Killer A/C

Eleventy-three people have now told me that I am sick because of the A/C. While politely listening to this sage pronouncement I inwardly geck. This diagnosis is always made with firm conviction as if sincerity alone makes it true.
Not.
One is likely to get cold, but catch a cold? Not unless some germ laden friend snotted or sneezed all over me while we were standing in the hurricane A/C at Avenues Mall.
This little pet peeve led me to think about Snopes.com and the whole urban legend thing. (Check out their great list of medical rumors - "Bananas carry flesh eating disease!" - hilarious) Illness comes from pathogens. It does not come from just being cold. Granted, being cold or chilled may lead to hypothermia, which medically qualifies as an illness, but warm up that frozen body and voile! everything works again.

Mutating rhinovirus - courtesy University of Maryland

According to WebMD, the common cold is caused by one of over 200 different viruses, the most common being rhinovirus (and all its mutant progeny) and coronavirus (and all its mutant progeny). One can get serial colds because the virus has 110 variants, all of which are different enough that one's immunity provided by a recent cold is useless against the latest version of the virus being passed around. Furthermore, the causes of 30% to 50% of adult colds, presumed to be viral, remain unidentified. Air conditioning has been ruled out. Well, simple A/C has been ruled out. Just blowing cold air on someone's head will not cause a cold. (It will cause muscles spasms in the scalp and neck, leading to excruciating headaches and severe muscle pain, but that's a whole other deal.)
The old wives' tales passed on from generation to generation say colds are caused by going out without your coat on; not wearing mittens or a scarf outside; going out without a hat; going out with wet hair; not wearing socks in the winter; going swimming after Labor Day; winter camping; not wearing longjohns; standing in the rain; getting wet feet; the list is almost endless. It actually appears to be a litany of ubiquitous rules created by mothers to control recalcitrant children.
The tenuous link between A/C and any kind of illness is the fact that forced air, whether hot or cold, dries out the mucous membranes of the mouth and nose, making them more susceptible to injury allowing an airborne virus to enter the body. Ergo, sniffling, sneezing, and inconvenient snotting.
Have I mentioned how much I hate being sick? I also hate being cold, so my very own HandyMan has blocked off the A/C vents just above my head. This has resulted in a warmer office, no more headaches, and a much nicer work environment.