It is an old wives tale that the cold will make you sick. Is it true?
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No
germs make you sick, but cold weather can make an illness worse however, if you get too cold, with or without germs, you do run the risk of frostbite, hypothermia and if it is cold enough, death
germs make you sick, but cold weather can make an illness worse however, if you get too cold, with or without germs, you do run the risk of frostbite, hypothermia and if it is cold enough, death
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During the flu season of 2005, an experiment was performed to test the idea that being cold can make you sick. 90 people kept their feet in a bowl of ice water for 20 minutes, while a control group of 90 people put their feet in an empty bowl for 20 minutes. Over the next 5 days, 29% of the group with chilled feet developed cold symptoms, compared to only 9% of the control group.
Professor Eccles explained this effect by saying that our bodies restrict blood flow to the extremities when we get cold to help conserve body heat for the torso and brain, which really need to be warm. Cutting off the blood flow reduces the supply of white blood cells which are the immune system’s primary weapon against germs.
Professor Eccles explained this effect by saying that our bodies restrict blood flow to the extremities when we get cold to help conserve body heat for the torso and brain, which really need to be warm. Cutting off the blood flow reduces the supply of white blood cells which are the immune system’s primary weapon against germs.
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Basically, no it doesnt, but some diseases are more easily spread in the cold.