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This is interesting, because a few mornings ago (before the rootbeer float
story) I got up too early, it was cold, I was in stocking feet, and I cleaned
the kitchen. I got some water on the floor, walked in it, and started really
feeling and thinking about whether it was worth risking waking Keith up to get
shoes out of the bedroom. And while I was thinking about it, I was thinking
that even if a virus is "all" that causes colds, other factors are diet and
lack-of-stress, and certainly if keeping warm will fight off germs or virus
after a person's sick, keeping cold will say "come on in and get me." I must've
been channeling Welsh researchers. <bwg>



-=-Maybe Mom was right. Scientists at the Common Cold Centre in Cardiff,
Wales, said this week there might truly be a link between chills and
colds--something docs have long denied.

-=-The Centre's coldly calculating scientists gathered 180 volunteers and
asked half to soak their feet in ice-cold water for 20 minutes. Within five days,
13 of the chilly foot bathers reported cold symptoms, versus just 5 of the
more sensible people. Centre director Ronald Eccles said, "Many people are
mildly infected but show no symptoms." Perhaps "if they become chilled, this causes
a pronounced constriction of the blood vessels in the nose and shuts off the
warm blood that supplies the white cells that fight infection." -=-

That's from a subscription news thing called "knowledge news" but here's an
article on the same research:

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20051114/cold_warm_nose_051114/20051114?hub=Health

Sandra


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Ren Allen

"=-Maybe Mom was right. Scientists at the Common Cold Centre in Cardiff,
Wales, said this week there might truly be a link between chills and
colds--something docs have long denied."

Too funny! I always told the kids that getting cold in and of itself
couldn't make you sick, but it might lower your immune system so
getting really warm wouldn't hurt if you're starting to feel down.

I got really, terribly sick one time, after taking a dip in the
Pacific Ocean of the coast of Oregon. It was a gorgeous sunny day, and
it looked SO inviting. ugh. Froze my butt off and spent the entire
week very sick.

Ren