Thursday, June 09, 2005

Fibromyalgia and Weather Prediction

I've noticed lately that I can predict the weather. I'd heard of this phenomenon before but never given it much though. Today when sudden stiffness in my joints made me hobble home from the park with Malachy and a sudden shift in the weather followed I decided it was time to do a little research.

Midwest Arthritis has an interesting page on the subject with summaries of major studies regarding joint pain and weather prediction.

They conclude...
There is some evidence that persons with arthritis have symptoms influenced by changes in the weather. Women may be more sensitive to weather changes than men. Those persons with osteoarthritis or fibromyalgia (at least in some studies) have the greatest likelihood of having symptoms made worse by climatic changes. Some people can predict rain. Changes in humidity, temperature and barometric pressure all have been implicated as factors changing joint pain.

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