Why do you get sick from the cold?

[pixiestudent2]

Isn't a "cold" from some type of pathogen? Ugh. Last night I went out without a coat in 20 degree weather and now I have a terrible cold starting.

[psu_213, BSN, RN]

I once had a youngish pt. (in his 20s). He had SOB with a cough for a month with blood tinged sputum. Tx with ABX for PNA did not improve his symptoms. Long story short, he had a PE--which took a while to dx since he had no apparent risk factors. I was there when the grandmother was in the room...he comment to the pt: "I knew you would get sick. This is what you deserve for walking outside in the cold without a jacket." Ugh.

[pixiestudent2]

I once had a youngish pt. (in his 20s). He had SOB with a cough for a month with blood tinged sputum. Tx with ABX for PNA did not improve his symptoms. Long story short he had a PE--which took a while to dx since he had no apparent risk factors. I was there when the grandmother was in the room...he comment to the pt: "I knew you would get sick. This is what you deserve for walking outside in the cold without a jacket." Ugh.[/quote']

Haha. Yes it probably had something to do with my mother beating this into my head my entire life....

[liketheairport]

My mom, who's been an RN for 40ish years, used to yell at me for going out with wet hair to school. She'd say "You'll catch a cold!" To which my response was, "Mom, you should know this better than me, colds come from viruses!" She never could find the way to tell me, "Of course they do, but it probably doesn't help the situation to go out with wet hair!"

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

I spent a week on vaca c some colleagues and one night I washed my hair and got ready for bed. One of my friends was horrified. "You can't go to bed with wet hair!" she said.

"Why not?" said I. "It will be dry by morning and I don't have to fuss c a 120dB hair dryer damaging my cochlea."

"My mother always said I would get sick if I did that."

"Never made me sick. You went to nursing school?"

[krisiepoo]

Yes I've taken micro, maybe I've forgotten... Yikes.

I really thought I might of been missing some patho about the cold having and effect. I don't know, I'm feeling a little stupid now haha.

Ack, don't feel stupid, you've fallen into the trap of wives tale vs real life. We've had it beaten into us since we were little and sometimes we just take that info without looking at it from a real life point of view.

[JenTheSchoolRN, BSN, RN]

I have educated many students in my school (I'm a school nurse) about this myth in the last couple of weeks. I empathize hand-washing and hope that part at least gets through. I also try and educate the parents about this myth, but they shake their heads and empathize how it is true because their mother/father/grandmother/aunt/etc said it. Alas.

[cardiacfreak, ADN]

I am not trying to change the topic of this post but talking about old wives tales reminds of one my grandmother used to do. When we had a fever she would put mustard on the bottoms of our feet and then place saran wrap over them and then our socks, the fever would be gone by morning. Has anyone ever heard of this or was my lovely grandmother just whack-o?

[klone, MSN, RN]

Medicinally, mustard seed can be used as a diaphoretic, so that might be why she used it.

[annewithane]

Actually, it's not TOTALLY a myth, a great example of why it's important to stay up to date on research. Did you catch it from last night, of course not. The link between cold weather and colds is that cold weather can indirectly make you more likely to develop one. You came in contact with a virus at some point, BUT cold weather can make you more likely to develop a cold, research from this year coming from Yale: Cold viruses thrive in frosty conditions : Nature News & Comment

To those that said cold weather inhibits growth... did you guys take microbiology? Did they cover extremophiles by any chance??? Because warm conditions perpetuating microorganism growth is not always the case, and in fact, for the virus most likely in question in relation to this discussion: "...researchers have known for decades that many rhinoviruses thrive in low temperatures: they replicate better in the upper respiratory tract than in the warmer environment of the lungs."

From the linked article: "They found that warm infected cells were more likely than cold ones to undergo programmed cell death — cell suicide brought on by immune responses aimed at limiting the spread of infections.Foxman says that the data suggest that these temperature-dependent immune reactions help to explain rhinoviruses' success at lower temperatures, and explain why winter is the season for colds. As temperatures drop outside, humans breathe in colder air that chills their upper airways just enough to allow rhinoviruses to flourish, she says."

So there you have it. Here is a pretty good, non biased article that cites decent sources demonstrating that there is at least some relation between the weather and developing colds: Does being cold make you more susceptible to catching cold?

[Despareux]

Actually it's not TOTALLY a myth, a great example of why it's important to stay up to date on research. Did you catch it from last night, of course not. The link between cold weather and colds is that cold weather can indirectly make you more likely to develop one. You came in contact with a virus at some point, BUT cold weather can make you more likely to develop a cold, research from this year coming from Yale: Cold viruses thrive in frosty conditions : Nature News & Comment

To those that said cold weather inhibits growth... did you guys take microbiology? Did they cover extremophiles by any chance??? Because warm conditions perpetuating microorganism growth is not always the case, and in fact, for the virus most likely in question in relation to this discussion: "...researchers have known for decades that many rhinoviruses thrive in low temperatures: they replicate better in the upper respiratory tract than in the warmer environment of the lungs."

From the linked article: "They found that warm infected cells were more likely than cold ones to undergo programmed cell death — cell suicide brought on by immune responses aimed at limiting the spread of infections.Foxman says that the data suggest that these temperature-dependent immune reactions help to explain rhinoviruses' success at lower temperatures, and explain why winter is the season for colds. As temperatures drop outside, humans breathe in colder air that chills their upper airways just enough to allow rhinoviruses to flourish, she says."

So there you have it. Here is a pretty good, non biased article that cites decent sources demonstrating that there is at least some relation between the weather and developing colds: Does being cold make you more susceptible to catching cold?

Thanks for the link.

I was always under the impression that because more folks hang out indoors together and runny noses are commom in colder months and since mucus is a great medium for microbes, cold symptoms ensue.