So that you don’t get lost on the wide grasslands of our campus…
Diagnosis: Backache May 7, 2008
Photo by Javier
One very exotic and exciting cure is “Fire Cupping”
Someone from Trinidad and Tobago explained how this works:
For a sprained back or ‘dropped butchet’ (sprained muscle in chest somewhere)
“Lighted candles placed on several areas surrounding injury and each is carefully covered with a glass.
The candles flame uses up the oxygen in the glass so the space becomes a vacuum and the glass becomes ’sucked’ onto the skin. After some time (hour or 2) the glasses are removed and you’re left with raised circles on your back/chest. It definitely works. I had to go through this several times as a child when I lifted things that were too heavy for me.”
Other:
Lemon juice mixed with salt – consume twice a day
Comsumption of garlic – every day – less friends, but definitely no pain in the back 
Visiting the Doctor May 7, 2008
Luckily for all the non-german speakers there is a doctors office located conveniently close to the Jacobs campus. His name is Dr. Med. Hagen Schmidtmann, the full adress is
Pumpenstr. 10
28759 Bremen
Telephone: 0421 627171
He is accustomed to having Jacobs students in his office, is very frienly and quite sufficient in German. So if you come down with something that’s beyond our first aid tips, just trot over.
You exit off campus through the gate behind the Kindergarden accross from Research III (Taunusstrasse, where the pool is). From the gate you head left, and follow the street (Friedrich Humbert Strasse) for about 600 meters until you see the Pumpenstrasse. Alternatively you can wait at the busstop at the opposite side of the road and take any bus (74,75) two stops down the line. Once you’ve gotten out, continue in the same direction until you meet the Pumpenstrasse (about 20 meters). Turn right into Pumpenstrasse and continue down about 50 meters, its a small house with a bikerack in the driveway on the right hand side. Remember to bring 10 Euros in cash, which you have to pay each quarter year anew when you visit the doc in Germany. Also remember to get a note from him if you miss class, especially exams, because thats the only excuse that will be accepted by most Professors. Stay healthy
Diagnosis: Headache May 7, 2008
Photo by Teo
Stress, skipping meals and a wrong posture can lead to headaches – treat yourself well
Germany:
Black coffee with lemon juice
Other:
Drink plenty of water
Lemon juice in water
Pound the crust of the lemon into a paste and apply it with a plaster on the forehead (for headaches caused by heat)
Diagnosis: Nose Bleed May 7, 2008
How to stop the bleeding:
Sit or stand so that your head is above your heart
Lean your head forward and pinch your nostrils together just below the bony part of the nose, apply the pressure for a few minutes
Place a cold compress (with water or crushed ice) on the area around the nose
Also claimed that applying pressure with cotton pad inside the upper lip will stop the bleeding
IMPORTANT: Some cultures believe(d) that nose bleed is effectively treated by leaning the head backward and/or applying a cold compress on the neck – this is NOT an advisable technique, the blood will run into the stomach and you will feel sick
Diagnosis: Cuts, Small Wounds and Skin Problems May 7, 2008
Colombia:
Crushed coffee beans on the Cut – advice from a Colombian Granny
Bali:
Turmeric, a plant, is used to disinfect wounds and cuts – chew it and leave it on the affected area
India:
Turmeric (in hindi: Haldi) powder or paste on open cuts/ wounds helps the blood clot and heal faster
Other:
Chamomile reduces swellings and prevents infection
Raw egg on the
Raw potato (sliced, grated) on a swelling
Some believe that tobacco helps to heal wounds – applying tobacco is not a good solution!
Question and Answer May 7, 2008
photo by Leo
Here we would like to invite you to post any questions you may have as incoming students to Jacobs University Bremen. We’ll try to get back to you with an answer as soon as possible. Don’t hesitate!
Diagnosis: Stomach Ache and Digestive Problems May 7, 2008
Not the most pleasant topic, but everyone encounters this, whether you want to admit it or not. As to end this unpleasant malady as quickly as possible, we listed a few ideas…
Stomach Ache
Bali:
Baby cocunut water – hard to get in Germany, but supposedly effective
Diarrhea
Germany:
Bananas
Mashed Apples
Salty sticks and Coke
Romania:
Mint tea
Diagnosis: Cold/Flu May 7, 2008
The Bremen Winter is long and cold, so a cold is not a rare occurance. To avoid getting a cold, additional vitamins and drinking a lot of fluids is advisable. If the cold catches you anyways, here are some solutions for relieve.
Romania:
Onion peels and crushed walnuts tea
Ethiopia:
Drinking hot milk boiled with garlic, according to our Ethiopian source of information this cure “tastes very bad but it is very effective”
Steaming with Eucalyptus leaves
Other:
Consumption of onions and garlic – this reduces the amount of mucous produced by the body.
Another sure-fire remedy for a sore throat is to gargle with a strong solution of table salt and warm water. Gargle several times a day. The salt helps to relieve that uncomfortable burning in your throat.
Drink a lot of liquids – water, juice or warm lemon water with honey
Take additional vitamins – ask your pharmacist or doctor for advice
Health Insurance May 7, 2008
Photo by Jay Montgomery
If you come from a country where there’s no concept of health insurance: Well, get used to having one from now on! Its mandatory in Germany.
There’s not a lot of paperwork you have to go through contrary to horror stories you might have heard about German Bureaucracy.
Just one TK form you’ll have to fill out (hopefully in English)- After two weeks or so you get a pretty letter from TK health insurance and a plastic card with your personal details on this. The insurance covers surgical expenses and consultation fee but no medication bills: You’ll have to pay for any medication you purchase. However, if you need to have an expensive, emergency procedure TK will save you from bankruptcy. There’s an initial 10 Euro doctor fee you have to pay directly to the doctor each quarter of the year if you visit the doc though: so don’t park yourself at the doctor’s office with no money in your pocket. Doesn’t help. The downside is that you’ll have to pay around 53 Euros per month to have their health coverage. However, their service is pretty good and they visit campus thrice a month, if I’m not wrong. In case you have any questions or complaints you can speak to the TK representative face to face which I think is a major advantage. Go TK!- and don’t ask me what the heck it stands for.. I can’t spell it for the life of me.. (Teckniker Krankenkasse?) [Yes Rakshan, it does. Noah]
