Happy February!
Do you ever feel like your body is a barometer or a weathervane? Can you feel the changing weather before it actually changes? We were in Chicago last weekend where the weather was rainy and in the 30’s most of the time. I definitely felt the rain coming before it actually arrived. Back home in LA, I was fine until last night as a front moved in with heavy rain all night until about 10 this morning. Needless to say, the aches started well before the rain and Tylenol was necessary to get some sleep. This morning, I wished I could just stay in bed all day.
I decided to take a deep dive into the effects of weather on Parkinson’s, but it was more like putting a toe in the wading pool. Of course, there wasn’t much out there to share with you. I learned that the weather can cause migraines, whether or not you have PD. Parkies generally do not like hot or cold weather. They don’t like rain and dampness either. A perfect day for a Parkie is probably spent at the beach in Hawaii, with the gentle tradewinds blowing. I could live with that. 🙂
However, there is very little research on if and why the weather affects Parkies. Most of it is based on tolerance of hot and cold weather. Most people with PD feel worse in the winter. Everything else I found was anecdotal from Parkies themselves, who do feel the oncoming rainstorms in their bones. Is anyone out there studying barometric lows and Parkinson’s? I could not find anything at all. If you know of anything, please forward it to me.
Exciting News!
Kristine Meldrum, author of Parkinson’s: How to Reduce Symptoms Through Exercise is joining me on Sunday Mornings with Twitchy Woman. Join. us on March 3, 2024 at 10 AM PST, 1 PM EST. This program is open to everyone. You can register for it here.
Gadget of the Week
Shelley Savoy shared a few of her favorite hacks for Parkinson’s:
- Sharpie markers, instead of ballpoint pens or pencils, these markers are much easier to write with.
- Super sticky lined post it notes for square by square longer term planning on any surface … even if my hand writing is not good a particular moment, I can replace a hard to read note on an individual square once I can write with more control. It avoids needing to rewrite the entire plan.
- Clear storage boxes … sleep at night can be difficult. Instead of adding stress to insomnia, I can organize a closet or drawer and use clear storage boxes to categorize items into “keep”, “donate”, and “toss”.
I am not sure that I would organize a drawer or closet in the middle of the night, but I like Shelley’s organizational skills.
Please send your Parkinson’s hacks to me so that I can share them here.
For Care Partners
We now have a new Facebook group for Care Partners. This is a private group for CarePartners only.
Have a great week!
Twitchy Woman 
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