When I was a kid and i learnt about diseases in school it was that micorganisms of various kinds cause them. However since growing up I’d always been told by my parents to cover myself properly when being exposed to the cold e.g. wearing warm clothes after getting out of a hot shower in winter even though you might not immediately feel cold.
I asked my science teacher and he told me that when exposed to temperatures outside of what our body is normally used to, our body becomes more susceptible to being ill because our immune system is compromised. I think about this every now and then if I’m ever cold or sick because I didnt feel fully satisfied with his answer. I’ve also read in some places on the internet that this is just an old wives tale. Would someone give me a definitive answer to this query? ( I am currently on sick leave after being in a cold place for a while and I was thinking about this again)
In: Biology
Reading responses has been interesting. I work at a preschool, and I’ve always been of the mindset that the cold is not what makes you sick. When parents come to pick up their kid and they are not wearing gloves or their warm jacket they can sometimes get angry and say “oh he is gonna get sick”. Reading the comments and one of the studies menyioned above, it does look like the cold air “opens” the door to infections more easily. However this brings me to my question : since the cold sir is dry and does the thing it does – does it really matter then, if a kid is wearing their warmest of clothes? Since, no matter what you are wearing, you will still breath the same cold, dry air. Or am I missing something?
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