Weather of all kinds and effects on health

[shijing]

Per suggestion, I wanted to open a thread on the possible connections between weather (both terrestrial and space) and health.

The former is inspired partly by my dad’s situation. He suffers from a few different conditions, none of which are completely debilitating, but he has good days and bad days -- the latter are the ones where he has brain fog, body aches, and often has to take a mid-day nap. My mom says she can predict with near certainty if my dad is going to have a bad day by checking the barometric pressure -- if it's rising or falling (particularly the latter), it will have a detrimental effect. When it's level, his symptoms are usually mild. There are apparently many similar stories linking barometric pressure to health, the most typical of which involve rheumatoid arthritis.

One hypothesis that could be explored is whether changes in barometric pressure affect us at a cellular level, and if we have toxins or infection it can decrease or increase the permeability of the membrane which allows greater or lesser access to the bloodstream. I remember reading something about this in the last year or so, but I unfortunately don’t remember what the source was.

The latter is inspired by the fact that several people who I’ve talked with recently, and including myself, have been experiencing emotional and physical symptoms since the last geomagnetic storm began around April 20th-21st (see this thread for some background). These include depression, brain fog, sleep difficulties, body aches, and generally feeling under the weather. I’m not sure that there is a causal relationship involved, but it would be an interesting avenue of research to pursue. And space weather is, also, related to Earth weather so the two are intertwined.

If anyone has research or related personal stories to share, please feel free.

 

[MusicMan]

Hello Shijing, both my wife and I can tell when the atmospheric pressure is falling, because we both get pains in our wrist bones.
Apparently this is caused by the increased porosity of the bones due to aging. I'm 70, she's 69.
When there is a difference in pressure inside the bone spaces and the atmospheric pressure there is pain caused by the gases in our bodies trying to move one way or the other, in order to equalize the pressure.
It seems to occur more frequently when the outside pressure is falling. It also occurs when we are out driving, and going up or down a mountain.
I suppose it could be a good way to diagnose whether or not you have osteoporosis.
Take care.

 

[SeekinTruth]

Well, my mother has been affected negatively by weather changes for a long time (so are other people around here that we hear about). Recently (around the April dates you mentioned for the geomagnetic storms) my brother and I were also quite affected in the form of feeling really tired and burned out. I've had sleep issues for quite a while but, recently a new form of sleep problem has manifested that was quite rare in the past: I just can't fall asleep (it used to be that I just wake up really early in the morning no matter when I went to sleep, and often didn't sleep that deeply besides not enough, but used to fall asleep within about 20 minutes or so of going to bed), and there are no thoughts or the like that are keeping me up, I just can't fall asleep. Another strange thing is that a few times it did happen recently that I got more and deeper sleep than usual (like twice in one week of about 6.5 to 7 hours), but the next day I was even more tired and felt like I needed more sleep than when I don't sleep as long or as deep. Don't know what to make of that. FWIW.

ADDED: Just saw your post, MusicMan.

 

[Cleo]

Hi Shijing, I have wondered at a connection as well since reading about the geomagnetic storm that week-especially because my sister was admitted to the hospital on April 20th due to severe pain in her left shoulder and arm and also difficulty breathing. She was at work when it happened. We were worried it was symptoms of heart attack, but were told it wasn't the following day after they did the tests. From what I remember her telling me, they did an EKG and heart ultrasound. I plan to write down more of the specifics because I'd like to have it more clear in my mind and right now it isn't. She's now decided to make some changes regarding her work and living situation that are for the positive which is a major relief. Her work has been quite stressful for quite some time.

 

[monotonic]

Since the symptoms can have to do with aches and joints, I wonder if it could be related to the parasites described in the autoimmune/infection thread? There is also the fact that certain weather tends to precipitate extraterrestrial pathogens from the upper atmosphere. It all seems related in my mind. Maybe these conditions "resonate" with pathogens in the body as well, perhaps they want to prepare the body to host more parasites?

 

[Galaxia2002]

A friend of mine has kind of fybromyagia and its pains according to him, are exacerbated by dampness, but reading what you said, it is most likely that the parameter that influence at first glance is barometric pressure. He also starts with flu like symptoms and this is all cyclic, (flu like symptoms- Pain in the joints) each two weeks but sometimes it is not so precise. What I have always thought is that he has a chronic infection in his body.
There is also interesting the point of view that Chinese traditional medicine has about this topic. They assign different kind of chi to dampness, dry heat of summer, wind, etc that affects the body in complex ways.

 

[luc]

That's very interesting. I suffer from strong headaches due to weather changes, usually about once a month (average). I only made the connection about 2-3 years ago, and nothing "natural" or supplements I have tried so far seem to help. Usually, aspirin does the trick, but sometimes even that doesn't help and I have to sleep for half the day. I think about it as some kind of "weather-triggered migraine", it usually starts in the neck area and then creeps up to everywhere in the head.

It might well have to do with barometric pressure because it usually happens 1 day before a weather change. I found this article about it:

Long before meteorologists began making weather forecasts, migraineurs were likely able to predict coming storms with unhappy accuracy. This is because barometric pressure makes itself felt well ahead of time, foretelling the arrival of thunderstorms and other weather patterns that have an effect on migraine patients.

HOW IT WORKS

Barometric pressure is the method scientists use to measure the atmospheric pressure or weight of the air where it presses on the surface of the earth. This affects the weather by causing changes to the way air currents move around the earth. A device called a barometer is used to identify the pressure, and the barometric reading is helpful in forecasting incoming weather changes. High barometric pressure is usually linked to clear, sunny weather, while low pressure provides the perfect conditions for clouds and moisture to develop.

WHY IT CAUSES HEADACHES

Several theories exist as to why drops in barometric pressure cause migraines, but the truth is there’s no conclusive evidence to provide an accepted answer. When the barometric reading indicates low pressure, it means the weight of the air pressing inwards from the atmosphere is lighter than it could be. Our sinuses are filled with air, which creates outward pressure that is countered by the atmospheric pressure. If the inward pressure and the outward pressure are unevenly matched, the pressure inside the sinuses causes them to become distended, particularly in patients with congestion or a blocked nose.

In some instances, the change in pressure simply happens at the same time as other weather-related triggers, including:

Changes in the weather, which cause an imbalance in brain chemicals such as serotonin, a “feel-good” compound. This results in changes in the patient’s mental state, and can bring on a migraine.
Bright, sunny conditions, which can increase the amount of glare and activate a sensitivity to light that many migraineurs suffer with.
Hot, dry conditions that increase the risk of dehydration, which is a common (but preventable) migraine trigger.
Lightning during storms that gives off electromagnetic waves, and rain that can cause the emission of spores from plants and trigger an allergic reaction.

TYPES OF BAROMETRIC HEADACHES

Barometric pressure causes headaches in non-migraine sufferers as well as migraine patients. These are typically experienced bilaterally, meaning on both sides of the head simultaneously. A barometric pressure migraine, however, is more frequently felt just on one side of the head, although both sides can be affected. A migraine triggered by barometric pressure changes usually lasts an average of 24 hours, although it can run up to 72 hours in some instances.

SYMPTOMS OF BAROMETRIC PRESSURE MIGRAINES

Apart from the debilitating and severe pain, symptoms of a barometric migraine include:

- nausea and stomach pains, which are sometimes accompanied by vomiting and diarrhea
- pain around one or both temples, which can also affect the eyes, ears, forehead or back of the head
- feelings of depression and changes in perception of things
- increased sensitivity to light or the development of an aura, which may last for several hours
- numbness and tingling in the face, head and neck, which can also spread to the arms and legs
- waves of pain that throb in time with the patient’s heartbeat

WHEN TO EXPECT A BAROMETRIC PRESSURE MIGRAINE

Studies show that approximately 12 percent of the population suffers from migraine headaches, and weather conditions are one of the top three most common triggers. Patients with barometric sensitivity report that the pain often begins well ahead of the changing weather patterns. This means you could develop a headache when the weather seems perfect, and only discover the reason a day or two later when the clouds finally move in.

There's also this from the NY Times:

Q. What effect does the barometric pressure have on humans? Can it cause headaches and other discomforts?

A. Differences in air pressure because of the weather or changes in altitude can have noticeable effects on the human body, though some people are more sensitive than others.

Low barometric pressure can cause headaches by creating a pressure difference between the surrounding atmosphere and the sinuses, which are filled with air, said Dr. Matthew Fink, neurologist in chief at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. That leads to distended sinuses, especially if there is any congestion or blockage.

“The same thing can happen with joints in people who have arthritis,” Dr. Fink said, with the low pressure associated with a coming storm aggravating joint pains in some.

“High barometric pressure does not usually cause a problem, unless it is extreme,” he said. For example, water pressure can cause serious problems for a scuba diver because nitrogen dissolves in the blood when it is under pressure for some time. When the pressure is released as a diver ascends too quickly, the gas expands into bubbles; the resulting organic distress, often called the bends, can be fatal.

One of the most noticeable effects of shifting air pressure occurs when a plane changes altitude rapidly. As expanding or contracting air in the middle ear equalizes its pressure with the surrounding atmosphere, ear popping and pain are common.

I must say I'm not fully convinced of the theories that are proposed. If it's just because of differences in air pressure, why don't I get headaches when flying, driving through a tunnel etc.? Also, the correlation doesn't seem to be perfect - for example, I don't always get headaches/migraine when the weather changes.

So I suspect that there's something else going on - maybe on a cellular level or even an electric phenomenon? Or is it an evolutionary adaptation to 'predict' the weather, which makes us feel uncomfortable so that we stay in a safe environment? Animals like wild deer exhibit such things too - they often react to weather changes 1-2 days ahead of the actual change...

 

[Pierre]

I must say I'm not fully convinced of the theories that are proposed. If it's just because of differences in air pressure, why don't I get headaches when flying, driving through a tunnel etc.? Also, the correlation doesn't seem to be perfect - for example, I don't always get headaches/migraine when the weather changes.

So I suspect that there's something else going on - maybe on a cellular level or even an electric phenomenon? Or is it an evolutionary adaptation to 'predict' the weather, which makes us feel uncomfortable so that we stay in a safe environment? Animals like wild deer exhibit such things too - they often react to weather changes 1-2 days ahead of the actual change...

As a general rule, barometric pressure is a consequence of the atmospheric electric field. A rule of thumb is that a strong E-field leads to low barometric pressure because negatively charged air near the surface of the planet rises towards the positively charged ionosphere creating a subsequent depression.

The brain being a highly electrical organ, I would not be surprised if it's affected by the surrounding electricity, particularly the atmospheric electrical field.

I've suffered from migraine for years. While I think it's a mutifactorial conditions correlated to things like fatigue, stress, sleep quality and diet; weather is also a factor to be taken into account.

I noticed that one of the sure causes of my migraines is intense effort under the hot Sun. And, interestingly, heat is simply the result of free circulation of electron. So, here again electricity seems to be involved.

Maybe the 'electric factor' is the reason why the C's advised Ark to sometimes ground his mattress in order to stop his headaches.

 

[Cosmos]

[...]Animals like wild deer exhibit such things too - they often react to weather changes 1-2 days ahead of the actual change...

That is a good data point I think in exploring this question, and animals also react to cosmic changes and earthchanges, as for example in regards to earthquakes and often quite some time before the event is in the "hot phase".

I also heard from this body feelings and the weather connection, quite often from elderly people. So I wonder if it is just related to the age, that people get more sensitive to distinguishing what is causing what, or if older people in general are still more attuned to nature then most people nowadays are, and so recognize it more easily?

My assumption is that the effects from weather, earth and cosmic changes has an effect on all of us and that some people are more attuned to recognize that this or that weather pattern causes this or that.

I'm also reminded of what Gurdjieff said, speaking about different kind of influences that act on man. Here just a couple of snippets. To quote the whole thing would be to long. You can read it with full context here.

Man is subject to many influences, which can be divided into two categories. [...]
These two kinds of influences come from things that are near to us. But there are also other influences which come from big things, from the earth, from the planets and from the sun, where laws of a different order operate. At the same time there are many influences of these great entities which cannot reach us if we are wholly under the influence of small things.

[...]

In addition there exist other influences which affect us most seriously. Every moment of our life, every feeling and thought is colored by planetary influences. To these influences also we are slaves.

[...]The earth and all other planets are in constant motion, each with a different velocity. Sometimes they approach one another, at other times they recede from one another. Their mutual interaction is thus intensified or weakened, or even ceases altogether. Generally speaking, planetary influences on the earth alternate: now one planet acts, now another, now a third, and so on. Some day we shall examine the influence of each planet separately, but at present, in order to give you a general idea, we shall take them in their totality.

Schematically we can picture these influences in the following way.[...]

There may be stronger influences. Sometimes another influence acts from within and prevents you from feeling the external influence; you may have such a strong preoccupation that you are, as it were, encased in armor. And this is so not only with planetary influences. Often a distant influence cannot reach you. The more remote the influence, the weaker it is. And even if it were specially sent to you, it might not reach you because your armor would prevent it.

The more developed a man is, the more he is subject to influences. Sometimes, wishing to free ourselves from influences, we get free of one and fall under many others and so become even less free, even more slaves.[...]

Always everything influences us.[...]In the case of other influences one has to know a great deal.[...]Everything is the result of three forces: everywhere there is affirmation and negation, cathode and anode, Man, earth, everything is like a magnet. The difference is only in the quantity of emanations.[...]One thing depends on another. [...]

 

[Scottie]

That's very interesting. I suffer from strong headaches due to weather changes, usually about once a month (average). I only made the connection about 2-3 years ago, and nothing "natural" or supplements I have tried so far seem to help. Usually, aspirin does the trick, but sometimes even that doesn't help and I have to sleep for half the day. I think about it as some kind of "weather-triggered migraine", it usually starts in the neck area and then creeps up to everywhere in the head.

Ditto!

For me, I took the C's advice to Ark and tried the grounding mat underneath my mattress. Well, the difference was noticeable. I now sleep with the mat plugged in (to ground) almost every night.

The number of headaches I get has dropped considerably. I notice that during times of extra-crazy weather (earthbound or space), I still get headaches.

Your Mileage May Vary!

Added: Unlike Pierre, being in the sun/heat usually does NOT give me headaches. Go figure!

 

[Carl]

I don't really get headaches but can attest to the affect of weather on many bodily functions. I live in an area where the weather changes completely from day to day. One day it is cold and windy, the next day overcast and calm, the next day heavy rain, and the next day glorious sunshine.

I know it's not light or temperature because I feel it as soon as I wake up. On a glorious sunshine day, I get out of bed much more readily (despite blackout curtains & central heating system controlling temperature), have less aches and pains, and have a great mood all day. Conversely when it is low pressure, cold, I will feel the opposite in the day.

The info about atmospheric pressure and electrical effects is very intriguing and makes me want to monitor this stuff more closely.

 

[trendsetter37]

SYMPTOMS OF BAROMETRIC PRESSURE MIGRAINES

Apart from the debilitating and severe pain, symptoms of a barometric migraine include:

- nausea and stomach pains, which are sometimes accompanied by vomiting and diarrhea
- pain around one or both temples, which can also affect the eyes, ears, forehead or back of the head
- feelings of depression and changes in perception of things
- increased sensitivity to light or the development of an aura, which may last for several hours
- numbness and tingling in the face, head and neck, which can also spread to the arms and legs
- waves of pain that throb in time with the patient’s heartbeat

In regards to barometric pressure migraines, I may have had one of those recently. Last month, around April 3rd or so, I had a pretty intense experience while flying. Typically, I enjoy flying and take pleasure in looking out the window as well as feeling the movement of the plane. I've never had motion sickness and very seldom experience headaches. Well, this time was different. As we took off everything was normal for the first 20 minutes or so but after that, I began to feel a slight headache coming on.

This was fine at first but after another 20-30 minutes, the pain and pressure became unbearable. At this point, we were also approaching cruising altitude. In retrospect, this may have been a clue, however, while all of this was happening it was only a bittersweet curiosity. I noticed that my headache's intensity gradually increased as we flew higher. I think I remember the pilot mentioning that we had made it to 37,000 feet and at that point, it was so bad I couldn't even touch my face because of the pain.

I was nauseous, hungry, and began to feel a bit paranoid all at once which was pretty disorienting. At one point I actually thought I was being beamed by the WIFI that was turned on . This was also around the time that I started to feel dizzy and almost like I was going to pass out. However, I can't really be sure if that was about to happen next because I've never fainted before.

Anyways, just before the flight, I had a deep tissue massage so there may have been some toxins floating around. Along with that, I had not eaten anything prior to the flight that day. A couple of people on the plane even mentioned that the lack of food was the culprit. But here's the deal. I've flown before without eating, have had deep tissue massages, and flown while there were solar radiation storms without a hitch. Never have I flown after a massage though so I think that my experience probably has something to do with how barometric pressures or electrical activity in the atmosphere affects the body; possibly rendering it more vulnerable in some cases. The cell permeability hypothesis makes sense as well.

I could pretty much check off most of the symptoms quoted above except in my case it didn't last for hours. The pain grew worse up until we hit altitude and then slowly subsided on our descent. Although never fully abating until I could grab a bite to eat during my layover.

The only other thing I could add would be that on occasion my knees will get achy shortly before or during a storm but that doesn't happen every time. Not even most of the time really.

 

[SeekinTruth]

That reminds me, trendsetter, that after a flight in mid-March, I was waking up with splitting headaches - I mean it was "going of the charts on the pain meter" painful for a week to 10 days following the flight. It was in the back of the head/base of the skull and radiating into the neck. I suspected it had to do with the flight, but without much else to go on. Not really sure if it was connected, but I couldn't think of anything else that was suspect. The thing is that I also didn't eat anything before my early morning flight and all day; so, when I read what your wrote, it made me go "hmm." FWIW.

 

[Voyageur]

I must say I'm not fully convinced of the theories that are proposed. If it's just because of differences in air pressure, why don't I get headaches when flying, driving through a tunnel etc.? Also, the correlation doesn't seem to be perfect - for example, I don't always get headaches/migraine when the weather changes.

So I suspect that there's something else going on - maybe on a cellular level or even an electric phenomenon? Or is it an evolutionary adaptation to 'predict' the weather, which makes us feel uncomfortable so that we stay in a safe environment? Animals like wild deer exhibit such things too - they often react to weather changes 1-2 days ahead of the actual change...

As a general rule, barometric pressure is a consequence of the atmospheric electric field. A rule of thumb is that a strong E-field leads to low barometric pressure because negatively charged air near the surface of the planet rises towards the positively charged ionosphere creating a subsequent depression.

The brain being a highly electrical organ, I would not be surprised if it's affected by the surrounding electricity, particularly the atmospheric electrical field.

I've suffered from migraine for years. While I think it's a mutifactorial conditions correlated to things like fatigue, stress, sleep quality and diet; weather is also a factor to be taken into account.

I noticed that one of the sure causes of my migraines is intense effort under the hot Sun. And, interestingly, heat is simply the result of free circulation of electron. So, here again electricity seems to be involved.

Maybe the 'electric factor' is the reason why the C's advised Ark to sometimes ground his mattress in order to stop his headaches.

I can agree that it seems our planets position in the electrical flow phases has bearing. Not sure why, yet I'm more aware of issues around moon phases and other people who cycle with problems. It is kind of like clock work (as a general mean) the weather changing with moon phases and all sorts of issues with it. Then there were the northern lights and the increases of heart attacks (some countries even step-up their ambulance services during these times).

One field of study I've only look at is Medical Geography dealing with statistical data. I'm not sure how valid the findings are, and would have to look it up again. In one study remembered they linked high cancer rates in northern climates (with snow) coupled with the high use of road salt used in localized areas. Well not sure if that is just a redirect avoiding other non mentioned items such as atmospheric transportation of radioactive particulates in the North, yet that is sort of outside the weather sickness phenomenon discussed here.

The main thing for me is the change in light in the North as fall approaches, this cycling in and out of these phases that last half the year have associated issues - our inner clocks, warm and cold and overall sleep cycles.

 

[timmyman]

My dad links all the joint pains only to the dampness of our weather. We live in swampy Estonia.

When travelling to places that have dry weather he tells me that all he's aches go away. Similarly when he was in the Russian army as a young man in the Steppes where there supposed to be very dry climate, he didn't have any aches.