IF we conducted a study on the diseases caused by air conditioners, we would be shocked by the results. Air conditioners cause a lot of diseases and can have a negative effect on all parts of our body from head to toe. Some diseases are severe, such as respiratory system infections, some are chronic such as arthritis and myositis (inflammation of muscle tissues), and others can be dangerous, such as deafening and ringing in the ear and also cause neuroparalysis (damage to nerves). We have largely failed in reducing our reliance on these machines; this is even the case in our cooler cities. Air conditioners are everywhere we go and the cold air hits us in the face and body all the time. Our ancestors did better than us. Would you believe that in the era of the Abbasid Caliphate (750-1258 CE) most houses had clay tubes or pillars built on roofs to make hot air cool? Hot air would enter the tubes, pass next to cold water and enter rooms. The air was cooled to make the room temperature more comfortable. Do we have anything similar to this in our homes today? Until recently, most houses in the Hijaz had big wooden windows that were installed in the direction from which the wind blew and were covered with wet cloth. Today we are the biggest importers and consumers of air conditioners. Different factories around the world compete to sell us their air conditioners and some even try to dump fake ones in our markets. On the other hand, the Saudi Electricity Company sends us expensive electric bills because we use air conditioners all day long. Unfortunately, we do not have any research or studies on how to reduce our reliance on air conditioners. We do not even have any research on inventing cheaper and healthier air conditioners that suit our environment. This means we will continue to have colds and fevers because air conditioners expose our bodies to extreme swings in temperature.
