HeaLth Investigation: What is the root cause of the cold? “The answer may surprise you”.


Coughing, sneezing, runny nose, sore throat, loss of appetite. Does this sound familiar? Every winter like clock work, people are inundated with these symptoms. Your grandmother’s grandmother may have  attributed these collection of symptoms to evil spirits or catching a cold, but since the 1950s many have adopted a more sophisticated view attributing these common symptoms to the rhinovirus, a mysterious virus invisible to the naked eye, which lies in waiting and ambushes people when they are vulnerable. But is catching a cold, which really means becoming sick due to exposure to the cold be so farfetched?  Recent evidence suggests that grandma may have been right after all. How, so?


A study done by BMC journal that was looking at how air conditioning contributed to poor health outcomes noted that when indoor exposure occurs quickly and without any gradual adaptation to a temperature 2°–3° lower than the external temperature and especially with a 5° difference with humidity between 40 and 60%, there is a risk of negative consequences. These consequences were greatly exacerbated in people who have chronic respiratory symptoms or disease such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)  within a few hours or may be as long as a few days. 


This phenomenon was observed in warmer climates too, when people exchanged a warm hot environment for one indoors regulated by air conditioning. Sick building syndrome anyone? Have you ever gone to the movie theater and soon after felt sick? The temperature in those environments are usually kept at times unbearably cold. You probably noticed it but attributed it to the popcorn, hotdogs and soda which may also be a contributing factor. However, those who are less indulgent might recognize this pattern leading to dysfunction.

 

What is the mechanism causing these cold symptoms? 

The airway surface liquid (ASL) is a thin layer of fluid. The volume, pH, ionic and nutrient content of the ASL are all important in regulating antimicrobial activity, ciliary function and mucociliary transport. Antimicrobial factors found within the ASL are part of your body's first line of defence mechanisms that protect the airway from inhaled dysbiotic pathogens and toxins.

However, the ASL sensitivity to cold causes activation of the epithelium to generate proinflammatory substances leading to epithelial injury, exposing the peripheral nerves leading to powerful vasodilation. This may cause breathing that is labored, contributing to cold symptoms that usually come with a cough. The body tries to correct this disruption to its environment by producing prostaglandin in response to the cells being damaged, causing vasoconstriction and vasodilation. To correct the imbalance of restricted blood flow, mast cells which produce histamine are activated thereby, increasing mucus and phlegm production. 

How can you avoid catching the old? 

 5 Things that you can do to avoid or to reduce cold symptoms.

  1. Drink clean water. Your body is made up of 70-80 percent water. It is essential for the body to function. However, avoiding water free of contaminants such as BPA, arsenic, and heavy metals  is essential for the body to thrive. Avoid plastic water bottles which are not only bad for the environment but also bad for your health since they are known to contain microplastics and heavy metals. Drink filtered water instead.

  2. Eat low histamine food. If your body is inflamed why pour more fuel on the fire. Eat gluten free, cruciferous vegetables, okra, sweet potato. Limit beef, fish, processed meats.

  3. Wear layers. It is better to be too warm than too cold then taking layers off as you begin to you warm up.

  4. Cover face, nose, throat and eyes as much as possible.

  5. Increase vitamin c, d3, zinc and quercetin during cold season

 

References:  

  1. https://ctajournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13601-018-0208-9

  2. https://thorax.bmj.com/content/71/3/284

  3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25813067/

  4. https://www.cdc.gov/features/rhinoviruses/index.html

  5. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0003426613000772?via%3Dihub

  6. https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/9/11/1211

  7. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20067648/

  8. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22222917/

  9. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0223523418305440?via%3Dihub

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