People with fibromyalgia have often been called "walking barometers" and can often sense impending weather changes by experiencing a flare or worsening of symptoms. My own experience is that I flare as the weather changes, and it doesn't matter if the change is from bad to good, or good to bad .. it's the change itself that's the precipitating factor. That being said, cold & damp is my worst nightmare for pain, and hot & humid is worst for fatigue. (So why do I still live in southeastern Ontario?? )

Anyway, last week Reuter's posted the results of a study which showed that fibromyalgia was totally unrelated to the weather. The researchers concluded that:

• "Fibromyalgic sufferers might blame the weather because it is such a prominent feature of the daily life and because an association between the two is a widely held belief,"

Oh yay, another thing that's all in my head so I can beat myself up over it

Well, today ... Reuter's has posted a study which shows that yes, in fact, the weather DOES affect fibromyalgia and arthritic pain. The researchers in this case concluded:

• "Our study," they write, "supports the possibility that meteorological factors can have some effect on spontaneous pain in rheumatic patients."

This serves to show that just because a study is done which appears to "prove" a thing, it's not always the last word or final authority. Kinda like the researchers who try to prove that eating meat will kill you.

I'll track down the two articles, and post them here

Doreen

Here's the article from last week.

Changes in weather unrelated to fibromyalgia pain

By Charnicia E. Huggins

NEW YORK, Feb 12 (Reuters Health) - Although some people with fibromyalgia pain feel that the weather affects their symptoms, new study results suggest that changes in the weather do not predict changes in pain.

"The considerable day to day variation of fibromyalgic pain is not related to the weather," according to study authors Drs. Egil A. Fors of University Hospital of Trondheim and Harold Sexton of the Psychiatric Research Center for Finnmark and Troms, both in Norway.

"The reasons for the variation in the pain needs to be looked for elsewhere in the sufferer's life," the researchers said.

Fibromyalgia, a chronic condition estimated to affect 1% to 2% of individuals in the UK and the United States, is marked by pain in the muscles and around the joints and is often accompanied by depression and fatigue. The cause is unknown, but researchers have found pain-processing abnormalities in the spines and brain stems of some people with the condition.

In the study, Fors and Sexton looked at 55 female patients from the Norwegian Association of Fibromyalgia. For four weeks, each participant rated her daily pain on a scale of 0-100, from no pain to very severe pain. The results were compared with weather data obtained from the National Institute of Meteorology.

Overall, there was no obvious relationship between the weather and the patients' daily pain scores, Fors and Sexton report in the March issue of Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. And patient pain--whether same day or previous day pain--did not appear to predict any changes in the weather.

In other findings, patients who had diagnosed fibromyalgia for fewer than 10 years were more sensitive to the weather in their next-day pain than were their peers who had the condition for 10 or more years.

"Why patients with (fibromyalgia) might be more sensitive to weather changes earlier in their illness than later is uncertain," Fors and Sexton write.

"Fibromyalgic sufferers might blame the weather because it is such a prominent feature of the daily life and because an association between the two is a widely held belief," the researchers speculate.

SOURCE: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2002;61:247-250.

http://www.reutershealth.com/archiv...212elin006.html

... and the article from today.

Weather conditions may influence arthritis pain

NEW YORK, Feb 18 (Reuters Health) - Cool temperatures, humidity and high atmospheric pressure may be associated with spontaneous pain among individuals with arthritis or fibromyalgia, new study findings show.

"These results support the belief that weather influences rheumatic pain, albeit in different ways, depending on the (underlying disease) and (the patient's) weather sensitivity," report Dr. Ingrid Strusberg of the Centro Reumatologico Strusberg in Cordoba City, Argentina, and her colleagues.

Strusberg's team analyzed questionnaire responses from 151 individuals with fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis. Fibromyalgia is a condition marked by pain in the muscles and around the joints and is often accompanied by depression and fatigue. Its cause is unknown. Osteoarthritis refers to joint inflammation and pain that most commonly occurs among older adults. Rheumatoid arthritis also features inflammation and pain, but the symptoms arise from an abnormal immune system assault on the body's joints.

In the study, participants reported on their pain symptoms and causes over one year. For comparison, the researchers also looked at 32 healthy individuals. These reports were correlated with meteorological data for the Cordoba area.

The researchers found that for participants with all three conditions, pain was significantly associated with low temperature.

In addition, pain was related to high humidity and high atmospheric pressure among rheumatoid arthritis patients, and high humidity among osteoarthritis patients, according to findings published in the February issue of the Journal of Rheumatology.

For those with fibromyalgia, pain was associated with low temperature and high atmospheric pressure. No correlation between weather and pain was found among individuals in the comparison group, the authors note.

According to Strusberg's team, the idea that weather affects joint pain is an "ancient belief" that still persists. But experts question whether this effect is a true physiological phenomenon or just a "false notion" of a relationship where there is none.

"Our study," they write, "supports the possibility that meteorological factors can have some effect on spontaneous pain in rheumatic patients."

SOURCE: Journal of Rheumatology 2002;29:335-338.

http://www.reutershealth.com/archiv...218elin003.html

Hi Doreen,
My symptoms are as reliable as the weather. When the rainy season hits (we really can't call it winter in Vancouver), my symptoms get worse. My doctor is so used to it that he expects to see me in at the same time each year.

We have been through all the traditional explorations (SAD, Depression etc.) and now just chalk it up to the way it is with me.
Any intervention turns out to be more of a hobby than a true treatment. My doctor has said that the only true prescription he could give me would be a ticket to Arizona. One of his other (well off) patients does that and finds it very effective.

Hi Doreen, I was just wondering if you if prescription painkillers such as vicoden can interfere with metabolism and wieghtloss. Shelly

I live in southern Ontario too (dumb eh?) and I too am affected by barometric changes, up or down it doesn't matter. I have noticed though that out West, where the barometer changes by the minute, I don't feel it the same. I talked to the doc and he said the bad air in Ontario is bringing out more of our complaints and that I should MOVE (he said it with a grin) and to be honest we plan to. It will be a couple of years unfortunately but we will go and I'll try to spend more time out there visiting my daughter.

So, to get to the point, I think climate has an effect. Not just sure what or how though.

There is no question that my fibro is affected by weather changes. On warm sunny days, I rarely have noticeable symptoms. But if a cold system (snow) moves in, i become terribly uncomfortable with pain. I have successfully predicted these cold systems coming for 2 years now. We were golfing two weeks ago, and I started to get the pain. I told him it was going to snow. Everyone laughed at me. Sure enough, it DID start to snow,and I struggled to finish the round. Gail

Hi Gail,
Nice to meet you. I come to Calgary every summer as my daughter lives there. I was out a few weeks ago and we went camping in the Crowsnest. It SNOWED! But amazingly I was not as uncomfortable as I would be here. Don't know why. Doc says it's the clear air. We have soooooo much polution here it's hard to breathe in the summer.

Where in Alberta do you live? Are you affected by the Chinooks? I am curious cause my daughter says it took her about a year to get used to them. She was really dragged out when they blew through. My husband and I are moving out in 3 years when he retires from his current job and we are looking to locate in the High River area. Very interested to know what I might expect health wise.

Again, nice to meet you, good luck with your LCing.

Sandy

Hi Sandy!
Nice to hear from you too. I live in Calgary...total chinook country. I do not seem to be bothered by the chinooks though.
What gets me in trouble (pain) is when a colder weather system moves in, which happens a lot in Calgary. I can predict snow coming 12-24 hours before it arrives. Interestingly enough, once the new colder system has arrived, and the snow is on the ground, I am better. It seems the problem for me is during the change of systems. I do not understand it, but I know it is for real.
Calgary has very warm nice summers and fall, but sometimes the spring is cold and late, and sometimes the winters can have some very cold days. I lived here all my life, and I am used to it.
Good luck with your future move to Alberta. Gail

Well it sounds as though you suffer much the same as I do. So at least it won't be worse. I have been watching the weather patterns with daily weather emails and of course I check it out with my daughter. You're weather is so much drier that here and the air is cleaner but I know this is something that won't go away. I just don't want to make myself worse.

Calgary is such a nice city. So clean, and friendly. She live in the SW but she's moved around alot since arriving 4 years ago. Every time she visits she says how glad she is to live there.

Well good luck with your low carbing. So many say it helps the pain so we shall see.

Sandy

I feel like a walking barometer. I certainly can tell when it changes!

For me it's the barometric pressure thing. Low pressure causes me pain, not low temperatures. I like winter just fine. However, I am humidity intolerant as well. I don't mind hot, but hot and humid I do--and mind it much more than cold and humid.
As to the thing about fibromyalgics who've had it longer not minding the weather...it may be that the chronic pain has in some way desensitized us to the minor pain changes associated with weather and folks who are just 'getting' fibromyalgia are still pain sensitive. I know now I've been fibromyalgic for probably more than 20 years. I've made a LOT of improvement thanks to diet changes, regular chiropractic care, and weekly massage sessions (plus all the supplements I take). If there was just SOME WAY to stop the adhesions from forming I'm SURE the symptoms would go away. I personally feel it's the ADHESIONS/LESIONS that are the CAUSE, not just a symptom. I believe this is some kind of autoimmune disease where our bodies are contantly trying to form scar tissue. Just MHO.

Any flips in the weather can cause me to flare...I believe its the pressure changes on the cells that cause the pain - either up or down, doesn't matter - any change will cause the effect. The original diagnosis I had, back almost 15 years ago was "Hypersensitive to Gravity" (rather a polite way of saying it was all in my head, don't you think!!!! ) which I interpret as being sensitive to the way that the environment affects your person.
That being said...I have had a marked improvement in reduction of pain since I have been on MSM, which allows the pressure inside the cells to equalize more easily. Its been a 'miracle' for me...I almost feel normal! (except for the days I forget to take the stuff! then, wowzer...'its' back)

Hi Casuzen! I am interested in knowing more about the MSM, as you say it helps you. How much do you take a day? How long were you on it before you noticed a difference? Does it give you side affects? What brand do you take? Like you, I have a lot of pain when the weather changes, and might want to give the MSM a try. Thanks, Gail

My husband tells me I'm more accurate than the weather man. Weather definitely affects CFS/fibro. The worst pain for me is during the change of seasons -- from cold to warm or vice versa. Also, when different fronts come in, whether hot or cold, it affects me. During the hot months, the fatigue is the worst ... during the cold, foggy, rainy months, the pain is the worst.