Will you catch a cold if you go out with wet hair in cold weather? If you say no, you are correct. Colds and pneumonia are caused by infection. You do not pick up infections from cold weather, you get germs from other people who sneeze or cough in your face or transmit germs with their hands to objects that you touch.

So the question is whether chilling the body supresses your immunity so that germs that you can normally control suddenly become pathogens and make you sick. That question has been answered many times. Chilling does not hinder your immunity as long as you aren't so cold that your body defenses are destroyed. In 1958, a paper in the American Journal of Hygiene (Volume 68) reported that more than 400 volunteers were exposed to viruses that cause colds. Some were exposed to very cold temperatures while wearing heavy coats, some to 60 degree temperatures while wearing underwear, and some to a very warm 80 degrees. All had the same rate of infection. A 1968 paper in the New England Journal of Medicine followed inmates at a Texas prison who had the cold virus placed directly into their noses. They were then exposed to extreme temperatures, with varying amounts of clothing . Being cold or warm, being dressed or undressed, or having wet hair or dry hair had no effect on their infection rate. The crucial factor that determines whether you get a cold is exposure to the cold virus.

Gabe Mirkin, M.D.

Dr. Gabe Mirkin has been a radio talk show host for 25 years and practicing physician for more than 40 years; he is board certified in Sports Medicine and three other specialties.

Dr. Mirkin's daily features on fitness have been heard on CBS Radio News stations since the 1970's. He has written 16 books including The Sportsmedicine Book, the best-selling book on the subject that has been translated into many languages. His latest book is The Healthy Heart Miracle, published by HarperCollins.

Dr. Mirkin is a graduate of Harvard University and Baylor University College of Medicine. A Boston native, Dr. Mirkin did his residency at the Massachusetts General Hospital. He has served as a Teaching Fellow at Johns Hopkins Medical School, Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland, and Associate Clinical Professor in Pediatrics at the Georgetown University School of Medicine. He has run more than forty marathons and is now a serious tandem bicycle rider with his wife, nutritionist Diana Mirkin.

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