HEALTH & WELLNESS
WINTER WELLNESS MYTHS SEPARATING FACT FROM FICTION By Melanie Carden
inter wellness. It’s more than embracing your great-grandmother’s fervent wisdom. In the age of information-access and self-advocacy, you are empowered to elevate your wintertime well-being. Staying active is always a priority—even when there’s a chill in the air. But you also want to avoid the colds and flu the season is notorious for and enjoy the delights—snowy nights, cozy frocks, and warming cocktails. But are those cocktails actually “warming” you up? There is an endless list of winter-isms we often swear by—but which are myth versus scientific certainties?
COLD AIR MAKES YOU SICK We all know the scene in the movie A Christmas Story. The mom bundles up the little boy in an absurd ensemble of anti-shiver attire—so thick the poor kid can’t bend his scrawny, bird-like arms. Though it’s certainly important to stay warm, cold air—on its own—does not make you sick. In fact, the cells that fend off infection are more active in cold weather, according to Dr. Rachel C. Vreeman, coauthor of several health-myths themed books. Many in the medical community suggest the cause of those pesky winter colds is not the frosty air itself but the reduced humidity, which compromises the mucus membranes. Other scientists propose an even simpler explanation: we’re indoors more and in closer proximity to one another, which hastens the virus’s spread. So, bundle up, get outside for your winter walks to boost those infection-fighting cells, and…wash your hands often.
BODY HEAT IS LOST THROUGH YOUR HEAD An old wives’ tale? Nope, we can credit a 1950 military study for this evergreen advice. The accuracy of these findings has since been called into question. The study sent volunteers to the Arctic— dressed in top-of-the-line survival gear…everything except for hats. No hats, folks. The heat had nowhere to go—but up and out. Similarly, if you head outside in frigid winter conditions dressed head to toe in warm clothes—except gloves—well, you’ll lose most of your body heat through your hands. A poorly designed study that has become the cold weather rally cry of our loving mothers and grandmas is not without merit, though. We don’t need a military smarty-pants or a chicken soup-making matriarch to embrace common sense: if you want to be warm this winter—dress appropriately.
DRINKING ALCOHOL WARMS YOU UP Hot buttered rum, mulled wine, and whirls of whiskey in our coffee! Yes! to warming winter cocktails, right? But alas, alcohol is up to its old tricks again. It certainly makes you feel all warm and toasty, but only because it makes the blood rush to the skin’s surface—and away from the vital organs. Your core body temperature drops as a result. What’s more, the tasty trickster prevents you from shivering—so you perceive this as “being warmer.” Unfortunately, shivering is your body’s way of generating additional heat—ultimately making you scientifically colder. You might be able to sip-away your shivers, but for genuine warmth, stick to sweaters and scarves! 56 | OUR CITY, YOUR LIFE | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020
