You've often heard it, and maybe you've even said it: "I was out in the cold all day, and now I've got a cold."

Winter weather can be nasty, but can it actually make us sick?

Colds and the flu are caused by viruses, so the cold weather itself isn't what makes you ill.

"When you come in contact with somebody that has a problem is where you're going to get it. Just being outside, you know, in a parking lot, for example, is not going to give you flu," says Dr. Pamil Sidhu, family medicine resident at UW Health in Wausau.

The reason that cold and flu season happens in winter is actually because we're *indoors* more often.

Close contact with more people in schools and shopping malls, for example, means you have more opportunities to catch these bugs from folks who have them.

But winter weather itself can cause some maladies and aggravate existing ones.

For example, the dry winter air can cause winter itch, a dry skin condition.

The dry air can also heighten eczema and psoriasis symptoms.

Psoriasis symptoms can be aggravated by the lack of light in winter, too.

More directly, the cold air can worsen the symptoms of certain types of asthma.

In that case, Dr. Sidhu says that the cold air makes the air tube contract, exacerbating one’s symptoms.

But when it comes to colds and the flu, you can spend an afternoon sledding, skiing, or snowmobiling and unless you do it with someone who’s sick, you probably won't end up ill just because you wanted to have some outdoor winter fun.

Dr. Sidhu recommends a few things you can do to help prevent you from getting sick with a cold or the flu this season.

-- Get plenty of rest to keep your immune system strong
-- Get a flu vaccine
-- Wash your hands often
-- Use alcohol-based hand sanitizers
-- Avoid contact with people who are ill

To help prevent dry skin and winter itch, Dr. Sidhu recommends running a humidifier in your house, and using a moisturizer.