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