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Having an Illness-Free Holiday

© Neal Rolfe Chamberlain

Happy Holidays! The Christmas season is upon us! This time of the year we usually get some snow and the daily temperatures plummet. You are probably starting to wonder why I am talking about snow and cold temperatures. The cold and snow has little to do with with microbiology. However, during the winter months people do get sick more often.

The cold and snow in and of themselves do not make people sick. Studies have shown that you are not more likely to get sick if you forget to wear a coat during a cold winter day. You are however, more likely to freeze to death. People do get sick more in the winter and that can be confusing.

We oftentimes confuse associations as being causes of illness. For example everyone that has consumed bread 150 years ago has died. Therefore eating bread is deadly. We all know that eating normal amounts of bread is not life-threatening however death can be associated with bread eating. The cold and illness are associated because illness is more common during the cold winter months. Cold temperature in and of itself does NOT make you sick.

Microorganisms cause us to become sick. We don't get microorganisms from cold temperatures, we get them from each other, our pets and our environment. People get sick more often in the winter because we stay indoors with other people for longer time periods. By closing up our homes to keep out the cold, we keep in the warmth and those nasty microorganisms.

To lessen your likelihood of getting sick, go outside more. Avoid large groups of people. Wash your hands frequently. One handy thing to carry with you is a hand sanitizer solution. Using that often during public gatherings could protect you from other people's microbes. I know those solutions are easier said than done, especially at this time of year but, an once of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

This week I don't have any interesting microbiology sites appropriate for the topic. However, I found a neat Christmas site you may be interested in viewing called Christmas on the Net. Something about this time of year really distracts me. I guess it is because I love Christmas.

Take Care and Think Microbiologically! For more microbiology articles go to Suite101:Microbiology.

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