The other day I was at the post office and struck up a conversation with a guy picking up his mail. I commented on how good the body is at predicting weather. I told him that the weather channel had predicted rain for a certain day last week, and my right hip didn’t hurt on the day preceding the predicted rain day. On the predicted rain day, it didn’t rain, and my right hip said: I told you so. This guy then asked me what my left hip says. I answered, oh, it doesn’t speak to me. He laughed and said that reminded him of someone he knows.

Do you have body parts that speak to you in predictive ways? Check this out. Barometric pressure is the measurement of air pressure. Low barometric pressure causes the joints of many people to ache. Why? Because as the air pressure drops, which happens with a rainstorm, soft tissue in joints and fluids in joints expand, irritating the nerves. Cold temperatures can affect joints also. Low temperatures can make fluids in joints thicker, which makes those joints feel stiffer. I remember decades ago reading an article in the newspaper written by a scientist who had no medical training at all. He was angry at the medical establishment for scoffing at people who thought they could predict weather by their joints. The doctors all said that is an old wife’s tale (meaning not scientific and a bunch of crap). This scientist said that some joints have bursa in them (small sacs of fluid) that can expand in bad weather and put pressure on nerves in joints. He was laughed at by the medical establishment. I researched weather and joint pain on Google before writing this article. I hope the man who wrote that article on weather and joint pain is still alive, because now the medical scientists admit that barometric pressure changes can cause pain, and they explain why that happens.

What happens to some people when there is high barometric pressure? This can cause headaches and mood changes. Well, you can’t make a rainstorm go away, but with high barometric pressure you can take aspirin or ibuprofen plus have a scone and a cup of tea.
Maybe people could form their own little weather channel clubs with friends or family. If the weather channel says heavy rain tomorrow, you could sign into your joint pain weather club and see if your family or friends, who get joint pain when it rains, have any joint pain yet. I have already discovered your joints are always right. The same club could send out emails if they have a headache when there is a reading of high barometric pressure in their area of the state. That’s one good excuse to get together with people for tea and goodies!
Angela H. Fichter