Yes, Cold Weather Can Make You Sick – Scientists Finally Confirm What We All Knew

Yes, Cold Weather Can Make You Sick – Scientists Finally Confirm What We All Knew
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By , Organic Lifestyle Magazine

We’ve all been told, “Get a coat on or you'll catch a cold!” Many of us have ignored this advice. We’ve been told by educators and those “in the know” that cold weather doesn’t make us sick, viruses do. New research shows Mom was right, and the so-called “experts” didn’t know what they were talking about.

Research has now shown that viruses spread more effectively in guinea pigs kept in cooler conditions than those kept in warmer conditions. Epithelial mice cells kept in cooler conditions were more prone to viral infection than those cells kept four degrees (Celsius) warmer. Yale researchers found that in epithelial mice cells, colder conditions helped viruses to thrive. In a human study, the participants who soaked their feet in ice water developed cold symptoms in greater numbers than the control group of participants whose feet were kept warm.

Beyond the Cold Conditions Lie the Answer

Typically, there is more than one cause for anything and “catching a cold” is no exception. It is true that without some exposure to pathogens (like a virus) cold weather alone will not make us sick. For years, researchers forced cold conditions upon research participants in a sterile environment, and sometimes they even exposed them to viruses. Afterward, they declared that cold weather has nothing to do with infection rates and cold can’t give you a cold. In reality, it is far more complicated than that.

(Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Joel Edwards
Joel Edwards
Author
Joel Edwards is a senior at Kennesaw State University, an anthropology major with a broad interest in the humanities and an organic lifestyle.