Cold weather nothing to do with getting the cold

by Micheal Smith

We are constantly being told that colds and flus are not caused by the cold weather and/or by getting exposed to cold weather the wrong way but, strangely enough, every winter we get an severe increase in respiratory illnesses, the common cold being one of them.

If the weather then has nothing to do with it how come that those infections seem to increase during the cold periods? I could say now already that I rest my case, but...

Yes, I do know that the common cold, as well as flu and influenza, are all cause by viruses but somewhere along the lines, otherwise I doubt we would have the increases of those diseases and illness always in the cold time of the year, the cold weather must have something to do with it, regardless of what the experts try to make out.

Personally, I do still believe, to a degree, in the old people's advice that the weather can give you a cold. Not as much as that the weather is the actual cause of it but that the fact that it is cold affects the body and allows the viruses to enter easier and also, though science has not said so, it may be the weather that aids the spread of the viruses. Maybe also the fact that we go into the cold, then back into the warm and back into the cold, for instance all could be contributing factors here.

This 2008 winter in Britain we are being told, yet again, in the UK that due to the weather which has been colder than for the last 30 years – well, I am doubting that claim, but – the ambulance emergency services and the hospital are overworked as with all the people that have gotten severe colds and flus. But, obviously, according to the eggheads this could not possibly have anything with the weather. This must be a coincidence even though the health authorities seem to be blaming it on the cold weather.

While viruses are the true cause of those diseases the weather, in my opinion, is a major contributing factor here and hence we must take precautions against the cold and the wet in the winter season.

In addition to that we must make sure that we do not help spreading the infections ourselves if we happen to have the sniffles by being careless and sneezing all over the place and such like. Coughs and sneezes spread diseases was the public service message that would go out every year on the wireless in Britain and was to be seen on posters all over the place and it is certainly true.

So, let's wrap up well and stay dry and keep our germs to ourselves.

© M Smith (Veshengro), December 2008
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