by Gerri

Created on: February 14, 2007   Last Updated: August 27, 2010

It seems that we can go nowhere these days without feeling like we're constantly in the chill section of our local supermarket. The office has long been an air conditioned environment but now it seems to have spread just about everywhere from shops, cinemas, bars, theatres and restaurants, back to the supermarket!

Whilst most of us may welcome air conditioning when temperatures soar - It creates a pleasant atmosphere inside, regardless of what is going on outside - there are a few of us that loathe it and it can create a number of problems.

Air conditioning causes problems for those with sinus trouble, causing their heads to become blocked. In addition to these obvious reactions to an air conditioned environment, there are many far more subtle reactions that can adversely affect a person's health, such as sore throats, runny noses and sneezing.

Studies have shown that those who have worked for prolonged periods in air conditioned offices are more susceptible to colds, flu, and other minor ailments. It has also been proven that the body undergoes a certain amount of stress when it is forced to go from a boiling hot environment into an air conditioned one. Over time, this too can cause problems.

On the more serious side, air conditioning aggravates the effects of arthritis and neuritis. Having suffered severe whiplash from a car accident 3 years ago, I was told by my physiotherapist at the time that my central nervous system had become so sensitive due to disc compression, that certain circumstances such as being in an air conditioned environment could trigger nerve pain. This turned out to be true, and to this day, if I go anyplace where air conditioning is particularly strong, I experience odd sensations in my arms after a few hours or the next day.

The same applies to someone I know who has prolapsed discs in her neck. She has specifically been told by her neurosurgeon that she must at all costs not let air conditioning settle on her as it can penetrate her bones and trigger nerve pain. This, as you can imagine is pretty difficult to avoid. I've been out with her many times where she's had to cover up in the middle of summer purely to avoid triggering any pain. I've also witnessed her in pain as a result of the affects of air conditioning, and it was not very pleasant at all.

It has come to my attention that air conditioning in public places seems to be getting worse. My office, for one, is constantly going from one extreme to the other - very stuffy or absolutely

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