Bad weather and your health.

[jaymac]

When our mom's told us to wear our jackets or we will get sick, they were unknowingly fibbing. You cannot get sick by not bundling up. You have a better chance of catching a cold off of the handles on a shopping cart than by not wearing a jacket. Your immune system weakens by stress, lack of sleep, unhealthy eating, and unhealthy habits, (and other reasons )not necessarily by weather.

[ninjanurse]

Exactly! Colds are caused by viruses NOT cold weather or wet hair!!!!!!! This one drives me crazy at work-people scolding their spouses or kids because they didn't wear a jacket out to the mailbox in the snow yesterday and now they're sick..."I told you so..blah, blah, blah"!

Now, if you go outside without a jacket AND get hypothermic AND you are already sick or have an illness brewing, then you MAY increase the severity or length of the illness because your immune system MAY be more stressed.

[Shotokan-kez]

Ok ninjanurse, so your saying that if you already have an illness brewing or if your already poorly, if you go out in the snow/rain your more likely to get ill?

[Jiffy]

Don't forget, although the temperature may vary by 20-30 degress celcius, our body temperate won't normally vary by more than about half a degree. Therefore, the internal temperature has little relation to the external.

[Meguro]

Don't forget, although the temperature may vary by 20-30 degress celcius, our body temperate won't normally vary by more than about half a degree. Therefore, the internal temperature has little relation to the external.

The greater the differential between outside and inside, the greater the stress on the body in trying to maintain body temperature. This stress might weaken your immune system enough for you to succumb to an infection you might have been able to avoid if you wore a cap or a jacket or stayed out of the rain.

[Jiffy]

First time I've heard anything like that. Do you have any info on that?

The human body is a failry adaptable piece of work. Although we do need to keep our bodies out of extreme heat or cold, the temperatures we experience on a day to day basis will not have this effect. Different story if you go climbing everest or something.