They found that those people whose feet they chilled for twenty minutes were significantly more likely to develop a cold over the next few days than those whose tootsies stayed warm and toasty. Chilling a person lowers immunity, explain the researchers. So if your child is already carrying a virus, his body will be less able to fight it off. And it’s not just cold feet, says Ronald Eccles, PhD, lead author on the study—wet hair and soggy clothes likely dampen immunity, too.
Read the April Ask Dr. Rubin column
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