Last Tuesday I was bragging to a mom at the dance studio that I hadn't been sick all winter. On Thursday night I came down with a fever and by Friday morning I was feeling about like death. Yesterday was the sickest I have been since April 9, 2006 when I ended up in the ER.
All of this illness has led me to one question, why is everyone sick in the winter? Las year I worked at Kidscare, and the winter was the worst thing ever. I was at work 2-3 hours extra because these kids were sick, and it was winter. In my seventh grade health class Mr. Asay stressed that the cold weather didn't make you sick. I beg to differ.
From my very own NPR:
"A recent study by Eccles is one of the few to suggest a link [between cold weather and illness]. Ninety college students dunked their bare feet in a bowl of chilled water for 20 minutes; a control group kept on their shoes and socks while they sat with their feet in an empty bowl.
Volunteers in the bare-foot group were three times as likely to develop cold symptoms within five days, according to the study published last fall in the journal Family Practice."
What do you have to say to that Mr. Asay? Nothing, because the cold makes you sick.
Two things: The day before I became sick I waited an extra long time for the bus and it was freezing cold, with an awful wind chill. That same day I was in a fabric store that has no heater for a really long time. This is why I am sick.
No, no not germs, the cold. The cold is helping the germs survive.
Moral of the story: STAY WARM
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7 comments:
People are exposed to each other more in the winter than in the summer because people tend to stay inside, which increases the chances of spreading them germs all over your body. That's the argument, but I don't think that there is no real definitive winner. Ask the Lord.
I imagine the real culprit is somewhere in between your explanation and James'. I believe the cold may weaken the immune system, which can use all the strength it can get as we're forced to be in the germ-filled indoors of winter. If it was just the cold, I would have AIDS by now thanks to waiting for the train.
We have to argue that it's a myth that the cold makes you sick. Not to give Mr. Asay any sort of credit, though. Good argument, however.
Mr. Richman told me the same thing, "you don't get a cold because of the cold." I thought he was super stupid, I wanted to raise my hand and say, "then why in the hell is it called a cold." But we would always get extra-credit if we brought in tissue boxes during the winter.
When I watched, "Into Thin Air" I witnessed several men die on Mt. Everest. Obviously they were cold enough to DIE! Cold enough to get sick enough to DIE! Ask the guys who froze to death on Mt. Everest if the cold makes you sick... eat that Mr. Asay.
Yes, yes, I heard from my history teacher that the cold weakens your immune system.
Also - when I was little I wanted to stay home from school so I slept with my feet out from under the covers and I woke up completely sick. Believe it.
Let's abolish cold weather. I hope you're improving steadily.
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