May 21, 2013 Pharyngitis - Viral News & Features Doctors and
patients don’t always communicate well, with serious
consequences, says Jerome Groopman. A few studies have provided
scientific evidence that a chill won't cause a cold, but perhaps
the answer is not so clear cut. Many experts say that few people
know when a person who has picked up a winter cold actually
becomes contagious, and for how long. This is high season for
sore throats. One of my friends awakens with a scratchy throat
nearly every morning on these cold winter days. Another said the
other day that his throat felt sore and he guessed (correctly)
that he was getting a cold. A third had gone back to bed with a
throat so painful she could hardly talk, let alone swallow. Sore
throat is a symptom, not a disease. In each case, there was a
different cause that dictated a different treatment. The
scratchy throat probably was a mechanical problem caused by dry,
heated winter air and aggravated by my friend's tendency to
breathe through her mouth when