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Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Sinusitis / February 2004How important is the climate?
I see so much mention of the climate and it's affect on the sinuses and the nose. My problems, like many of those on this NG, are non-existant until we catch a bug of some sort. A simple cold perhaps, a more violent infection perhaps but this is the starting point ---- it then attacks and attacks bad!!! Why is my entire office sick in the winter? Why is 50% of my son's class out sick in early December (OK, maybe a little exageratted). We know that the cold weather itself does not make somebody sick but what does make people more sick in the winter. Why is the cold & flu season Nov-March? Why is everyone, including me, much more healthy in the summer? I've heard that since we are indoors more in the winter there is less room for the germs to escape. The dry, irritating conditions of winter only make us more susceptible to germs. Is there any truth to this? Does anyone here live in Florida or Southern California? Are the germs as prevalent in these areas from Dec-March? I went to college in Mass. and remember sitting in large lecture halls where every 3 seconds somebody would cough, sneeze, blow their nose etc... Of course, it never really bothered me because if I caught a bug, I would drink some tea, rest and be over it within a few days. Now, I am so cognizant of every cough & sniffle and it is everywhere in the winter months. Because now, when I catch something -- it can literally be a life shattering event (and I know many on this group can relate). Why don't we all just move to a warmer climate? Will this help? > I see so much mention of the climate and it's affect on the sinuses > and the nose. [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > heard that since we are indoors more in the winter there is less room > for the germs to escape. It's simply that you are around sick people more closely in the winter because you're all huddled together indoors rather than taking walks and jogging out of doors. Many rhinovirus colds are transmitted on the hands; you pick up germs on your fingers and then you rub your nose or eyes and put the viruses in there. Shaking hands (something you do in an office environment) transmits the germs. I always wash my hands after shaking hands with anybody. Or the cold sufferer pushes the button on the elevator, then you push it, your hands are contaminated. A study I remember of people chosen at random in the wintertime showed that 60% of them had enough germs on their hands to give them colds. If someone is sneezing and coughing with a cold, I'm sure you know to keep your distance (4 feet). But there are two main ways you can get ambushed: 1. The cold sufferer took some cold remedies that relieved their symptoms so you don't know they have a cold and you get into close contact with him. 2. Colds are contagious even while you're incubating one (the incubation period is 36 hours give or take). So if someone in your office is incubating a cold, no symptoms yet, you won't know they've got a cold yet, you won't keep your distance and you'll catch their cold. These are some of the reasons why it's so easy to catch a cold without knowing from whom you caught it, that it's almost a random event. > The dry, irritating conditions of winter > only make us more susceptible to germs. Is there any truth to this? Those are two of the reasons. (Nasal irrigation will help keep the nose moist and that may help keep some germs out of the nose.) In the Southern Hemisphere, it's winter in July-August and that's when they have their cold/flu season. But there is one more reason: From September - May, kids are in school, spreading their germs amongst one another. So there are more colds in those months--even in warm places like Florida. In the Northeast, there is a spike in the incidence of colds that takes place in September. Because that's when kids go back to school after summer vacation. Airline passengers bring their germs with them too. Normally you wouldn't worry about catching the flu in August, right? Think again! Last August, I ran into someone who told me that she had just flown into Boston from South Africa, where they were having their cold/flu season because down there it's winter in August. She was incubating the flu that she had picked up in South Africa, the symptoms appeared after she got to Boston,`and now she had the flu and could spread it around Boston--in August. If you travel by air, you are exposing yourself to germs from passengers all over the world--to which you may have no resistance. > I went to college in Mass. and remember sitting in large lecture halls > where every 3 seconds somebody would cough, sneeze, blow their nose [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > Now, I am so cognizant of every cough & sniffle and it is everywhere > in the winter months. You and me both! what I cannot stand is when somebody near you coughs and doesn't even bother to cover their mouth! The last two colds I had, I caught because I took a direct hit from somebody who coughed right in my face--without covering their mouth. but a lot of colds are transmitted on the hands or by contaminated objects. NEVER touch your nose or eyes without thoroughly washing your hands first. If your eyes or nasal passages itch, resist the temptation to rub them until you've had a chance to wash your hands. In the supermarket, I once saw one of the workers there had a bad cold, and as she was putting the cans of vegetables on the shelf she was actually sneezing on them. Another time, the mechanic who repaired my car had a cold so he certainly contaminated the car. What to do? Here's how long cold viruses can survive on a surface: When infected snot is deposited on a surface, it starts to dry. Once it's dry, 95% of the viruses are dead. But you can still get a cold from the remaining 5%. What happens then is that the viruses go into a die-off mode in which their half-life (for average room humidity) is about 15 minutes. http://www.google.com/groups?q=mucin+group:alt.support.sinusitis+author:litvintc houk&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&scoring=d&selm=3E2F0DC3.4785DE24%40earthlink.ne t&rnum=1 That means that after 3-4 hours *after* the snot has thoroughly dried, so few viruses are still alive that your chance of catching a cold is very low. > Because now, when I catch something -- it can > literally be a life shattering event (and I know many on this group > can relate). > > Why don't we all just move to a warmer climate? Will this help? I know it would help me--and I've thought a lot about doing it. But it won't help people who are allergic to dust and molds. Because in warm moist areas like Florida, that can be a real problem. -- Steven L. Wow - it's a lot to think about. For the past 3 years I literally wash my hands any time I touch ANYTHING. It's getting ridiculous. I won't go anywhere near food unless my hands are thoroughly washed. My hands are dry, cracked and sometimes bleeding due to all the hand washing throughout the day --- crazy huh? If someone even looks the slightest bit unhealthy I stay clear across the room. I remember back in college or right after I don't think I'd ever wash my hands. I went to school in Mass. where everyone was sick. I would go to parties where everyone was coughing on everything and I'd grab slices of Pizza with filthy hands. I drank, I stayed up late, I ate like crap --- you know what the results were......I think I got sick once in 4 years. I remember I had a sore throat senior year and had no idea that we even had a doctor on campus. I remember my roommate gave me a Sudafed and I had no clue what it even was. I would take an advil or two for a hangover but that is the extent that I knew of medications. I would love to have that back!!! Here's one more question for you --- even though the cold & flu season is Nov-March everywhere in the United States, have there been any studies to show that it is worse in certain areas? I would just make an assumption that Wisconsin has more Dr.'s visits than southern FL or CA. Is there any truth to this at all? You made a good point about the school year but I am just so aware of all the illnesses around the tri-state area and am so curious if it is this bad in warmer climates. > Wow - it's a lot to think about. For the past 3 years I literally > wash my hands any time I touch ANYTHING. It's getting ridiculous. I > won't go anywhere near food unless my hands are thoroughly washed. My > hands are dry, cracked and sometimes bleeding due to all the hand > washing throughout the day --- crazy huh? Hmm. That sounds a bit excessive. It's real easy for someone like us who has to try hard to stay healthy to avoid becoming obsessive about it. I fell into that trap a few years ago myself. Remember that the germs on your hands can't get into your nose or eyes unless you put them there. So you really only have to wash if you plan to rub your nose or eyes. Also remember that it's very difficult for cold viruses to get from your mouth to your nose because they would have to "swim upstream" against the post nasal drip. I saw a study that showed that the concentration of viruses in your mouth would have to be ENORMOUS in order to catch a cold that way. I don't worry about putting food in my mouth. I only wash before touching my eyes and nose. > Here's one more question for you --- even though the cold & flu season > is Nov-March everywhere in the United States, have there been any [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > the school year but I am just so aware of all the illnesses around the > tri-state area and am so curious if it is this bad in warmer climates. I don't know. Dr. Grossan is in Los Angeles. Let's ask him! -- Steven L. > > Wow - it's a lot to think about. For the past 3 years I literally > > wash my hands any time I touch ANYTHING. It's getting ridiculous. I [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > cold that way. I don't worry about putting food in my mouth. I only > wash before touching my eyes and nose. Another excellent post. I always thought that viruses entered mostly through the mouth...therefore washing hands everytime I eat. This will save me a tremendous amount of hand washing :) How about bacteria? Does this function the same way? Or are we mainly concerned with viruses. For example, when we get sick do we always get sick with a virus which then may turn into a bacterial infection (i.e. sinusitis) once the cilia/membranes are damaged and non-functioning? Or do we get sick with a bacteria right from the start. I remember hearing that the vast majority (90% +) of illnesses are viral. It's only when the virus damages the membrane/cilia can it potentially turn into a bacterial infection (breeding ground in sinuses for bacteria). Does that sound accurate? |
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