5 Common Myths About the Common Cold

At some point during the year almost every person will have at least one run-in with the common cold. The common cold is so, well...common, that everybody has endured it and therefore everybody thinks they know everything there is about it. The truth is that many of these beliefs about the common cold are nothing more than myths.

One common myth about the common cold is that colds are most often going to occur in the winter. After all, it is cold in the winter and it is called a "cold". Naturally we would think that colds happen in the cold. The opposite is true. The common cold is most active during the spring and fall seasons. This is true because believe it or not the common cold has nothing to do with the temperature outside.

Another common myth about the common cold is that you can catch the common cold if the temperature in your body drops. Has your mother ever warned you not to go outside with wet hair because you'll catch a cold? Have you ever gotten out of the shower in the winter and it is freezing and are worried about catching a cold? Neither of these things will result in a cold. Just like the temperature outside doesn't matter, the temperature inside the body doesn't matter either. A common cold can only be caught by coming in contact with the cold no matter what the temperature is.

There is also a common myth about the common cold that it is possible to sweat out a cold. It is common knowledge that sweating washes out toxins in the body so naturally it would get rid of a cold right? Unfortunately this is not true. "Sweating it out" might make an ill person feel slightly better but will not cure the common cold.

Others have the common myth that that Vitamin C and zinc can cure the common cold. Those suffering from the common cold will load up on vitamins or orange juice or some other substance that is high in Vitamin C and zinc and think it is going to cure their cold. It's not a bad idea to take vitamins because it is good for general health, but it will not specifically cure the common cold.

The last common myth about common colds is that you can't kiss somebody with a cold. We are taught these days that germs are everywhere and passing these germs around will instantly make you sick. So naturally when a loved one is sick you don't want to get too close and catch it yourself. But don't worry, a common cold can not be caught by kissing a loved one on the mouth because there are not enough germs present. Now if you kissed your love one on the nostrils then that is different, but that's also really, really weird too.