Naturheilzentrum Bottrop health news – why the weather can really bother us
Headaches, migraines and the body’s circulation going haywire – naturopaths recommend cold arm baths
The sun is shining down from the heavens. The temperatures have clearly risen over the 15-degree mark – even before lunchtime. But right now in spring, such days are not yet the rule. The weather more or less changes overnight. Dense clouds greet us in the morning instead of a bright blue sky. We can safely exchange the lightweight jacket for the winter parka coat. April does what it wants – as we say in the vernacular. And this maxim is correct, as is so often the case.
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The antics that the weather engages in – currently, regularly and in rapid succession – not only dampen good moods. They also lead to health problems for many People. Abrupt changes in the weather conditions are a real stress factor, in particular. “The reason is obvious,” says Farid Zitoun from Naturheilzentrum Bottrop. “They demand that organisms make quick adjustments.”
“The Human body reacts to weather and temperature changes,” Christian Rüger adds. The core temperature must remain constant at 37 degrees Celsius. This means very hard work for our system when the temperature changes suddenly. The body’s reaction often results in headaches. And problems with the circulation, which many People then suffer from, are also cause for complaint. Meteoropathy is the key word.
Weather can affect our state of health – but it does not really make you ill
“We talk about ‘meteoropathy’ when temperature and climate changes lead to clearly defined adverse effects on the state of our health.” But the naturopaths from Bottrop’s prevention and rehabilitation center agree that the weather does not really make you ill. ‘Meteoropathy’, as Angela Schuh, professor of medical climatology at the Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich, writes in her book on bio-weather, is based to a large extent on the whole body lacking training. The result is that the body can no longer adapt quickly enough to different weather conditions with the right physical procedures.
The more dramatic the weather change, the greater the impact on the state of our health
It is primarily the swift, extreme weather changes, which cause such problems. The more dramatic the weather change, the greater the impact on the state of our health. The body’s individual ability to adapt plays a decisive role, say the practitioners from the naturopathic practice in the Ruhr area. If the regulatory capacity of those affected is limited by certain diseases, there can be problems. For example, in People whose blood pressure is too high or too low, with values that differ from the norm. The weather often causes them problems.
Researchers have tried to find out how exactly the weather and its different manifestations affect Human beings, within the framework of a comprehensive study on meteoropathy. This study was commissioned by the Federal Environment Agency in 2013 (http://www.dwd.de/en/home/home_node.html;jsessionid=0e0fb3aebb6c57ff7ce18b8bc5020f06.live11043). Allensbach Institute surveyed 1,623 citizens on the topic. Half of them were of the opinion that the weather had an influence on their health. 59 percent complained of headaches and migraines, 55 percent of tiredness and (49 percent) fatigue. Joint pain (42%) and sleep disorders (40%) were also cited as symptoms.
Weather-related pain affects women rather than men
Researchers in Great Britain have also focused intensively on this topic. Researchers from the University of Manchester have used the data of 9,000 People with chronic pain as the basis for their study. They wanted to know whether there is a connection between the weather and the pain experienced by the volunteers. These volunteers came from three British cities (Leeds, Norwich and London). They were asked to keep a detailed diary of their pain over a period of several months. The results showed that the pain level decreased when the temperatures rose (February to April). In July, it then became much worse again. It is the opinion of the scientists that this was due to the damp and warm weather during this period.
There isn’t yet any evidence of so-called weather-related pain. It is being investigated further. The British scientists want to present further results that strengthen their hypothesis in the second quarter of this year. However, it is already clear to them that weather-related pain affects women more often than men. This also applies to general weather complaints. But no matter whether you’re male or female, it is the cold weather, above all, which has a far more critical effect on our health. Weather also affects children quite frequently.
A lukewarm foot bath boosts the circulation when the weather fluctuates
Farid Zitoun and Christian Rüger know from experience that a lukewarm footbath can help to boost the circulation when the weather fluctuates. “It’s best with a handful of cooking salt or medicinal salt from the pharmacy.” Arm baths also have a soothing effect. Simply fill the washbasin with cold water and dip in both arms up to the middle of your upper arms. Gently move them to and fro. Take your arms out after 20 seconds and dry them off. “You can also try a scaled-down version of this at your job or workplace,” explains Christian Rüger: simply run cold water over the pulse of both your hands. “But for no longer than a minute.”
