It’s getting cold. In Malaysia at least with the rainy season upon us yet again. So I ask myself, can the cold give you a cold?

Well apparently, the association of cold weather and catching a cold is an age old myth. Just like people used to associate the bad air around swamps to malaria. So does the colder weather give you a cold?

According to a study conducted by Dr Belilovsky and the Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, the cold weather actually acts as a stimulus for the immune system to rev itself up. They claim that, “...Researchers examined the immunological responses to cold exposure and found that acute cold exposure, such as going outside without a jacket, actually appears to activate the immune system...". They went on to explain that this happens as a natural response by our body to increase its levels of norepinephrine (a decongestant) in the blood stream.

Having said so, no one is suggesting stepping outside without a jacket for an immunity booster. The real cause of colds (among other things) is hypothermia which is the lowering of the body’s core temperature.

However, when it’s cold, vasoconstriction may occur. That is when the blood vessels close to the outside world get tighter. Areas such as the nose may be affected in that it compromises the nose’s ability to filter the air we inhale.

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