UGH So who else believe's being in AC make's you sick

[TraciG]

I can't stand when people think you get sick from being out in the cold air or sleeping in the air conditioning !

My DS has a fever so my MIL asked DH if he slept with the AC on last night & I was talking to my SIL & she started to bring it up but the connection was bad & we got cut off.


So who else believes this because I don't it's GERMS that make you sick !!!

[cairo06]

Well over here they do a lot. Probrably because there aren't too many ACs around. What is very annoying is that it has to be practically 100 degrees for people not to mention to you that your child should have a hat (covering ears) on. The wind/cold ears could cause an ear infection! And when we actually have warm weather the old people always stare at my baby's bare feet in the stroller and often mention it. Its really annoying - somtimes I overdress the kids just to avoid all the comments. Oh, and did I mention about the drafts. God, forbid you are sitting in front of an open window or door.

[JillPill]

Well, air conditioning CAN make you sick if there's mold in it -- whether a "window" unit or central air. If you and/or your children are getting sick, you may want to have your AC checked out/cleaned out. Some people are more allergic to it than others, so it affects them more.

[TraciG]

So you can get sick from mold but just a regular fever is not from the AC or being to cold .

[bubbaray]

Hmmm, I actually do think that AC can make you sick. There is the mold factor, plus they use chemicals of some sort to make the air cold. Not freon, but something else. I also think not letting your body adapt to temperature variations just isn't the best thing. Of course, I have the luxury of saying that b/c I live in a very temperate climate (north of Seattle). If I lived in the South where it is super hot and humid, I'd probably just give in and get AC.

Most of our neighbors have central air and we've chosen not to have it, even though we have floor to ceiling west facing windows and skylights all along the rear of our house (can you say greenhouse?). It gets really hot, but we prefer to open windows and use fans instead.

Maybe there is nothing to my fears. Dunno.

[LBW]

My mother, who is an RN by the way, believes that you can get sick from a.) going outside without a coat on when it's below 60 degrees, b.) being in a cool house without a sweater on, c.) not wearing socks, and d.) not drying your hair. She also used to tell me all the time that I would go blind from reading in poor light (ie., everywhere in my house growing up sundown).

If you maintain your AC, change its filter, and open windows whenever possible to let in fresh air, there is NO reason why the AC should make you sick. The air quality was so poor last week in the NE, and it was so hot, that I think we were much better off inside with the AC on than we would have been outside. I know being outside affected MY breathing - I have asthma.

[TraciG]

I vacuum the filter.

Interesting replies , keep them coming !

[citymama]

The New York Times Science section had a piece on this a couple of years ago that I clipped to save but can no longer find. It was a "Fact or Myth?" type piece - "can going out in the cold give you a cold?" I assumed they were going to dispel this myth, but in fact, they said it could. As you say, it's germs that give you a cold, not AC or weather. But - being in chilly climate can temporarily weaken the immune system/make you more prone to succumbing to those germs you are being exposed to.

Aha, I just found it in the NYT archives:

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/22/health/22real.html?scp=70&sq=germs%20cold&st=cse

[Melaine]

My grandfather was a Dr. and always said that over-heating was much more dangerous than being a little chilly.

[cellenly]

We live in full blown AC about 7 mo out of the year and maybe about 2 more months w/ low AC, and I've noticed that if we accidently keep the AC on a little colder than normal, DD has occassionly waken up the next day and had a runny nose that surfaced around mid morning. This last time, I then got sick the next day, then DS got sick.

I was also going to mention that study PP mentioned in the NYT. I think that's what I notice going on in my home.

My theory is that it's more about the temperature change from what we're used to vs the actual temperature. We've had periods where we kept the temperature a bit cooler on average and a bit warmer on average, and I think it's not about the temperature as much as the relative change.

but ya know, it's all a working theory for me. i can't prove it, and I may be biased b/c I may have bought into that study the PP mentioned.

[mamicka]

The New York Times Science section had a piece on this a couple of years ago that I clipped to save but can no longer find. It was a "Fact or Myth?" type piece - "can going out in the cold give you a cold?" I assumed they were going to dispel this myth, but in fact, they said it could. As you say, it's germs that give you a cold, not AC or weather. But - being in chilly climate can temporarily weaken the immune system/make you more prone to succumbing to those germs you are being exposed to.

Aha, I just found it in the NYT archives:

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/22/health/22real.html?scp=70&sq=germs%20cold&st=cse

Yup - this is something I think happens. I don't necessarily think it makes you sick sometimes, but it can give you a runny nose which is just in response to the cold temperature & has nothing to do with germs. My allergist & ped have confirmed it - some kind of rhinitis.

[cairo06]

Then you have the Scandinavians that sit in their saunas and then jump in the snow or frozen lake, to toughen up their immune system. Go figure.

I lived in FL most of my life with the AC running almost all year long and had the normal amount of colds. Now I live in a climate that requires heating for a large part of the year, dress warmly and always wear warm socks and am sick pretty darn often. Maybe we need a sauna and a lake.