PEORIA, Ill. — Growing up, your mom probably insisted that you put on your coat and hat to avoid catching a cold.
But, is the old adage really true?
Dr. Doug Kasper, Infectious Disease Specialist with OSF HealthCare, told WMBD News that’s not exactly true. You still have to be exposed to the agent.
“If you’re exposed to cold for a long period or if you have extreme periods of stress, what those function into is the third component, which is the immune system,” Kasper said.
The reason more people appear to get sick in the winter, Kasper said, is because most of us are putting stress on our immune systems by not getting enough sleep, not getting enough activity or eating right.
If your immunity is compromised, then you get sick, Kasper said.
Stressful situations, like having children out of school and managing duties between work and home schooling, add to the chance you’ll come down with something.
“Then adding in a snow or ice storm, you can see that these things for all of us are just stress upon stress,” Kasper said.
Here’s the full interview with Dr. Doug Kasper.
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