Myth: Catching Common Cold

[Hakkola]

I was outside last night in a t-shirt and a guy said I was going to catch a cold. I wanted to punch him in the face. The "common cold" is a virus, not something you magically catch from being in cold weather.

http://coldflu.about.com/od/cold/f/coldandweather.htm


The truth is, the flu and the common cold are caused by viruses. People get sick more often in the winter because they are exposed to each other more in the winter than in the summer. When it is cold outside, people tend to stay inside and are more likely to spread germs to one another.

Decided to post up a bunch of myths. Won't bother with the bubblegum 7 year myth, I think most people know that is bullshit.

[RX-7_TWINTURBO]

Thanks tips.

[Hakkola]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/dec/17/medicalresearch-humanbehaviour

[Hakkola]

Eating late and gaining weight, sugar and hyperactivity etc.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7789302.stm

[Hakkola]

Originally posted by RX-7_TWINTURBO
Thanks tips.

Glad I could help.

[pinoyhero]

Originally posted by Hakkola
I was outside last night in a t-shirt and a guy said I was going to catch a cold. I wanted to punch him in the face. The "common cold" is a virus, not something you magically catch from being in cold weather.

http://coldflu.about.com/od/cold/f/coldandweather.htm



Decided to post up a bunch of myths. Won't bother with the bubblegum 7 year myth, I think most people know that is bullshit.

You have anger issues if a guy that was trying to tell you to put a jecket on brought on enough anger to punch his face.

[G-ZUS]

hahahaha i love it when u go outside in a t shirt and ppl say ur gonna catch a cold :rofl: :bullshit:

[badatusrnames]

The whole Coffe is bad for your health thing...

Reduced rates of diabetes, parkinsons, heart disease (yes, it is good for your heart), rich in anti-oxidants and keeps you regular!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffee_and_health

[Hakkola]

Originally posted by pinoyhero


You have anger issues if a guy that was trying to tell you to put a jecket on brought on enough anger to punch his face.

Jacket. ;)

My anger is no issue, I enjoy it. It was also meant as hyperbole.

[mo_money2supe]

Originally posted by Hakkola
I was outside last night in a t-shirt and a guy said I was going to catch a cold. I wanted to punch him in the face. The "common cold" is a virus, not something you magically catch from being in cold weather.

http://coldflu.about.com/od/cold/f/coldandweather.htm

Decided to post up a bunch of myths. Won't bother with the bubblegum 7 year myth, I think most people know that is bullshit.

Been trying to educate the elders in my family this myth for years. Somehow, they still think that Chinese wives tales are more believable than modern science.

I'm almost certain they teach EVERYONE this so called "theory" in grade school, yet somehow it just doesn't stick in their heads. I may not be as easily "angered" as some may have said about the OP, but I certainly get annoyed at people who just don't seem to understand such a basic principle, much like my relatives.

[Mibz]

The warning that snacking at night makes you fat is on similarly thin ice, Vreeman and Carroll discovered. At first glance, some research suggests there may be a link, with one study showing that obese women tended to eat later in the day than slimmer women. But according to the BMJ article, "The obese women were not just night eaters, they were also eating more meals, and taking in more calories makes you gain weight regardless of when calories are consumed."Totally flawed test. Kinda ruins the entire article for me.

[brownchild]

this made me remember a funny thing about my childhood. My old family doctor used to have a bad temper, he used to get so mad when my mom used to take me into his office without a jacket on in the summer. He used to yell at me sometimes to dress warmer so I dont get sick, and the funny thing is he was educated from Oxford.

[Spoons]

But I would imagine that being out in the cold without a jacket could temporarily weaken your immune system thus making your chances of catching a cold more likely?

[black13]

Yea that one pisses me off good. I'm warm blooded so I naturally wear less layers in the cold and I'm fine without a jacket most of the time and everyone always knacks at me for not wearing warmer cloths and yet I barely get a cold/flu.

[01RedDX]

.

[Aleks]

Even if you directly don't catch a cold standing outside in a tshirt I never understood people who go outside in a tshirt and shorts when it's -10 or lower. Why would you? :dunno:

[Rstar]

Originally posted by Spoons
But I would imagine that being out in the cold without a jacket could temporarily weaken your immune system thus making your chances of catching a cold more likely?

[em2ab]

Originally posted by Spoons
But I would imagine that being out in the cold without a jacket could temporarily weaken your immune system thus making your chances of catching a cold more likely?
This is why I thought people said it, I didn't believe they were dumb enough to think you would actually get a cold from being cold.

[Mckenzie]

Originally posted by Hakkola
Eating late and gaining weight, sugar and hyperactivity etc.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7789302.stm

I don't agree with the eating late / gaining weight myth comment and think it is misleading. It is true you cannot shut off your calorie burning metabolism during the evening. However, since your body is in a resting state, it does not need energy and consequently does not need glucose. If you are eating foods with higher amounts of carbs / sugar late at night, the sugar will not be burned as energy but rather converted to fat while resting, thus leading to weight gain. Nearly every nutrition / weight loss plan I have ever seen (or followed my self) limits sugar /carb intake after 4 pm and promotes higher protien and fat intake. Protien decreases hunger and thus your metabolism will not slow during your sleep. It also repairs your muscles while you are resting, which is a necessary part of maintaining a healthy weight and body composition.

However it is obvious that obese people are obese because they burn less than they intake, so this may not matter regardless.
:dunno:

[Mckenzie]

Originally posted by 01RedDX

As for the coffee, caffeine is a drug and must be consumed in accordance with your body's tolerance levels. As with most drugs, it can be either beneficial or harmful depending on the rate of consumption.

Sugar does not lead to hyperactivity, not surprising since it's proven to lead to diabetes and obesity.

Caffiene has been linked to increased response time, alertness and brain activity, on top of the health benefits mentioned. [And obviously yes...too much caffiene is not good for you].

Great article on caffiene...

http://www.menshealth.com/cda/article.do?site=MensHealth&channel=nutrition&category=food.for.fitness&conitem=d40f53402a4e7110VgnVCM20000012281eac____&page=2

And coffee

http://www.menshealth.com/cda/article.do?site=MensHealth&channel=health&category=other.diseases.ailments&conitem=3ff6246a3669f010VgnVCM20000012281eac____

[brownchild]

Originally posted by Spoons
But I would imagine that being out in the cold without a jacket could temporarily weaken your immune system thus making your chances of catching a cold more likely?

I believe that, but my old family doc used to tell me to even wear a jacket in the summer.

[hrdkore]

don't you up the chances of catching a cold? Like isn't it bad to decrease your body temperature rapidly. I believe there's something like that, if you increase or decrase body temperature rapidly it'll cause you to faint or something?

[Eleanor]

If you're body temperature is changing drastically after being outside for 10 minutes you've got bigger problems than getting a cold :rofl:

[TKRIS]

And how many of you, once stricken with a cold, immediately start megadosing Vitamin C?

I'll admit that this was a tough greegree for me to break. Mostly, I think, because I like the taste of chewable vitamin C tablets.

FWIW: I don't think a lowered ability to fight off the virus is an issue at the temperatures most of us are talking about. IN extreme cases, then yeah I could see it, but I very much doubt that stepping outside for 10-15 minutes when it's -10 is going to have a measurable effect on your bodies defensive abilities.
Also worth noting: Viruses tend to spread more in the winter because we're all inside more during the winter, and, predictably, tend to have more contact with each other making it easier to spread. In that sense, going outside, be it with or without a coat, could actually reduce your risk of getting sick.

[mo_money2supe]

Originally posted by TKRIS
...In that sense, going outside, be it with or without a coat, could actually reduce your risk of getting sick.

But if going outside without bundling up is gonna weaken your immune system, then when you inevitably head back inside, you're gonna catch whatever's floating around inside that much easier.

[Mibz]

I like to think it's because people get runny noses from the cold and end up wiping their snot on whatever is handy.

[TKRIS]

Originally posted by mo_money2supe


But if going outside without bundling up is gonna weaken your immune system, then when you inevitably head back inside, you're gonna catch whatever's floating around inside that much easier.

As has already been mentioned a few times, no measurable "weakening of the immune system" is likely at the marginal temperatures we're discussing. If you stand outside in -25 naked for a half hour, yeah, then we might see a slight change, but not wearing your jacket when you walk out to your car isn't going to have any measurable effect.

[Hakkola]

Originally posted by hrdkore
don't you up the chances of catching a cold? Like isn't it bad to decrease your body temperature rapidly. I believe there's something like that, if you increase or decrase body temperature rapidly it'll cause you to faint or something?

LOL, no. In Finland we go in the Sauna and then jump into a frozen lake or roll around in the snow naked, and we don't get more colds than anyone else does.

[Mibz]

Originally posted by Hakkola
LOL, no. In Finland we go in the Sauna and then jump into a frozen lake or roll around in the snow naked, and we don't get more colds than anyone else does. Just more weird looks from North Americans.