WebMDHealth: Some migraines linked to weather

[Guest guest]

This is something that many migraine sufferers have known for years: That

weather triggers their migraines.

 

Actually, this is not the first study to show a connection between some

people's headaches and weather conditions. Many years ago there was at

least one showing a link between some people's headaches and the combination

of falling barometric pressure and rising humidity.

 

This is a more comprehension study than the earlier one which looked just at

conditions which are prevalent before a storm - rising humidity and falling

barometric pressure.

 

Still, there are limitations to this study. This particular study found

that cold, dry days were more likely than hot, humid days to trigger

migraines in study subjects. If this study is repeated with different

subjects, these figures may change. This will not mean that the original

study was in error, just that people in different climates and mini-climates

are going to tend to have different triggers for their migraines.

 

The article doesn't go into details about where subjects were located, only

the state (Mississippi)where the study originated. This does not

necessarity mean that all subjects resided in Mississippi. If this study is

repeated and perhaps boardened, it may be interesting to some to note any

differences among predominate triggers among residents in different

regions of a country and the world.

 

The article also did not go into exactly which weather conditions and

combinations of weather conditions were looked at. Was wind considered

along with cold, heat, dampness, and dryness?

 

A knowledge of TCM and Pernicious Evils are a definite plus for anyone

designing or evaluating a study of this type. I've often noted that TCM can

give insight into Western medicine just as Western medicine can give insight

into TCM. This is one of those times.

 

Something else to be aware of is just because the weather is hot and humid,

this does NOT mean that Cold is not triggering the headache. People tend to

sweat more when it's hot and humid, and one thing that sweating does is to

lower the temperature of the skin and outer body. In some susceptible

people, the sweating can chill them enough that it causes muscles to spasm

and tighten and this triggers the headache. I'm speaking from very painful,

personal experience here. One question to ask is if an area of the body

feels chilled prior to the headache developing. This can help you

differentiate between Hot and Cold as the trigger. In my case, if I got

sweaty, the area behind my years felt very chilly. The outer edge of my

hand - from the small finger to the wrist and beyond also felt cold. This

is the course of the Small Intestine meridian, and the the SI and Bladder

meridians are the first to get hit by External Pernicious Evils. I also had

problems with spots on my back feeling cold. The Bladder meridian traverses

the back.

 

Something else to be aware of is it's not only the predominate weather

condition in a certain geographical area that is going to factor into how

many cases are linked to a particular weather condition but also unusual

weather conditions. An example of the first is that weather in Colorado

does tend to be dry and cold (even the summers at higher elevations in the

state) so it's to be expected that more cases of being bothered by cold and

dryness are going to occur in that state (especially at higher elevations)

than cases linked to hot and humid weather. It does get hot and humid on

the eastern plains of Colorado during the monsoon season, but all in all,

Colorado is characterized by cold and dry weather.

 

The second scenario occurs because people tend to get used to predominate

weather in a region. For example, people in Mississippi tend to tolerate

heat and humidity a lot better than people from a northern state or Canada.

They're used to it. Their bodies have adapted. When an area of Mississippi

gets an occasional cold and dry day, some residents can have a hard time

adjusting. (From a TCM standpoint, whenever anyone has problems adjusting

to changing weather conditions, definitely consider the possibility of weak

Protective Qi.)

 

One thing which is not mentioned in this article is if the researchers

considered the rate of the weather change. This is very important. I

tended to have my most severe headaches when the weather first turned cold

in the fall. I couldn't adapt quickly to changing weather conditions. The

climate I live in doesn't gently ease from hot to cold and from cold to hot

most years. One day it's still very hot, and the next very cold. For the

same reason, I tended to have a lot of headaches in the spring. One day

would be hot, and the next we were having a late snowstorm. Definitely hard

on a person with weak Protective Qi and a marked sensitivity to Cold (or any

Pernicious Evil).

 

Thunder storms in the warmer months are characterized not only by rising

humidity and rapidly falling barometric pressure but also by a drop in

temperature. Some people are sensitive enough to be bothered by that drop

in temperature, and it will set off any sensitivity to Cold. So definitely

consider not only what's usual for an area but also how fast changes in

weather are occuring.

 

There is a very good piece of advice in this article. If you suspect your

headaches or backpain or whatever is being aggravated by weather conditions,

keep a diary to document what is happening and also to give yourself more

insight into how to better manage your problem.

 

I want to caution readers - just like the article does - that not all cases

of migraines are linked to weather conditions. Some are, but some aren't.

 

There was another interesting article in this particular issue of WebMD. It

was about how a particular arthritis drug has been found to relieve

migraines in some migraine sufferers. (I tried to call this article up, but

couldn't.) It's not all arthritis drugs, but one. This is another possible

example of Western medicine starting to catch onto something that TCM has

known all along. Some migraine headaches are due to a arthritic-like

dynamics or what TCM calls Painful Obstruction Syndrome. I know mine

responded very well to the herbs for relieving Wind Dampness and Exterior

Cold (as well as to acupressure). In TCM, arthritis and rheumatism are seen

as being triggered by External invasion of Wind, Cold, and/or Dampness.

 

I apologize for sounding chauvanistic with the " Western medicine starting to

catch onto something TCM has known all along " remark. But this is another

example of TCM giving insights into possible causes in Western medicine -

just as Western medicine has given the Chinese insights into new things to

consider and new approaches in Chinese medicine. Very often, changing

perspective or even changing paradigms will give a person new ideas (that

work) and cause the person to consider possible realtionships that the

person never would have considered had s/he not looked at the situation from

another perspective or paradigm. Or, someone will get around to considering

other possibilities a lot quicker than otherwise would happen. A knowledge

of TCM could speed up Western research into the role of weather and

environment in some health problems.

 

Victoria

 

>~ WEBMD HEALTH ARTICLE ~

>

>You're Right, Weather Can Trigger Migraines!

>

>Do you swear the weather causes your migraines? You're not alone.

>

>Click here for full article: webmd.com/content/article/1728.82462

>

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