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Debunking the myth: Cold weather gives you cold

There were many medical myths that existed. For instance, it was believed that malaria was caused by ‘mal’ air or a foul air till the female anopheles mosquito was discovered as the culprit. Such myths exist even today.

The Myth

When you get exposed to the chill air or wet weather, there is great chance of contracting the common cold.

Myth cold weather gives cold

The Origin

The common cold has a name that makes it so instinctively obvious that a cold must be causing it! Add to this the fact that getting soaked in a downpour or spending a whole evening/night in the chill winds invariably results in illnesses, you can surely understand why the cold is held responsible for a cold! Also adding to the myth are reports which state that one’s immune system gets suppressed in the cold and thus weakens the body’s defenses against the virus.

The Reaction

The myth has percolated so deep that people have simply accepted it as a scientific fact. Everyone believes that not wearing something warm is a sure shot invitation to get a bad cold. Even if told that cold does not cause a cold, the agreement among people is, at best, peripheral.

The Facts

The facts are far from what the myth says. It helps to recount them and list them for proper understanding about the cold and colds.

  • The common cold is caused by the rhinovirus which does not depend on the temperature.
  • People at early stages of an illness feel warm or hot. So, there is a greater chance of them going out without proper clothing. When they fall ill, the cold weather is blamed.
  • Extreme cold can cause hypothermia or extra lowering of the body’s temperature. This causes a suppression of the immune system. But such hypothermia attacks are more of an exception that the rule.
  • You could catch a cold in the hottest deserts as easily as you catch it in a cold environment.

What do the experts say

A pediatrician in Brooklyn, New York, Anatoly Belilovsky, says that people find a host of reasons to justify the ‘fact’ that a cold causes a cold. He continues to say that the rhinovirus is responsible for all ‘cold’ symptoms. Carl Olden, MD, who practices as a family doctor in Yakima emphatically states that bad weather causing a cold is as true as any of the hundreds of old wives’ tales that circulate around the world.

Quick Tips

Dr. Belilovsky, based on a study conducted at the Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, says that researchers have discovered that when a healthy individual goes out in the cold without a jacket, his/her immunity to cold actually increases. Here are some tips that could actually help save you from the grips of the common cold.

  • Avoid coming in contact with people who are already suffering from colds.
  • Use a handkerchief or gloves to clean your hands whenever you touch people suffering from severe colds.
  • Be careful when using towels and sheets in public spaces or hotel rooms.

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