[kruffalon]

I got some kind of summer flu the other day. It always catches me by surprise that you can get "a cold" in summer.

Oh, well, I don't really mind, it is one of the few times I rest and don't keep chipping away at my todo-list.

It sucks too though, because I also had plans with friends and it's harder to make new plans since many of my friends are teachers and start working soon, around the 20th.

[_w1tm]

> It always catches me by surprise that you can get "a cold" in summer.

Despite the name you don’t get sick from cold weather but from viruses that make you sick. During cold season we stay indoors more which increases our likelihood of being exposed to other people that are sick.

[Anon4Now]

It's a phrase coined by Shakespeare in his play Cymbeline. As far as I know, it never had a basis in science but was a common belief.

During the Cold War, with the possibility of fighting in the USSR, the US Army conducted experiments with soldiers doing extended bivouacs outside in cold weather to see whether there was increased likelihood of sickness. They couldn't find any evidence that it did.

[2b3a51]

Plus one of the joys of teaching is the September two day cold. You suddenly encounter all of those nice new variants of the common cold virus.

I mention this as the grandparent comment talks about friends in teaching.

[kruffalon]

Well, I also got mine from someone working at summer camp :)

[watwut]

Your immune system underperforms when the body temperature goes down. It is not contact with people, the weather affects your immune system too.

> During cold season we stay indoors more which increases our likelihood of being exposed to other people that are sick.

For most people this is not really true nowdays. We work in the same offices and use the same kind of transport when going to the office. We shop in the same stores.

The seasonal lifestyle change is fairly miniscule.

[mathgeek]

> It is not contact with people, the weather affects your immune system too.

Did you mean not _just_ contact with people? Many folks who isolated during covid saw a reduction in illnesses regardless of season.

[watwut]

Yeah, I meant just.

[ajuc]

There's new research that infrared radiation (mostly experienced when it's sunny and you're outside) helps mitochondrial function and boosts the immune system.

So there's at least 4 mechanisms:

- warmer = less likely to catch a cold

- more time outside = more UV which kills pathogens

- more time outside = less time spent exchanging pathogens with other people

- more time outside = more infrared radiation which boosts the immune system

[kruffalon]

Hmm, that's interesting, I thought the causality is that when you're cold your body is busy generating heat so is worse at fighting of infections.

[taneq]

I think it’s more just that you’re inside a lot with other people, easing transmission.

[type0]

that and less humidity in the indoor air, sedentary work doesn't help either, less blood-flow and it's harder for lymphocytes to fight off infections

[Thorrez]

Is this comment related to the article? Is this comment an off topic comment, to realize the goal of the article of having off topic conversations?

[kruffalon]

Yes, I thought it would be slightly cute to just comment something OT.

Especially since I'm home with the flu ;)

[gopher_space]

This might help. Or it might not.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_the_SubGenius

Calling their IRC-but-we-own-everything setup Slack has always amused and infuriated me in equal measure.

[Thorrez]

It doesn't help. I don't see how that's related to either the article or the comment.

Except of course that this Wikipedia article is off topic from other discussion, and thus fits with the article's theme of off topic discussion.

[kruffalon]

This is very good, did you know about it already of just searched for slack on wikipedia?

Nice little rabbit hole to keep me occupied for a few days, thx <3

[baxtr]

Sad to hear but curious to know: before you got the flu, did you expose yourself to sunlight?

There are more and more studies showing how light helps our immune system.

[kruffalon]

Yes, outside everyday, summer is my season.

Although I prefer not being in direct sunlight I'm still in sunlight every day.

Interesting how sunlight is helpful, do you know/think it is the light in itself, vitamin D, both or something else?

My mistake, which in hindsight is obvious: I spent 3 days with a person at the end of their flu :)

Still worth!

[b112]

Not many people know this, only myself and a few of my clan, but reflected photons are actually no longer quantumly entwined with the sun, bouncing off of normal matter de-entangles them.

Thus they become robbed of their primary source of rejuvenating power!

We've been working on a device to try to force re-entanglement for centuries. Once done, we will be able to get the proper nutrition fed to us by the sun at all times.

Bob, our thirdmost clan member, has done some work with a non-portable device. He provides, for a small subscription fee, bottled water infused with re-tangled photons. We can ship this to you worldwide, but you need to act fast as they're trying to stop us, and ewW)@# <NOCARRIER>

[blooalien]

Futurama Fry: take-my-money.gif

[type0]

stop entangling peoples brains

[kruffalon]

Where do I order?!?!?

[baxtr]

I am no expert myself but it as far as I understand morning or late-afternoon sunlight’s red and near-infrared light boosts mitochondria and thus supports immunity.

[kruffalon]

Wow, that's really interesting, thx!

[type0]

my mitochondria don't agree with your mitochondria