Winter Colds

[Puffy]

It seems that quite often I read a post from someone who has a cold,and can't smoke for about a week.Before I retired and moved back to Carolina I lived in Michigan for fourty years.The last twenty three of those years I smoked pipes.As I remember every one of those winters I had a cold,and couldn't smoke for a week.Over those years that added up to six months lost smoking time.Since I moved to a warm climate fifteen years ago I've only had one,or two colds.This makes me wonder..Do people who live in cold climates have more colds than those who don't? Any Opinions?

 

[shootist51]

People who live in enclosed environments have more colds than those who live where it is warm enough to have year round fresh air :lol!:

 

[MartinH]

I'm not sure, but I can tell you that I've changed jobs and that has changed the amount of colds I've had. Maybe the retirement thing is a big factor. I used to have a job where I interacted with the great unwashed masses, the public, all the time. I had a cold almost every other week or so. In the winter, I almost had a perpetual cold that always turned into the flu and one time, even pneumonia.

Prior to retirement, did you work in an office with a lot of people?

I now have a private office and deal with the public only on occasion, and have only had two colds in the last 12 months.

Martin

 

[Natch]

My wife, a nurse at the health clinic of a major hospital (she takes care of the several thousand doctors, nurses and workers) swears that cold weather in and of itself does not promote colds (sorry, Grandma, but not waring your hat in winter or getting chilled will not give me the cold!). It's the enclosed environment, air and objects touched by others that spreads the germs.

Natch

 

[CLRV]

+1 for Natch's post.

I grew up in a medical family, dad, mom, grandparents, aunts and uncles, all docs and nurses. As a result I was exposed to about every variation of every pathogenic uggity that showed up in Wilmington DE and Philadelphia PA. I was sick with colds a fair amount as a kid, whether flu or whatever.

Then at a certain point I just stopped getting sick. Ever. I think the last time I was seriously under the weather was from food poisoning 6 years ago. I was a medic myself, prior to law school, and didn't get sick then either. Same with my family; I think Dad has had 3 sick days in the past 28 years. Granted, when the super virus hits, I'm sure I'll be taken down.

But yeah, cold weather has nothing to do with it. At least not from what people would normally think. There are some theories that trying to stay warm in some cases may compromise the immune system in some minor way, but eh. It's the indoors, running a vent system for months, bundling, etc. It allows the bugs and viruses a much easier transmission/incubation process.