Robin Fairbairns wrote:
>
> i've noticed the damp effect. i've also seen re****ts that the effect
> is related to atmospheric pressure (low pressure, which tends to
> signal rain in this country, causes problems). i've never seen a
> detailed study of either claim.
starting from the premise that with over 100 forms of arthritis, each
will have it's own distinct response to such influences - there have
been numerous studies over the past 10 years that are properly run, and
show the connection [disclosure, i was in one of 'em]:
"Further sup****t for an effect on atmospheric pressure in arthritis was
published in the Proceedings of the Western Pharmacology Society in
2004. In this prospective, double blind study, 92 patients with
osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis were compared to a control group
of 42 subjects. The authors concluded that the osteoarthritis patients
experienced increased joint pain with a low atmospheric pressure while
low temperature increased the risk of joint pain in the rheumatoid
group. Another study published in the Journal of Rheumatology in 2004
demonstrated that high humidity was unfavorable for arthritis patients.
Based on these particular studies, it would seem that a location that
tends to have a higher barometric pressure and lower humidity would
represent a favorable environment for arthritis patients."
also:
# The Effect of Simultaneous Variations of Humidity and Barometric
Pressure on Arthritis
# Joseph P. Hollander and Sarantos Y. Yeostros
# AIBS Bulletin, Vol. 13, No. 3 (Jun., 1963), pp. 24-28 (article
consists of 5 pages)
# Published by: American Institute of Biological Sciences
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb4365/is_200505/ai_n15251829
Study finds knee arthritis pain does predict changes in barometric
pressure, temperature.(Rheumatology)
Findings from a study conducted by Dr. McAlindon and his colleagues at
Tufts-New England Medical Center, Boston, suggest that persons with knee
osteoarthritis do indeed have greater pain when there are changes in
barometric pressure.
The study was conducted from March 2000 to May 2003 and included about
200 people with knee osteoarthritis in 41 U.S. states.
Purpose
Individuals with osteoarthritis often assert that change in the weather
influences their pain, but the evidence is inconclusive. Our objective
was to determine if short-term weather parameters influence knee
osteoarthritis pain.
Methods
"We performed a longitudinal analysis of pain re****ts from a 3-month
clinical trial among individuals with knee osteoarthritis dispersed
across the United States. Daily values for temperature, barometric
pressure, dew point, precipitation, and relative humidity were obtained
from the weather station closest to each participant. We used a
longitudinal mixed-model random effects analysis with a first-order
autoregressive error structure to test for associations while accounting
for within-patient correlation.
Results
The study included 200 participants with knee osteoarthritis. Their mean
age was 60 years (standard deviation [SD] 9.4), 64% were female, and
10.5% were African American or Hispanic. They had a mean body mass index
of 32.5 kg/m2 (SD 8.4) and a baseline WOMAC pain score of 9.0 (SD 3.4).
There were consistent associations of pressure change and ambient
temperature with pain severity (change in barometric pressure,
coefficient = 1.14, P = .02, ambient temperature = -0.01, P = .004;
adjusted mutually and for age, gender, body mass index, nonsteroidal
anti-inflammatory drug use, opiate use, and prior pain score).
Interaction terms between change in barometric pressure and ambient
temperature had no influence in the models.
Conclusions
Changes in barometric pressure and ambient temperature are independently
associated with osteoarthritis knee pain severity."
and a fairly new one:
http://news.healingwell.com/index.php?p=news1&id=521836
now, there are always those, like Dr. Amos Tversky, a Stanford
University psychologist who try to find a 'mind' based reason - and just
can't allow themselves to actually look at the studies.
>
> however, the suggestion that excess iron in the body would "rust" is
> plain silly. one of the real problems with treating anaemia is
> persuading the body to take up the iron in the drugs offered; this is
> because, to make it soluble at all, the iron has to be in a compound
> form, and for it to be taken up it has to be chelated into an organic
> compound in the body. in neither case is the iron available to
> "rust".
>
> in any case, if iron is such a devil, why doesn't popeye, who subsists
> on an iron-rich vegetable, a martyr to arthritis?
>
> note 1: that last sentence wasn't intended to be on the same level as
> the rest.
>
> note 2: i haven't studied chemistry since the 1960s: i gave it up to
> become a mathematician. so it's probably easy to pick holes in my
> chemistry, but the basic principles are as likely as not "sound".
> --
> Robin Fairbairns, Cambridge
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