting your career options and can even result in a prison sentence.
To learn about different types of drugs, the risk, the law and what to do in an emergency and where to get help visit Know the Score.
Legal Highs
Just because a drug is not yet illegal, it is not necessarily less dangerous. The process of classifying a drug takes time, but in the meantime, they can be just as dangerous as the range of illegal substances. More often than not, they are mixed with illegal drugs and the true long-term effects on the body and brain cannot yet be known.
Performance enhancers and prescription drugs
If you were to aim to enhance or change your appearance, sporting, or academic abilities, by using a drug against medical advice, the negative effects upon your physical health, mental wellbeing and legal status can still apply.
Getting help giving up
If you are concerned about drugs misuse in yourself or someone close to you, then there are a whole host of people there to support you in addressing this. They will help you to make decisions, guide you through the difficult times and provide helpful resources.
For free confidential drugs information and advice call the Know the Score helpline on 0800 587 587 9. Trained advisers will be there to talk to you 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you need further help they will point you in the right direction.
There is also help, information and advice available locally. You can find help in your area by visiting the Know the Score Directory of Local and Community Services or the Scottish Drug Services Directory.
Sometimes drugs use can be masking another problem and locating and addressing the source by talking to someone may be the first step.
Say No...
Say no firmly and clearly, but without making a big deal about it. Your friends will respect you more if you’re assertive. Take a look around – you’re not the only one worrying about what other people think of you. Try to focus on your own opinion of yourself.
This is a test that involves checking cells from your cervix (the neck of the womb). The test is designed to pick up any changes so they can be easily and effectively monitored or treated. Without treatment, in some cases, the changes could eventually become cancerous.
In Scotland, anyone with a cervix, aged 25-64 are offered a cervical screening test every 5 years. Some, but not all, changes found by cervical screening tests may give an early warning sign of the possibility of developing cervical cancer. By dealing with this at an early stage, many cervical cancers can be stopped.
Even if you expect everything’s fine, go for your cervical screening (smear) test and help stop cervical cancer before it starts.
- Get Checked Early
- Cervical Screening Youtube Video
- For more information contact Student Health, speak to your GP/Nurse or visit NHS Inform.
Detecting testicular cancer
Cancer of the testicles is rare, but it is the most common cancer in young men. A simple, regular self-check could help you detect early signs of the disease. If you do notice changes, it is important to act right away. With early treatment, there is a good chance there will be no further problems.
Spot the signs early – How to examine your testicles and the things/changes to look out for.
For minor ailments such as colds, coughs and headaches, you may not need to see a doctor. All chemist shops (Pharmacies) have a qualified pharmacist who can give advice on minor problems and recommend treatment. Many of these can be bought over the counter and fairly cheaply.
For further advice contact Student Health or for health information you can trust visit NHS Inform.