Why This Year's Weather Is Literally Making You Sick
(CBS4) -Warm day, cold day. Dry day, snow day. Calm day, windy day.
Which translates to: Healthy day, sick day.
It sure has been a weird season -- a little more than the usual springtime in the Rockies, and for a lot of folks, it seems like the calendar is bringing a parade of illnesses.
I've been seeing a lot of people who are wondering why they just can't seem to shake a bug out of their systems, or why they seem to be getting one cold after another.
Are all of the unusual weather changes making your immune system a little off-kilter?
You bet. We see the phenomenon every year … but this year, it's worse than I can remember.
Seems like the weather just can't make up its mind, and our health is paying the price.
Here's why:
We know that weather changes stress the immune system. And the more changes, the more stress, and our infection fighting cells aren't in peak fighting shape.
We also know that changes in the weather will alter the way our nasal passageways, throats, and airways adjust to the conditions of the day. And if each day brings a different recipe of weather conditions, the lining of those passageways just can't settle down and stabilize out, making them less able to fight off a virus or other germ.
Then there is the late influenza system and the usual on-time cold season (cold viruses such as rhinovirus or coronavirus are most common in the spring and fall). So we are being hit with a double whammy of circulating bugs.
And of course you've got to take into account the current allergy season. It's also a weird one. The year's winter brought an early and abundant bloom of trees -- now those trees are going back and forth with a stop/start cycle with the production of pollen. If you've got allergies, hold on tight.
Then certainly there is the litany of everyday aches and pains that normally take place with changes in temperature, humidity, wind and barometric pressure: things such as migraines, angry arthritic joints and mood swings.
So yes, this past month or so hasn't been exactly immune system friendly.
All you can do is your best: get your rest. Drink those fluids. Stay away from fatty foods (which make the immune system sluggish). Get a little exercise when you can. And keep the stress low (which I'm sure is a statement that will make you laugh since we all know that's just so easy to do—but hey, laughter is immune friendly). And take your vitamins if you think they are going to help. Meditate. Whatever works for you.
Then accept the fact that it take a couple of weeks for your immune system to get its sea legs after an illness -- so you will be prone to whatever is out there for a while even after you get better. Be patient.
Then forgive the weather folks -- they only give us the forecast, they don't manufacture the weather … or the misery.
Dr. Dave Hnida is CBS4's Medical Editor. He blogs about the latest studies and trends in the health world. Read his latest blog entries, check out his bio or follow him on Twitter @drdavehnida
