KNOWLEDGE YOU CAN USE

KNOWLEDGE YOU CAN USE
Facts or fallacies?: How best to avoid getting sick

Question 26.8

Q: Can I catch a cold from going out with wet hair in the winter? No. Your grandmother was wrong about this one! To catch a cold, you must be infected with a pathogen (such as a rhinovirus) that causes the common cold. Colds do tend to be more common in colder weather, because the viruses are more stable in colder air with low humidity. And droplets of water and virus (such as those that escape when we sneeze and cough) remain airborne slightly longer in dry air than in humid summer air. Also, because people are indoors more often during winter, the increased population in confined quarters increases the incidence and ease of transmission. So, while the virus is affected by the colder weather, your immune system is not. Dry your hair before you leave the house if you don’t want icicles in it, but not as a strategy for combating the common cold.

Question 26.9

Q: Can I catch a cold because I am not sleeping enough? This gets an emphatic yes! In randomized, controlled studies in which individuals were given nasal drops containing rhinovirus, individuals getting less sleep were significantly more likely to develop colds than those sleeping 7 hours or more. And simply resting in bed or having an interrupted night’s sleep doesn’t count. Seven hours or more of good-quality sleep seems to be important to the immune system, particularly for the production and functioning of cytokines. Interestingly, there is also evidence that individuals who sleep 7–8 hours a night have the lowest rates of heart disease. Although eating well and exercising are most often associated with good health, sleep, too, is important, and neglecting it can increase your vulnerability to illness.

Question 26.10

Q: Can drinking herbal teas, eating chicken soup, or taking the product Airborne help me ward off the common cold? Herbal teas and chicken soup? Not exactly. There are some symptom-reducing benefits of hot fluids, including keeping nasal passages moist, preventing dehydration, and soothing a sore throat. And one study showed that chicken soup with vegetables seemed to have an anti-inflammatory effect. But while these effects can make an infection less unpleasant by reducing the symptoms, they don’t decrease the likelihood of catching a cold or shorten its duration. Airborne? Remember the very first section of the first chapter of this book? There is not a shred of evidence that Airborne can ward off colds or boost your immune system.

1075