True or not ? Why my mom always says this ?!

Best Answer - Chosen by Voters

No your Mom is wrong! Or pulling your leg! She may have been reffering to catching meningitis which affects the layers of the brain but is caused by bacteria. This is an old myth! Just like people say not to go out with wet hair, or to dress warm so they don't catch a cold.. Myth Myth Myth.. Google it if you don't believe me. Maybe your Mom's mom used to say that to her - In turn she passes that onto you. Sometimes as a Mom we do similar things to our children as we have been done to. Such as stop flicking the lights off and on 'it causes a fire' or 'you must be lying - your tongue is purple'
P.S. Not being dressed properly or wet hair could potentially lower your immune system (if you are really cold) which would in turn be harder to fight off cold/flu if you were exposed to it. So there is some truth to it, just nothing to do with your brain.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Colds-and-Wet-…

its partly true

i mean you are not going to damage your brain! but with wet hair and extreme cold temp outside
your hair may freeze and since most of the body's heat is focused in the head you may catch cold and get very sick!

hence the chef hat, the chef hat acts as a hair net and chimney all the heat will be directed upwards!

Idk about damaging your brain but it can increase you getting sick.

if she is a doctor i would say so..

is she a medical doctor? There is a huge difference between an MD and the tons of non-medical doctors. A doctorate in something other than medicine might as well be an electrician telling you about medicine. I have a masters in medicine, not a doctorate so im gonna tell you what I know.
My mom used to say going to bed with wet hair can cause pneumonia, which is false because pneumonia is a bacteria. As far a meningitis, the person above me is wrong because there are two types of meningitis, bacterial and viral. And there are many sub-categories below that. What your mom is referring to is the increased risk of hypothermia. 80% of your bodys heat escapes from the top of your head(the other 20% leaving from areas of focused pulse poins ie: wrists, groin, neck, armpits). If your hair is wet, it pulls the heat out much faster (called diffusion). You will lose body heat very rapidly and especially if its cold out, your body temp can drastically drop and could result in brain damage. The same as a fever thats too high does brain damage, a temp too low does the same, as well as multiple organ failure. The problem being, when your body gets too cold, your blood is all pulled into your core, normally a good relfex to keep you alive (why your hands are first to get numb) but in the case of wet hair, the blood that is pulled to your core to keep you alive will become rapidly cooled as well. This is also why altered brain function/level of conciousness changes are one of the first signs of hypothermia (slurred speech, lack of coordination). This is also why hypothermia is such an emergency. You can go down hill very fast. So that is what your mother is referring to. And although it seems like an old wives tale, there is some truth to it. And even though your situation may not be as extreme, its really not worth the risk.

PS cold is a virus, as is flu, ie. being cold wont give you a cold or flu, you have to be exposed to the virus. I would give very little credit to the person above with all the myth talk.

Bottom line: going outside in the cold while wet, can cause hypothermia very fast, and can result in temorary to permanant brain damage. Although permanent damage is less likely due to the cold actually preserves brain cell function. But Thats why in survival classes, hypothermia is stressed soo much.

HCP-PA/Emergency medicine