Does the cold cause colds?
Mom always warned you that you’d catch a cold if you stayed out in wintry weather too long or returned from sweat-filled playtime outdoors to a chilly, air-conditioned house. But are those old adages true? Not really, says Dr. Jane Siegel, infectious disease specialist at UT Southwestern Medical Center. “If you’re going out in the cold and having close contact with a lot of people who are sneezing and coughing, then it is the contact with the sick people that might cause you to contract the flu, but not simply going out in the cold,” Dr. Siegel says. A great way to avoid getting a cold or the flu is avoiding tightly packed crowds of people, she adds. “The 3-foot-rule is a good rule. It’s less likely that you’ll get the flu virus if you stay three feet away from people, allowing you to avoid catching germs from coughs and sneezes,” Dr. Siegel says. Dr. Siegel has other tips to prevent getting sick during winter: • Clean your hands often with soap and water or with a waterless antiseptic
