Everyday Myths 2

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Today we're clarifying some misconceptions we have about some things we often hear.

Some people get a cold and the flu at the same time and they sure don't have a good time, it's possible. This depends on the combination of viruses you have. If you got infected with 2 rhinoviruses, for example, you may not feel much of a difference since the symptoms are similar. But if you got infected with a flu virus, when you already had a cold, then you may feel the consecuences, since the symptoms are different and you may feel even worse. When the cold weather comes, people tends to be more locked up in their homes and in their offices because they have the air conditioning there. So they are more likely to get this type of virus. Now, it is not that the virus is spread by the cold, it is not due to the cold that we get sick. Yes, it can affect our immune system and, beacause of it, it can take us longer to recover, but we actually get sick from viruses. The cold itself affects but is not the cause of the disease.



What about other things to which cold is attributed, such as bone and joint pain? Who hasn't heard grandparents say: “Oh, weather getting cold. My bones will start to hurt”. How true is this? Well, there is nothing clear about it. Some studies say yes, others say no. Some researchers have proposed that a drop in barometric pressure, which is usually accompanied by a cooler and wetter climate, could allow the tissues in the joints to swell and put pressure on the nerves that control pain signals. But there are those who are skeptical about this. According to them, in conditions of extreme barometric pressure, going to the top of Everest or diving 50 meters bellow the water, you may feel joint pain. But small variations in barometric pressure, as a result of a change in weather, should not cause any pain. Otherwise, you would have joint pain simply by driving to the mountains in your area.

But then why so many people complaining that their bones and joints hurt during winter? Skeptics say this is because we are very susceptible. We usually remember the pain we feel during the cold season, but we don't pay much attention when we feel pain during the hot seasons. So these skeptics say that this cold-related pain is only in the mind.


Let's talk more about seasons. It is said sometimes that the poles have six months of with regular daylight and six months of darkness. Well no, this is not quite true.


In the North Pole the night lasts from October 9 to March 4, a bit less than 5 months. Then there is the sunset from March 5 to March 17 and the daylight from March 18 to September 26, a little over six months. Then the twilight appears from September 27 to October 8.



In the south pole the seasons get reversed and winter is a bit longer due to the shape of the earth's orbit. Then, in the South Pole the daylight lasts from September 19 to March 24, just over six months. Then you have the twilight from March 25 to April 5 and the night lasts from April 6 to September 7, just over 5 months. You finally have more twilight from September 8 until September 18.




The north pole and the south pole are not the only places where there are less than four seasons. Not all places experience the seasons in a similar way. However, no matter where you are, you will notice that certain things such as hours, weather and the environment change as one season flows to the next. The tropical areas close to the equator do not experience dramatic changes in the duration of the day or the temperature throughout the year. Instead they experience changes in rainfall rates and generally have wet and dry seasons. The wet season is defined by intense rapid storms at the end of the afternoon and a slight fall in the temperature. In tropical agricultural areas, farmers take advantage of the wet season to grow their crops and move to the cities during the dry season.
As you can see, defining winter is relevant according to where you live. If you live near the poles, winter is that freezing time, when the sun does not shine at all. If you live in the tropics. Well, you don't have winter.

Sources:

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