Can you catch a cold from being out in the cold and not properly dressed? Is this an old wives (Excuse usage) tale?
Established Member
Can you catch a cold from being out in the cold and not properly dressed? Is this an old wives (Excuse usage) tale?
Order of Kilopi
No. Google "medical myths" and you'll get plenty of links debunking this myth and others.
Order of Kilopi
Agreed. No.
The short answer is this: the common cold is caused by exposure to the appropriate virus. Without exposure to that virus, no cold.
At best, the relationship is correlation, not causal. Either Quackcast or Skeptico suggested a plausible reason for the correlation: when it's cold out, people tend to stay indoors in much closer contact with others than they would during mild/warm weather.
Order of Kilopi
Technically, the way the question is asked, the answer is yes. But; we all know what you mean, so no. *
I've heard that as one plausible factor, but there are others that I heard makes sense to me...Originally Posted by Moose
The body has a bit less resistance to the virus because it is also fighting the effects of being cold.
The antibodies don't work as well when they are cold.
*Edit: strike that... I skipped over the "from".
Established Member
There's an additional explanation: When it's cold out, the particles from a cough or a sneeze are finer and evaporate less quickly (and so can travel farther). Therefore, the virii and bacteria attached to those particles have a greater chance of infecting someone else nearby. However, that has nothing to do with being dressed warmly when outside.
Can't remember where I read that. But it was from a recent article.
Order of Kilopi
I'm starting to worry that the question is even being asked.
Maybe I don't want to know why.
Order of Kilopi
If you're out in the cold long enough for your core temperature to drop enough to affect the function of your white blood cells, I would think you'd be in far more danger of dying of hypothermia-related complications. Certainly long before the cold virus has any chance of incubating. And that's assuming you're exposed to the virus at all.
Generally, claims about "boosting or weakening one's immune system" should be regarded with roughly the same degree of skepticism you would regard claims about globe-spanning conspiracies. Someone may just be trying to get on Oprah's book list.
Order of Kilopi
If you figure out where you saw that, I'd be interested in having a look.
Established Member
because it's something that I hear quite often (I know better)I'm starting to worry that the question is even being asked.
Maybe I don't want to know why.
Established Member
I wish I kept footnotes of where I've picked up information in my head. Unfortunately, I don't.
Ah, here it is. It was in New Scientist. There's also a link to a journal reference at the bottom of the article.
Order of Kilopi
Cool, I'll check that out tonight.
Order of Kilopi
Absolutely. It's a case of how to phrase the question.
Is it possible? Yes.
Does it matter? No.
Bad Post-Doc
Scientists in Antarctica get fewer colds than anyone else in the world, apparently. So that would be a resounding no.
_____________________________________________
Gillian
"Now everyone was giving her that kind of look UFOlogists get when they suddenly say, 'Hey, if you shade your eyes you can see it is just a flock of geese after all.'"
"You can't erase icing."
"I can't believe it doesn't work! I found it on the internet, man!"
Order of Kilopi
I've also heard that is because there are virtually no germs meandering around in that climate.
So; does that change the interpretation of "catch"? Only if you think of it as "cause" instead of "susceptibility".
Established Member
The OP established the connection between "appropriately dressed" and catching colds.
From what I know of Antarctica, if a scientist were not "appropriately dressed" they'd catch their death - just perhaps not from 'a' cold!
Established Member
True, but there are some factors to think about with that:
- The scientists spend months isolated at their outposts. If no one has a cold when they show up, then none of them will get sick for the rest of their stay
- There are no children in Antarctica. Children are terrible little carriers of every germ imaginable. They're like little snot-filled petri dishes.
- Scientists are probably more aware of how germs are spread in an environment, and probably take more precautions about preventing the spread of illness (washing hands, etc.)
Order of Kilopi
Well; to be nitpicky, he did say "properly dressed". That can mean, wearing a tuxedo out into the freezing rain. It's proper, but not appropriate.
Bad Post-Doc
Yes; that's my point. They're in the cold, and probably actually cold a fair amount of the time if they're outside, but they don't catch cold. Also, I go outside with wet hair regularly (another old wives' tale) and don't often catch cold, because I spend most of my time alone in my apartment. (Or with the cat, but he spends essentially all of his time in the apartment; he's not allowed outside.)
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Gillian
"Now everyone was giving her that kind of look UFOlogists get when they suddenly say, 'Hey, if you shade your eyes you can see it is just a flock of geese after all.'"
"You can't erase icing."
"I can't believe it doesn't work! I found it on the internet, man!"
Order of Kilopi
They were talking specifically about flu virii. It does not necessarily follow that the cold virus has the same properties.
And while they did mention that cold dry air tends to keep your body's mucus from trapping and expelling virii very effectively, your state of dress doesn't affect the temp and humidity of the air that hits your upper respiratory tract.
Being in cold air might make you more susceptible to colds, but how you're dressed doesn't factor into that in any way we know about for certain.
Established Member
I seem to remember reading that it was multiple factors together that cause you to be more likely to get a cold in the winter.
1) It's cold outside, to the mucus in your body (both in the nose and throat) dries out more easily.
2) The cold ruptures a few of the cells in your nose and throat (scratchy throat/bloody nose)
3) more close-quarters interactions with more people in a smaller area
And there's more, but I can't remember the rest because it's 7AM!
Order of Kilopi
I didn't catch a cold after doing summersaults in deep snow, while it was
still snowing, wearing only boots.
temperature for that. And no wind.
-- Jeff, in Minneah-choo!
Order of Kilopi
FWIW;
Upside - You can only catch a given cold once! Once you've had a cold, you are immune to that virus.
Downside - There are over 200 rhino-viruses and immunity to one does not confer immunity to any of the others.
Downside pt. 2 - Viruses mutate constantly, so, by the time it gets back to you it is, to your immune system a brand new virus! Back to square 1.
Established Member
That can mean, wearing a tuxedo out into the freezing rain. It's proper, but not appropriate.
True. The eminently proper man may afford to dabble in science as an intellectual excercise, but should not forget the responsibilities of his place in Society. Always better to show the lower classes a good example, eh wot?
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