The vitality project

What with people bringing germs from all over the continent, and folks not sleeping a whole lot, and getting worn down traveling and visiting friends before camp even starts, and then hugging people nonstop at camp, in our past we sometimes had a lot of sickness. During the last couple years we've made a concerted effort to turn this around and are pleased and grateful to report that we've been much healthier (though 2010 definitely fell short of the amazing vitality we enjoyed in 2009). We plan to continue this inspiring new tradition toward an even more radiant NBTSC into the future. Our current policies are designed to support all of us in having a zesty, sparkly, healthy, energized camp experience together. Here are a few important things to keep in mind and to do.

We can't admit people to camp with flu-like symptoms or certain other contagious illnesses.

All campers are screened for flu-like symptoms upon arrival at camp (or, upon meeting our buses/vans in town). People with these symptoms are generally not admitted to camp. (We reserve the right to make exceptions to this policy where that seems like the best choice, all things considered.)

Please notify us in advance if you have a cold or flu-like symptoms, lice, pinkeye, mono, or any other infectious disease that might be spread at camp. Depending on what you have and other factors, we will decide whether you can attend camp and what additional measures we might take at camp to protect your health and others' health if you do attend. If you have a minor cold or certain other conditions, we may still allow you to come, but will likely ask you to bring special items, and may want to meet with you at the start of camp or just before camp, to talk about things you need to do to keep from spreading germs to other folks. If you have the flu, or lice that has not been successfully treated by the start of camp, or possible other conditions including a bad cold, we'll likely ask that you not attend camp (in which case you would be refunded all but $100 of your fees, though this refund sometimes requires a signed statement from your healthcare provider).

We will probably send an email in the summer reminding you about the importance of this policy, and asking you to get in touch with us if you have a situation that might pose a challenge for camp.

 

If you get sick at camp, staff may require things of you such as

• Going to bed by a certain time
• Sleeping in your own bed or in an assigned infirmary bed, rather than in a public space
• Not participating in bonding night or other activities that are mainly focused on hugging
• Not going through meal lines (a friend can get your food).

As always, we consider each situation individually, but we are definitely taking a proactive stance on health. We want to support people in getting over illnesses quickly, and also in not getting sick in the first place.

Suggestions

• We strongly encourage you not to bring candy, soda, or other sugary snacks, or caffeinated or salty/greasy foods or beverages—for yourself or to share. Or, if you do decide to bring some, consider bringing the smallest amount that you think you can live with for the week. We are not trying to make anyone feel ashamed of their eating habits, or moralize—Grace, for example, consumes more than her share of apple fritters and coffee—we just want to keep people healthy at camp, and junk food and caffeine (and even natural sugars like honey) can disable immune systems!
  
• Bring a water bottle, labeled with your first and last name, which you will carry around all the time and not share with anyone. This way you’ll likely drink more water, and you’ll be less likely to acquire—or spread—germs. The dish people will have less work, too.
  
• Get lots of sleep before camp.
  
• Wash your hands obsessively, especially before meals. We also recommend carrying alcohol-based wipes, or a small bottle of sanitizer, in your pockets—they’re great for after you’ve been hugging and holding hands with germy people. (We also keep sanitizer on hand in main camp buildings.)
  
• Make sure you have a warm jacket to wear at night and in the morning, and very warm bedding.
  
• If you sneeze or cough, do so into your elbow. (You are less likely to touch someone else, someone else’s food, or something that someone else will touch, with the inside of your elbow than with your hand.)
  
• If you live in a different time zone (or even if you don’t), try to adjust your body to the practice of getting up at approximately 8:30 (pacific or east coast time, depending on which NBTSC you’re going to) before camp starts. (Breakfast usually runs from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m., and the first required moment of the day is check-in, usually at 9:45.)
  
• Watch what you do in the days and weeks before camp. If you’re traveling a lot, or visiting friends, get plenty of sleep and take care of yourself so that you don’t come to camp sick.
  
• Do what you can to not pick up germs or get sick in the airports, bus terminals, or train stations you’re traveling through: drink lots of water. Get rest. Wash and sanitize your hands frequently, especially after touching other people or before eating or touching your face.
  

 

Bring supplies that work for you!

Bring your own stash of remedies that you use both to prevent and treat simple illnesses and symptoms. Whatever you use to boost your immune system to avoid getting colds and to keep your energy up, and whatever you use when you are congested, have a headache or sore throat or allergies--good idea to bring it (and then just return whatever you don't use to your family's health supply cabinet). Some people bring Vitamin C, others homeopathic remedies. We keep a well-stocked first aid kit, but cannot guarantee that we'll have what you prefer to take, or enough of it to make you happy. (We can't, for example, provide everybody with dozens of throat lozenges.) We do keep certain OTC items belonging to campers (like painkillers) in our lock box along with prescription meds, but our health staff can dispense them to you as needed. (We don't typically keep supplements or alternative health remedies locked up, though it's not out of the question that this could happen in specific circumstances.)

(However...please note that starting this year we actually request that you not bring acetaminophen, benadryl, or ibuprofen -- unless you have unusual circumstances or really need this stuff with you while you travel -- because we have to collect it and keep it locked up with all the other meds and then redistribute it at the end of camp, and we keep plenty of this stuff in our own first aid kit anyway, so... just simplifies things for everybody if you don't bring a personal supply.)

 

Some people bring

• Echinacea tincture. (Take 1-2 droppersful 3 times a day, or more often.)

• Thyme essential oil. It’s a great natural antibiotic and antiseptic. Don’t put it directly on your skin without diluting it. Put a few drops on your collar, a few times a day, and put a few drops on your pillow each night.
• Tea tree oil. Use in combination with thyme oil, or alone. Also antibiotic, antiseptic, antifungal, and perhaps antiviral. Most people can tolerate it directly on their skin, but to ward off airborne germs your best bet is just to make sure you’re breathing it in, so again, try a few drops on your collar and pillow.
• Vitamin C, particularly Emergen-C (it comes in packets and you mix it with water). Or chewable vitamin C, if you’re more likely to take it that way. Or both. (We love it when people pass out chewable vitamin C, instead of candy bars, to their friends.)
• Other homeopathic remedies, essential oils, herbs, vitamins, etc., that you know to be helpful.

A little postscript on this section, from Grace: I hope all these suggestions don’t overwhelm you. I offer them to help you think about some of your options and choose a few that you’re already familiar with or that you know you would actually use at camp. Speaking for myself, over the years through trial and error I’ve boiled my own little stay-well-at-camp strategy down to a few things that I know work for me and I trust myself to use. (I rely on lots of hot tea, plenty of sleep, a protein-heavy breakfast, a double dose of daily multiple vitamins, making a point of stretching and breathing deeply for a while every day, and if despite all that I feel symptoms, I’ll chew up a clove of raw garlic twice a day, with meals, and sometimes dose myself with very-strong echinacea tincture. Last but certainly not least, in Vermont I sleep with a hot water bottle.) 

Advice from a staffer

After camp in 2010, advisor Brittney--who had gotten sick at previous sessions of camp --shared this. We think it's worth passing on:

I didn't get sick at camp! I came home, got a good night’s sleep, and went on with my life! My recipe was

•   sleep (headed for bed at 10 PM each night)
•  daily vitamins
•  Wellness Formula (daily prevention started w/ traveling)
•  hand-washing (+ periodic sanitizing for fun & peace of mind)
•  nightly showering & teeth brushing
•  daily Claritin for relief of allergy symptoms
•  extra Vitamin C
•  tea

For me, that seemed to make a world of difference.

(After we posted this, Brittney actually sent another, even better email about staying sparkly at camp. We'll probably send it out to everybody in the summer, but if you'd like a sneak preview, click here.)

___

Now, part of the whole sickness issue is related to sleep, and bedtimes…

 

 

photo by Laura Cox, 2010

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