"This is a real phenomenon," said Kathryn Sandberg, director of the Georgetown University Center for the Study of Sex Differences in Health, Aging and Disease. "We have lots of data showing that women generally are far more sensitive to feelings of cold."

Wait, women are sensitive? Or men are insensitive? Well, apparently studies show that women are more susceptible to frostbite and hypothermia. And Sandberg conducted a test in which male and female volunteers held their hands in ice water as long as possible and found that women were typically quicker to call it quits. But maybe women are just less interested in pain?

The truth is, anecdotal evidence supports Sandberg's research. Couples interviewed for the article fit the mold: The husbands are always trying to lower the temperature, and the ladies are always freezing. My sister always wears — or carries — a sweater, even if she's in the California desert in July; if it's not over 80°, she's not warm enough. There were thermostat fights in almost every office I've ever worked in, with most of the women in the office complaining of it being "freezing," except for the one lady going through menopause.

It is bothersome to think of women as being more "sensitive" to cold and therefore somehow (sigh) weak or frail. But. If the research is there, then don't make the a/c temp so low. We're cold. Thanks.

A/C Setting Can Push Couples to Boiling Point [WaPo]

The 19-year-old from New Jersey was left outside in the cold for an hour wearing only a dress and one shoe, having lost the other one as her three friends dragged her from the car on January 16. The woman flagged down a driver who took her to the hospital, but she may need surgery for frostbite on both feet. The friends wanted revenge because the victim sued one friend's auto insurance carrier after a car accident. The three attackers now face kidnapping, assault and conspiracy charges and are free on bail. [AP]

"Get A Massage." Sounds too good to be true. But according to the article, "Studies show that massage can reduce anxiety, blood pressure, and heart rate — and lowering these is likely to cause your stress level to drop, one key to building immunity." Well, shoot. Massage it is! You don't have to tell me twice.

The second "tip" I never heard: "Take A Cold Shower." Apparently Gwendolyn Witherspoon, 54, of Baltimore, took one once in a power outage. "I felt great afterward," she says. Now she does it all the time and she's cold-free with glowing skin. There's no scientific proof to support her theory, but CNN speaks to Dr. Mary Ann Bauman, who says there's no harm in trying it. You're supposed to keep it short and do 10 minute cold showers in the summer. In the winter, just have a 1-minute blast of cold at the end of a warm shower.

Anyway, some people just don't get sick; then other people — like me — always get extremely ill when the cold weather rolls around. Besides trusty echinacea and Airborne, does anyone have any immunity-boosting tips? I'm listening!

How Some Women Never Get Sick [CNN]