1. You Catch A Cold From Cold
Just as it has become generally known to the public that the common cold can't be caught from going out in the cold, it looks like we're going to have to mythbust this bit of trivia all over again. As enlightened grown ups, we're all aware that a stinking cold is caused by rhinovirus. However, "catching a chill" could also be a factor as to the severity of your symptoms. It is thought that a lot of people, around 1 in 5, can be carrying the cold virus at any one time
without presenting any symptoms. This is thanks to your immune system keeping the low-level infection in check. However, lowering the body temperature can bring the symptoms out for a number of reasons. The first factor is that rhinovirus tends to flourish at temperatures that are just cooler than body temperature and, as the virus tends to incubate in the nasal passages, just breathing in cold air could create the perfect conditions to boost the rate of replication. Secondly, the immune system is actually less effective at lower temperatures. A reduction in temperature from 36 to 32°C can seriously dampen the immune response and allow the virus to take over. So, whilst it's true that you won't
catch a cold by not wrapping up warm, you may cause the one you already have to show its true colours. Time to rock the wooly hat look.
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