Southern Health-Sant\u00e9 Sud<\/a> has advice for families that can\u00a0help promote health so that students can make the most out of the school year.\u00a0<\/p>\nHe also has some input for the rest of the community on the ubiquitous tales of illness that we\u2019ve all been told. \u00a0<\/p>\n
Is my wet hair hazardous? \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
One of the narratives\u00a0that has often circulated throughout communities is that going outside with wet hair makes one susceptible to catching a cold. \u00a0<\/p>\n
Some swear by it, and others are much more skeptical. \u00a0<\/p>\n
So, what is Dr. Gosselin\u2019s opinion?\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThere’s been a great debate in medical literature on whether it is a \u2018bad\u2019 environment that makes people sick, or … it\u2019s the particulate theory where\u00a0the bacteria or the virus comes in,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI think as much as the scientific community has moved forward a lot with [the idea] that it\u2019s particles that make you sick, … there is still actually a pretty good case to say that environments make us sick as well.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dr. Gosselin said that environments can affect individuals by putting the body\u00a0under stress in various ways, which he noted is countered by cultivating good habits, such as getting a proper amount of sleep, maintaining good nutrition, and engaging in regular exercise.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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“Garlic, onions, or making sure you eat lots of vitamin C don’t necessarily have strong evidence for preventing illness on the population basis, but if eating a healthy diet includes garlic for you and vitamin C in terms of getting it through fresh fruits and vegetables, I think that’s a great way to prevent illness.”<\/p>\n
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Dr. Timo Gosselin on home remedies to prevent illness.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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\u201cThose are all great things in terms of preventing illness,\u201d he said. \u00a0<\/p>\n
As for the chances of becoming sick after going out in the cold with wet hair, while the practice itself doesn’t necessarily cause illness, dormant viruses can sometimes be awakened by significant changes in temperature or the stress a body experiences from shivering. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDressing appropriately for the weather is definitely a great thing to do,\u201d he said. \u201cWhether your hair has to be perfectly dried before going outside when it’s cold, I don’t think that’s necessary, but I do encourage people to bundle up and dress for the weather …. It’s definitely not a great idea for teenagers to go out in socks and sandals when it’s -30 and the snow is deep.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
How about home remedies?\u00a0<\/p>\n
When it comes to another polarizing topic, home remedies, Dr. Gosselin also has some strong opinions, because, again, the story is a bit complex. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI don’t like … to downplay anyone’s personal remedies,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor example, garlic, onions, or making sure you eat lots of vitamin C don’t necessarily have as strong evidence for preventing illness on the population basis, but if eating a healthy diet includes garlic for you and vitamin C in terms of getting it through fresh fruits and vegetables, I think that’s a great way to prevent illness.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Pesky particles \u00a0<\/p>\n
In the school setting, Dr. Gosselin said that the primary cause of illness is contact with surfaces\u00a0contaminated with particles that contain viruses and bacteria.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou cough on your hands, and then they touch different objects in the classroom or doorknobs, and then they’re transmitted to another person, who then has contact with that same illness,\u201d he explained, adding that breathing in particles that linger in the air after coughs and sneezes also poses a risk. \u00a0<\/p>\n
Preventing the spread\u00a0<\/p>\n
So, what are the best practices for avoiding catching and spreading illness in schools?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dr. Gosselin said the primary way of minimizing the spread in classrooms is\u00a0wiping down high-touch surfaces \u201cperiodically throughout the day.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Beyond that, the doctor said that there is an even more valuable strategy for getting ahead of the spread.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the more effective [route]\u00a0that we can rely on for kids is to just teaching them proper hygiene \u2014 so washing their hands after they use the washroom, or allowing time for kids to go for breaks to wash their hands before they eat, or having hand sanitizer for them to use in the classroom if it’s not feasible for all of them to go to the bathroom all at once,\u201d he said. \u00a0<\/p>\n
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\u201cI think as parents and within the parenting community, we do need to give each other a lot of grace or the benefit of the doubt. Sometimes it’s really hard to know if your kid just really doesn’t like school and that tummy ache that they’re complaining about is because they didn’t finish their math homework.”<\/p>\n
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-Dr. Timo Gosselin on having grace for parents navigating sicknesses during the school season.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Another skill that is essential for children to know, according to Dr. Gosselin, is proper coughing etiquette. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThey just need to learn it and have a few reminders about coughing into their elbows or away from people, and then if they do have to cough into their hands, just to wash their hands or sanitize them afterwards so that they’re not leaving these particles in\u00a0other places,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vaccination is also a route that can help prevent illness, according to Dr. Gosselin. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe it’s a bit controversial, but making sure your kids’ vaccinations are up to date does help them repel illnesses as well,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cVaccines have been around for over 100 years, … and making sure that kids have their vaccinations does help them have fewer illnesses during the year.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
What if my child is sick? \u00a0<\/p>\n
Sometimes, unfortunately, even the best practices can\u2019t prevent a child from becoming ill.<\/p>\n
When this situation emerges, Dr. Gosselin said the first thing the community can do is have patience for one another. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI think as parents and within the parenting community, we do need to give each other a lot of grace or the benefit of the doubt,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes it’s really hard to know if your kid just really doesn’t like school and that tummy ache that they’re complaining about is because they didn’t finish their math homework, … so\u00a0if we can all believe that we’re all doing the best that we can with what we have, that’s super important.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The doctor added that if a child has a fever or cough, it\u2019s best to keep the child home from school, but he acknowledges that for some working families, childcare is a challenge.<\/p>\n
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\u201c[At] Southern Health, we really enjoy taking care of people. We want to work together for the healthiest tomorrow, and we want to all thrive together.”<\/p>\n
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-Dr. Timo Gosselin on the philosophy of\u00a0Southern Health-Sant\u00e9 Sud<\/a>.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
For Dr. Gosselin, one way to mitigate the hurdle is to build community and establish a sick day plan ahead of time. \u00a0<\/p>\n
He recommends connecting with other parents in class or in the community who might be able to provide childcare in a pinch. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDoing a little bit of prep work helps alleviate the pressure of the moment, but we do recognize that not everyone has the opportunity or availability of people in their lives that can necessarily help at the drop of a hat,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Related stories:<\/p>\n
\u201c[But] you might be able to help them with childcare if you work part-time, or if there’s some availability in your schedule so that we can help each other as a community.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
If the sickness worsens to the point of seeing a healthcare provider, Dr. Gosselin recommends that parents ask how long the child will be infectious.<\/p>\n
He said that with some illnesses, symptoms can persist beyond the point of being contagious, so having the answer to this question can potentially get children back in school sooner. \u00a0<\/p>\n
An important component of flu season\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the end, Dr. Gosselin said that as the community enters flu season and navigates sicknesses and how to prevent them, one thing in particular benefits everyone: Kindness. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201c[At] Southern Health, we really enjoy taking care of people. We want to work together for the healthiest tomorrow, and we want to all thrive together, and so … when people come in, we want to be kind to you in your moment of need, and we’d [also] love for everyone to be kind to one another when they come into our healthcare facilities,\u201d he said. \u00a0<\/p>\n
With files from Jayme Giesbrecht\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As the season changes and children return to classrooms, illness and its prevention once again become a topic…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":138386,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[49,48,84,392],"class_list":{"0":"post-138385","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-healthcare","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-health","11":"tag-healthcare"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138385","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=138385"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138385\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/138386"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=138385"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=138385"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=138385"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}