Last year we worried about the possible extinction of winter due to greenhouse gas effects. To everybody's surprise, this year's cold weather has lasted especially long. When I was a schoolboy, every time the weather turned cold, my mother would nag me to put enough clothes on before I went to school. However, like every other young boy, I wanted to brag about my fortitude and to never give in to the cold. Anyway, I hated bulky clothes that would make me look silly among my schoolmates. So I turned a deaf ear to my mum’s nagging.

And the result would always be a cold.

Actually, I find that many people think that feeling cold is the direct cause of catching influenza or a cold. The real reason is rather the invasion of bacteria or pathogens. Coldness weakens our body's defences and the pathogens in the environment around us often take this opportunity to invade us through our nostrils and throats. As a result, our body responds to that with symptoms like sneezing, runny nose, sore throat, coarse voice, coughs, the production of phlegm or even a fever.

However, the best solution is not necessarily to wear a lot of clothes. I was playing with my friend's son the other day, and found that he was wearing seven or eight layers. I was afraid that he would get sick from overheating. All in all, being too hot or too cold, or a drastic change in body temperature, is no good for our health.

By Dr Singsit

*Translation from Chinese article.