Thoughts on moving out of cold country

[girish84.kamble]

Hello,

Any advice moving out of cold weather country to warm weather country is good idea or no?

My daughter ( 5 year ) is getting cold/cough every now & then which we feel affecting her glucose levels. My wife is more worried about any impact on other organs of having such up & down on her glucose level. Do you think it's something to worry about at this level?

Thank you
- Girish.

 

[Inka]

I think each kind of weather brings its own challenges @girish84.kamble For example, the Summer of 2022 was very hot and that caused me and others to have lots of hypos (because heat makes the insulin get absorbed faster). If I had to choose, I would choose colder weather over hot weather.

I think I read somewhere that children get around 10 colds a year. Although this is extra-difficult with Type 1, I think it helps strengthen their immune systems. If you remember History, some early peoples were basically wiped out (all died) by the common cold and flu because they had no immunity to it.

I’ve got a cold at the moment and I completely understand why you’re wondering whether a different country would be better. I was googling if they caught less colds in S Europe!! I think there’s no ‘healthy’ country without colds, and if there was there’d be other illnesses there like malaria or dengue fever or things like that.

I wouldn’t worry about short-term ups and downs from illness 🙂

 

[Satan’s little helper]

Hello, I personally don’t think climate has much impact on the ability regarding contracting colds or flu. It seems more a simple case of social interaction in close proximity to someone who already has the virus?

 

[Thebearcametoo]

Kids get ill. It’s normal. And whilst yes there will be some impact on her diabetes it is short term. As she gets older there will be fewer illnesses and over her lifetime if her BG is reasonably well managed it won’t cause harm.

It’s very normal to worry about our kids and their diabetes but I always aim for ‘good enough’ rather than try for perfect readings as they need to live their lives as normally as possible. She’ll be offered vaccinations because of her diabetes for things like flu, covid and pneumonia at various points (she may not be old enough for some of them yet) which helps with her immune system.

 

[Sally71]

It would be impossible for anyone to go through life without ever getting ill. Colds are just a part of life, they do cause a bit of blood sugar disruption but as long as you are doing your best to control it and not just ignoring it, then the short term disruption is unlikely to cause any long term damage. You can’t get the blood sugars perfect all the time, no matter how hard you try. Have you got a copy of the sick day rules? Your daughter’s doctor should be able to help or they are probably on this forum somewhere, it gives you some advice on how to manage illness.

 

[Inka]

Hello, I personally don’t think climate has much impact on the ability regarding contracting colds or flu. It seems more a simple case of social interaction in close proximity to someone who already has the virus?

Colder temperatures affect the body’s response to cold viruses:

https://edition.cnn.com/2022/12/06/health/why-winter-colds-flu-wellness/index.html

“So why do people get more colds, flu and now Covid-19 when it’s chilly outside?

In what they called a “breakthrough,” scientists uncovered the biological reason we get more respiratory illnesses in winter — the cold air itself damages the immune response occurring in the nose.

This is the first time that we have a biologic, molecular explanation regarding one factor of our innate immune response that appears to be limited by colder temperatures,” said rhinologist Dr. Zara Patel, a professor of otolaryngology and head and neck surgery at Stanford University School of Medicine in California. She was not involved in the new study.

In fact, reducing the temperature inside the nose by as little as 9 degrees Fahrenheit (5 degrees Celsius) kills nearly 50% of the billions of helpful bacteria-fighting cells and viruses in the nostrils, according to the 2022 study published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.”

 

[Satan’s little helper]

Colder temperatures affect the body’s response to cold viruses:

https://edition.cnn.com/2022/12/06/health/why-winter-colds-flu-wellness/index.html

“So why do people get more colds, flu and now Covid-19 when it’s chilly outside?

In what they called a “breakthrough,” scientists uncovered the biological reason we get more respiratory illnesses in winter — the cold air itself damages the immune response occurring in the nose.

This is the first time that we have a biologic, molecular explanation regarding one factor of our innate immune response that appears to be limited by colder temperatures,” said rhinologist Dr. Zara Patel, a professor of otolaryngology and head and neck surgery at Stanford University School of Medicine in California. She was not involved in the new study.

In fact, reducing the temperature inside the nose by as little as 9 degrees Fahrenheit (5 degrees Celsius) kills nearly 50% of the billions of helpful bacteria-fighting cells and viruses in the nostrils, according to the 2022 study published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.”

Thanks for this. Personally, in dry winter air I respond the same way with the urge to sneeze the same way with a heavily AC’d building or vehicle in summer? (Dry air.) Having said that. It doesn’t mean I am virally infected.
But could make me more susceptible to anyone who is.
Culturally, we are more prone to gathering indoors & at close quarters this time of year. (Social or family events planned in the run up to the holiday season?) Even before “2020” I’ve needed to cancel chrismas with vulnerable relatives due to (finding “ground zero) contracting “something” during my social encounters when the temp has dropped. What don’t killl me makes stronger. But I wouldn’t chance it on my loved ones.

 

[helli]

I recently visited Dubai. It is hot there so people spend most of their time indoors, in air conditioning gathering bugs and viruses.
Hot countries are not necessarily healthier.

Other things to consider are
- spending more time outdoors. We can do this in the cold as well as the hot. We just need to wear more clothes.
- some of us are more adaptable than others. I have lived in UK and Australia. Down Under was obviously hotter than Blighty. It was no more healthy. Some Brits struggled with the heat. And it wasn’t as hot as Dubai.
- hot countries are often more polluted. This is, obviously a gross generalisation but pollution tends to hang around in warm still air.
- health service. We are incredibly lucky to have the NHS in the UK. It is not perfect but if you are thinking of moving overseas, check out what is covered, what you have to fund and what you need insurance for. Take a look at the issues people with diabetes experience getting their insulin without insurance in the USA.

I would recommend broadening your horizons and experiencing the culture of other countries. But I am not sure the health benefit of someone with Type 1 is the biggest benefit.