Whether the Weather effects us or not..

First topic message reminder :

I picked this up from our MA site.

What do we think of this? I am currently watching the barometer to try to determine if it is effecting me.
Brent seems to be quite erudite in this. Brent would you comment on this please?

Many migraineurs believe that certain weather changes can trigger a migraine attack but a new study finds no strong evidence that this is true. The findings, reported in the medical journal Cephalalgia, add to a conflicting body of research into the idea that weather factors, including changes in temperature, sunshine and atmospheric pressure, are true migraine triggers.

A study published last year, in the journal Neurology, found a correlation between weather changes and ER visits for migraine and other headaches at one Boston hospital. For every increase in temperature of about nine degrees Fahrenheit, the odds of visits for migraine and non-migraine headaches rose by 7.5%. Similarly, the risk of non-migraine headaches increased during the two to three days following a drop in atmospheric pressure. Low pressure generally means cloudy skies and storms, while high pressure means clear skies. However, a number of other studies, including the current one, have failed to find a clear connection between weather and migraine.

For this latest study, Austrian researchers had 238 migraineurs keep "headache diaries" for three months. Each day, the study participants recorded whether they'd had a headache, and if so, the details of their symptoms. They also rated their exposure to a range of factors potentially related to migraine; that included seven questions on the weather.

The researchers used data from a Vienna meteorological institute to objectively measure the relationship between participants' reported symptoms and daily weather changes during the three-month study. At first glance, study participants appeared to have a somewhat higher risk of migraine attacks on days with lower average wind speed. There was also a connection between day-to-day changes in sunshine duration and migraine risk. Statistically speaking, however, those links could easily have been due to chance.

In addition, the researchers found, there were many discrepancies between participants' perceptions of the weather on a given day and what the meteorological data actually showed. The findings, along with those of some past studies, indicate that weather factors are of "very limited" importance in triggering migraines. People may, for instance, be more likely to recall "bad weather" on days they have a migraine, or less likely to do so on migraine-free days.

Lee Tomkins, Director of Migraine Action comments: "We cannot definitely conclude that weather has no impact on migraine at all as previous studies have shown a correlation between weather changes and migraine incidences. Our members frequently report that drops in atmospheric pressure and extended periods of hot weather make them more prone to having migraine attacks. It's important to try and find out other migraine triggers that may be involved in attacks; triggers are peculiar to the individual and it is never just one trigger on its own that sets off an attack but a culmination of them. By keeping a migraine diary and recognising what your triggers are can really help to manage your condition effectively. If you do notice that weather changes do tend to trigger an attack, look to reduce your other triggers that you can control, such as stress, low blood sugar levels and tiredness; by controlling other trigger factors you may find that weather changes will no longer push you over your migraine threshold and induce an attack."

Aw Nat, I am sorry. How come they dont understand a bit more? I know it is hard for people to "get it", but as your parents, I dont think suggestions of selfishness are very unconditional.

My eldest daughter has really bad IBS, she, like me cant even get away, in fact she now cant work either, but I know she does her best and we just give her the space she needs.

Perhaps it was because it was a holiday? Sometimes people do throw their all into them dont they?
Either way, I hope you all got some enjoyment out of it despite the damn migraines.

It's a shame to be glad to be home, but I guess wew would get it more than those that dont suffer.

Good about the dress though....

My Mom is also one of those who packs a vacation full of things to do. Luckily (maybe) she is so worried about me that then I say I need to rest, she doesn't mind. I do get a bit of a lecture about how I need to do this or that, but she lets me deal with the pain as I need to.

I'm sorry that your parents don't quite get it. I'm always tempted when I have a migraine and someone around me is just NOT getting it, to throw up in front of them (in a receptacle of course!) just to make a point. That usually lets them know that you are not ok and no it isn't getting better any time soon. A bit drastic but it does work.

That made me laugh partly because I had a teacher in primary school that didn't get it and I threw up all over her carpet (I was 7) funnily enough, she was pretty accepting after that!!

The thing with my parents is that I've kinda lost all hope that they will ever really understand now. I used to throw up a lot more than I do now. Whether that's because I am more in control of my actions as I am older, or whether it's just a general mutation of my migraine, I don't know. But it means my migraines are even less visable to an on looker than they were before. But they've seen me with them since I was too young to talk, and then it worried them, but now it doesn't seem to mean anything. There is no understanding that the reason I deal with them like I do is because I am completely in control of my surroundings most of the time. I know what effects me and how, and can avoid alot of it or at least find a more suitable place to go without any trouble. That isn't possible abroad in new surroundings.