[Click! Health] College Festivals Suitable for the Endemic Era... How to Enjoy Them Healthily

University Festival [Image Source=Yonhap News]

This year's university festivals are taking place amid a de facto transition to an endemic phase (periodic outbreaks of infectious diseases), which seems to have caused the suppressed emotions of college students during COVID-19 to erupt all at once. To help recover quickly from the aftereffects of the festivals, we explored health methods to minimize symptoms with the assistance of Kim Dong-woo, director of Ulsan Jaseng Korean Medicine Hospital.

During university festivals, the campus becomes noisy. This is due to actions such as the audience singing along loudly during singer performances and repeatedly shouting slogans of their departments or clubs in the heated atmosphere. In such an environment, people naturally have to speak loudly to communicate. Because of this, after fully enjoying the festival, many experience hoarseness or throat pain. Repeatedly raising one's voice causes excessive friction on the vocal cords, leading to damage. Therefore, if pain is felt after heavy use of the voice, it is important to drink plenty of warm water to avoid straining the vocal cords.

Beverages containing caffeine, such as coffee or green tea, are not suitable as they promote diuresis and cause fluid loss. Carbonated drinks should also be avoided as they irritate the vocal cords, and naturally, smoking and drinking alcohol are detrimental to vocal cord recovery. Most symptoms are temporary and improve with rest, but if hoarseness persists, vocal cord nodules may have formed, so it is advisable to seek medical consultation.

Director Kim Dong-woo advised, “Along with sufficient hydration, I recommend enjoying Omija tea, a Korean herbal tea beneficial for the lungs and bronchi. Omija has a warm nature and is not drying, having been used as a treatment for coughs and asthma. It greatly helps relieve throat pain and also improves fatigue.”

Kim Dong-woo, Director of Ulsan Jaseng Korean Medicine Hospital

The recently popular ‘crop top’ fashion often seen at university festivals should also be approached with caution. Since the abdomen is exposed, it becomes vulnerable to temperature regulation. During times of large temperature differences between day and night, such as now, the cold is felt more intensely at night, and when combined with alcohol consumption, it leads to significant heat loss, easily causing abdominal coldness.

If the abdomen, the body's core, becomes cold, the functions of internal organs decline first, accompanied by symptoms such as abdominal pain and diarrhea. Blood circulation also becomes impaired, eventually lowering the body's overall temperature, including the hands and feet, like a domino effect, potentially causing hypothermia. If the skin starts to pale and balance becomes difficult, the immediate response should be to move indoors and restore body temperature with blankets or warm drinks to prevent accidents in advance.