Hi all, cant type much this past week with all the weather systems going by. My BF found this on The Weather Channel website.

Link to the full text/site here - many useful links:

http://www.weather.com/activities/he...=pif_loc_aches
Anne

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For as long as people have been aware of weather, they've pondered its impact on their health. The Greeks noted the effect of "hot and cold winds" on pain and illness 2,400 years ago. During the Civil War, physicians wrote about amputee soldiers sensing pain in their "phantom" limbs when the weather changed. And folk wisdom tells of people who "feel the weather in their bones."
In modern times, doctors continue to explore the connection between weather and pain, especially in relation to chronic conditions such as migraine headaches and arthritis.

While many people maintain that the weather affects how they feel, scientific studies linking weather to chronic pain don't always agree. Some doctors say it's a matter of perception; patients might feel worse on a rainy day, they say, just because it's gloomy. But others say the pain is very real. Not all people who suffer from chronic pain feel effects from the weather. Among those who do, reactions depend on the individual and can be hard to measure.

For those people who are sensitive to weather, changes in weather are generally more likely to affect them than specific weather conditions. Doctors who specialize in chronic pain sometimes suggest that patients keep a detailed journal of weather conditions to establish a possible relationship to their pain.

In particular, the following weather factors may contribute to aches and pains:

Barometric Pressure
Barometric pressure is the weight exerted by the air around us. Rapidly falling barometric pressure generally signals the onset of stormy weather, and is believed to have a strong correlation with the potential for feeling aches and pains. Rising pressure may also affect some people.

Humidity
Humidity is the amount of water vapor in the air. It can be expressed as "absolute humidity" (the amount of water vapor per unit of air) or the more familiar "relative humidity" (the amount of water vapor relative to the amount of moisture the air can hold at a given temperature). An increase in absolute humidity, especially in the summer, can lead to an increased potential for aches and pains. Some research also finds a correlation between dry, cold air and migraine headaches.

Precipitation
Precipitation includes not only rain, but also snow, sleet, hail or any other form of water that reaches the ground. It is considered a factor in aches and pains because stormy weather accompanies changes in barometric pressure and humidity. For those sensitive to hot weather, such as some people with multiple sclerosis, rain can cool the atmosphere and may bring some relief.

Temperature
Rapidly rising or falling temperatures are a hallmark of big weather changes, indicating underlying shifts in barometric pressure. Extremes in temperature, not just changing temperatures, can also affect the potential for feeling aches and pains. Low temperatures may trigger migraine headaches, exacerbate circulatory conditions such as Raynaud's phenomenon and contribute to arthritic joint stiffness. Cold weather has also been associated with an increase in asthma-related hospital admissions.

Wind
Wind often results from big shifts in weather, indicating that barometric pressure and other factors may be changing rapidly. Wind is also a health consideration because it can carry pollution and allergens far distances, therefore affecting people with respiratory ailments such as asthma.


MORE:

Part 2: Learn about some health conditions that may be affected by the weather.
Part 3: Human Barometers: Can you forecast the weather through aches & pains?
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