It just bugs me
This rant was inspired by the fact that my brother has kindly shared his newly acquired cold with me.
Dear world at large, and writers of fiction especially:
Contrary to popular belief, colds are not caused by exposure to cold weather or cold water. They are caused by viruses. Viruses are easily transmittable between people, and you cannot catch a cold unless a virus manages to enter your body (in case of the common cold, the viruses usually enter via the mouth). That is, by the way, the reason people are prone to getting fevers when they're running a cold - because the body senses that something alien has entered it, and is trying to kill the intruding little bugger by means of boiling it (fever is not a disease, but a bodily defense mechanism to deal with diseases).
Yes, you are more likely to catch a cold in winter. This, however, has nothing to do with the cold weather per se, but rather with how people tend to stay indoors more in wintertime than when it's warm outside, thus making them have a lot more contact with other people, which in turn makes it easier for viruses to spread from person to person.
It's true that you often end up with a runny nose when you go inside after having been out in the cold, but anyone who has ever experienced this should know that it's temporary and easily cured by blowing your nose once. In other words, this is simply a case of your nasal fluids tawing after having been exposed to cold, and is not a disease by a long shot. Being cold for a prolonged period of time can indeed weaken your body and your immune system, but unless there happens to be a virus nearby to benefit from your weakened state, you will end up with frostbite, hypothermia, or a case of freezing to death long before you catch a cold.
Dear world at large, and writers of fiction especially:
Contrary to popular belief, colds are not caused by exposure to cold weather or cold water. They are caused by viruses. Viruses are easily transmittable between people, and you cannot catch a cold unless a virus manages to enter your body (in case of the common cold, the viruses usually enter via the mouth). That is, by the way, the reason people are prone to getting fevers when they're running a cold - because the body senses that something alien has entered it, and is trying to kill the intruding little bugger by means of boiling it (fever is not a disease, but a bodily defense mechanism to deal with diseases).
Yes, you are more likely to catch a cold in winter. This, however, has nothing to do with the cold weather per se, but rather with how people tend to stay indoors more in wintertime than when it's warm outside, thus making them have a lot more contact with other people, which in turn makes it easier for viruses to spread from person to person.
It's true that you often end up with a runny nose when you go inside after having been out in the cold, but anyone who has ever experienced this should know that it's temporary and easily cured by blowing your nose once. In other words, this is simply a case of your nasal fluids tawing after having been exposed to cold, and is not a disease by a long shot. Being cold for a prolonged period of time can indeed weaken your body and your immune system, but unless there happens to be a virus nearby to benefit from your weakened state, you will end up with frostbite, hypothermia, or a case of freezing to death long before you catch a cold.