New Video Busts 4 Common Myths About Catching Cold In Cold Weather

BUSTED: 4 Common Myths About Catching Cold In Cold Weather

Does exposure to cold weather really make you more likely to catch a cold?

No, it doesn't. In fact, as a new YouTube video entitled Cold Weather Myths explains, research suggests just the opposite: frigid temps lower the risk of catching cold by stimulating the body's production of infection-fighting immune cells known as granulocytes.

And you know how they say being wet in the cold, or failing to bundle up, can make you sick? According to the video, part of the "Healthcare Triage" series, those too are just myths.

The persistence of folk wisdom linking the common cold virus and winter is nothing to sneeze at. According to one survey cited in the 2012 book "Because I Said So!," 38 percent of Americans believe being out in cold weather can make you sick.

Needless to say, the debate over how we catch colds probably isn't going to end soon. But whether or not you put on your overcoat, one of the few indisputable facts about the common cold is that many of us will catch one. According to Harvard Medical School, Americans endure a billion colds annually.

Achoo to that!

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