Feeling under the weather?
Do you really get sick from cold weather?
Statistics
Refutation
- Cold weather is CORRELATED to illness
- Nasal passages will be drier and susceptible to infection
- Tendency for people to cluster indoors can spread pathogens
Debunk
Not Scientifically Proven
- A study by scientists was carried out by placing cold viruses directly in the nasal cavity of participants and either exposing them to cold weather conditions or not. No correlation was concluded between cold exposure and susceptibility to cold viruses.
- People tend to cluster together in close proximity to one another in colder conditions, allowing viruses and germs to spread quicker.
- Colder weather conditions cause mucosa (lining on sinuses, throat, and trachea) to dry up, causing a breeding ground for viruses.
Actual reason
- Come intact with rhinovirus to get cold
- Come intact with influenza virus to get the flu
Influenza Virus
Cold Weather
Rhinovirus
Bibliography
Can Cold Weather Make You Sick? (2014, December 17). Retrieved September 14, 2015, from https://www.promedicahealthconnect.org/general-health/can-cold-weather-make-you-sick/
Health Myths Center. (2012, September 22). Retrieved September 15, 2015.<http://www.bidmc.org/YourHealth/Holistic-Health/Health-Myths-Center.aspx?ChunkID=156976>.
Influenza Virus. (n.d.). Retrieved September 17, 2015, from http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/images/fluvirus.gif
Cultural Im/materialities: Contagion, Affective Rhythms and Mobilization. (n.d.). Retrieved September 17, 2015, from http://cesau.au.dk/fileadmin/CESAU/Call_PhD_Summerschool_Affect_Contagion_Rhythm.pdf
(n.d.). Retrieved September 15, 2015, from http://content.gallup.com/origin/gallupinc/GallupSpaces/Production/Cms/POLL/brllczndokydmzbbxnsgwg.gif
Does cold weather cause colds? - CNN.com. (n.d.). Retrieved September 18, 2015, from http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/07/health/upwave-colds/
McDowell 4th