New study shows HPV vaccine helping lower HPV infection rates in teen girls

http://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2013/p0619-hpv-vaccinations.html

Check out these creative new condoms!

Each KORE condom bought also provides one condom to a person in an developing country!  This company is working to fight unwanted pregnancy and the spread of STDs in nations with limited access to healthcare.
Could Condoms Change the World?

Get Enough Sleep this Finals Week!

Although many students may be tempted to pull all-nighters or stay up late studying for exams, getting enough sleep is actually more beneficial to your success! Getting enough sleep has been shown to:

• Improve memory
• Spur creativity
• Increase overall athletic ability and energy
• Improve grades
• Sharpen attention
• Lower stress
• Decrease risk for depression

For more information on how sleep can benefit you, go to http://www.health.com/health/gallery/thumbnails/0,,20459221,00.html. Good luck with finals!

Employers are specifically not hiring smokers

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/warning--smoking-is-hazardous-to-your-employment-173111627.html

What do you think about employers not hiring smokers?

Here is a great video about tobacco cessation

Here is a great video about cessation from Canada <https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=nyIJo7VCdPE

Kick Butts Day 2013!

Today, March 20, 2013, is Kick Butts Day! Kick Butts Day is a national day of activism that empowers youth to stand out, speak up and seize control against Big Tobacco.  The tobacco industry spends almost $1 million every hour on advertisements for its tobacco products.  It's up to each of us to fight the heavy influence of big tobacco by making a stand against unhealthy tobacco use!  You can fight tobacco by...

• refusing to buy any tobacco products
• encouraging friends and family members to quit, or not begin, tobacco use
• educating yourself and others about the dangers and health risks associated with tobacco use
• encouraging others to think before falling victim to the persuading advertisements made by big tobacco companies 
• making your home or living space a tobacco free area
• avoiding areas where tobacco use is likely to occur

If you would like more information about Kick Butts Day or tobacco use visit the Kick Butts website! http://www.kickbuttsday.org/ 

Have a Safe Spring Break

Safe Spring Break 2013: Sun, Slopes or Service, Make the Break Safe!

Make the Pledge to Make the Break Safe!

The BACCHUS Network encourages you to have a Safe Spring Break this year. Whatever your plans are, make sure they include these tips:
• Remember, impairment begins with the first drink. Choose not to drink if you are driving, or be safe with a designated driver.
• Wear your seatbelt. Always. It’s your best protection in a crash.
• Distracted driving is dangerous. Park the car to check mobile devices.
• Respect other peoples’ right, and your own, to choose not to drink.
• Respect state laws and campus policies.
• Stay out of dangerous situations involving alcohol, whether in a car, bar or bedroom.
• If a friend drinks to the point of passing out, alcohol poisoning is a real danger. If you’re concerned, seek medical attention. Better safe than sorry!

Take the pledge!  By reading the following and sharing your pledge on Twitter or Facebook, you agree to Make the Break Safe!

• I promise not to drink and drive during Spring Break, or let any of my friends get behind the wheel impaired.
• I will not ride in a car when the driver has been drinking.
• I will wear my seatbelt, whether I’m the driver or passenger.
• I will focus on my driving when behind the wheel and not be distracted by mobile devices, music or passengers.
• I will watch out for my friends, take care of myself, and do what I can to plan for a Safe Spring Break!

February is National Condom Month!

Top Ten Reasons to ALWAYS Use a Condom

10. They come in lots of fun shapes, colors, flavors, and styles!

9. Condoms can add to your sexual experience with added lubes, ribbed textures, and other cool features.

8. Condoms are easy to get and easy to use.

7. You're not married--many people will have more than one sexual partner during their lifetime, adding risk of STI's.

6. You’re not ready to trade in your sports-car for a mini-van

5. 19 million new STI's are diagnosed every year in the US.

4. 2/3 of all people who get STI's are under the age of 25.

3. Even if your partner is someone you know well and trust, STI's can present with no symptoms and still be spread, and they can stay in your body for many years to come.

2. Using condoms shows maturity, respect for yourself, and respect for your partner.

1. Using a condom creates a stress-free, fun experience for you and your partner!

Condoms are available free of charge during business hours in the Student Health Service.  Don't be silly, protect your willy!

Questions about the Flu?

If you have questions about the Flu, check out the following link to answering frequently asked questions.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/11/health/top-flu-questions-answered/index.html?hpt=hp_bn12

If your question is not answered, please feel free the call student health service at 994-2311.

From Linda Hogg, our Nutritionist

Looking for new ideas and goals for the New Year?


Check out www.sparkpeople.com for insightful information…

Start setting small, attainable goals aimed at health, TODAY!

It's time again for Operation Tipsy Tow!

Beginning December 14th, drivers in Bozeman or Belgrade who feel they may have consumed too much alcohol, can have themselves and their car towed home, up to 10 miles, free of charge.
AAA Montana along with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana, in partnership with law enforcement agencies, Bozeman Deaconess Hospital and Best Rate towing, have worked together to make this possible. For more information about the program, or to set up a tow home, call Triple A at 1-800-222-4357. Make the call and stay safe!

World AIDS Day is December 1st!

World AIDS Day is December 1, 2012! There are currently more than 34 million people worldwide who are infected with HIV/AIDS, including 3.3 million children under the age of 15.  The theme for this year's AIDS awareness day is "Working Together for an AIDS-Free Generation." Show your support in any way possible for those fighting this deadly, incurable disease. Visit the link below for more information on HIV/AIDS, World AIDS Day, and how to get involved in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

http://aids.gov/hiv-aids-basics/

Have a Safe Holiday Season!

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, last year more than 10,000 people were killed in alcohol-impaired driving crashes.  More than 400 of those deaths occurred during the last half of December alone.  With the holidays coming up, there are many more opportunities for party-goers to drink, and for those people to drive with alcohol-impaired vision, coordination, judgement, and control.  In order to prevent tragic crashes and deaths this holiday season...

• Pick a designated driver at the beginning of the night! The driver should not be the person who has had the LEAST to drink, it should be a designated person who will consume NO alcohol.
• Limit your drinks to one per hour, and alternate every alcoholic drink with a non-alcoholic beverage.
• If someone is trying to drive and has had too much alcohol for this to be safe, don't be afraid to take their keys! Even if it's an inconvenience, they will appreciate the gesture in the morning when everyone is safe.
• If no one in your group is sober, call a taxi.  The extra fee is worth the lives you will be saving.

Driving drunk is not only dangerous, it is expensive!  A first-offense DUI in the state of Montana can cost up to $1,000, and includes license suspension and possible jail time.  That doesn't sound like a very nice way to spend your winter break!  Be careful when drinking, and have a safe and happy holiday season.

Great American Smokeout, Thursday, November 15th

The American Cancer Society is marking the 37th Great American Smokeout on November 15 by encouraging smokers to use the date to make a plan to quit, or to plan in advance and quit smoking that day. By quitting — even for one day — smokers will be taking an important step towards a healthier life – one that can lead to reducing cancer risk.


Tobacco use remains the single largest preventable cause of disease and premature death in the US, yet about 43.8 million Americans still smoke cigarettes — Nearly 1 in every 5 adults. As of 2010, there were also 13.2 million cigar smokers in the US, and 2.2 million who smoke tobacco in pipes — other dangerous and addictive forms of tobacco.

A great resource to help you quit in the Montana Quit Line.  You can call them at 1-800-QUIT-NOW.

Get your flu shot today!

The flu clinics are over, but flu shots are still availble at Student Health Service for $15.  make an appointment online or call 994-2311 to shcedule your flu shot today.

How Stressed Are You?

With only 5 weeks left in the semester, many students are beginning to feel their stress levels rise!  Excessive stress over long periods of time can lead to major health risks, including headaches, sleep problems, heart disease, obesity, depression, memory impairment, and many other negative effects.  These resources from the Mayo Clinic will help you to determine your stress level, and how to decrease the amount of stress you are under.  Remember, it's important to stay positive and give yourself some time to relax and take a break!
Rate your Stress Level
The Four A's of Stress Relief

Healthy Dinner Recipes under $3!

Check out this link for some great dinner ideas for a student on a budget! Cheap food doesn't always have to mean unhealthy, and these can give you some great ideas for making balanced meals without cleaning out your bank account.
20 Healthy Dinner Recipes under $3

Tobacco Free College Campus Initiative

Jenny Haubenreiser, the leader of MSU's health promotion team and president of the American College Health Association, has been working with other campuses to spread the tobacco-free initiative across the country!  Check out the resources and ideas Jenny and her associates have combined to help promote health on college campuses throughout the nation.
National Tobacco-Free College Campus Initiative

Flu shots are coming

Student Health Service will host a series of walk-in flu shot clinics this fall.  From 9am to 3pm on Tuesday, October 2nd, Wednesday, October 10th, and Tuesday, October 23rd.  No appointment needed and the shot is only $15!  Put it in your schedule today.

Comments and Questions about Tobacco-Free MSU

Please feel free to post any comments, questions or observations regarding the Tobacco-Free policy below in the comments section.