Human Physiological Effects of Weather and Earth Environment

[Turtle]

Hot as hell! Without contextual clarification it may refer actually to the weather, or metaphorically to a human temperament. I have this on mind principally becaue we have a heat wave going in my region that's making things hot as hell.

So, staying with the topic, what other human physiological effects do we suffer that the weather or other Earth environment(s) cause?

Ninety-four And Rising,

Turtle

:eek_big:

[ughaibu]

According to Paul Simons (Amazon.com: Weird Weather: Books: Paul Simons http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0316791792/102-7236403-5024143?v=glance&n=283155) school playground fights double in frequency with winds of force 6 or greater, also half of all heart attacks and strokes occur at force 4 or 5.

[hallenrm]

We are suffering high humidity, it is rainy seasons (monsoons) and the weather is grumpy, add to it the waterlogging of streets, it invariably leads to high tempers!

[Zythryn]

Winters, especially long winters seem to depress people. I have heard some say it is simply the lack of sun (shorter days). Anyone from Alaska or northern Canada?

[Queso]

so is it true what they say?

Are we forcing ourselves to adapt to the heat?

 

Or are we just coming out of an ice age and ignorant?

 

Or one of the other copius allotment of possibilities~

[Zythryn]

so is it true what they say?

Are we forcing ourselves to adapt to the heat?

 

Or are we just coming out of an ice age and ignorant?

 

 

In either case, we must adapt or perish. It doesn't matter if we are the cause of the climate change or it is a natural change.

 

However, I believe the point of this thread is more about the effects of the current weather, not so much speculating what is going to happen in the future.

 

For example, how are you affected by a rainy day?

[Queso]

Hah.

 

Every day is a rainy day in florida.

 

In one day I have rain, insane winds, a beating sun, thunder SO LOUD, lightning everywhere

And it comes and goes all the time

so fast, unpredictable (almost)

and then at the end of the day

EXPLOSIONS in the sky.

 

But then it's balanced because here,

the seasons don't change.

 

Thus, the people don't change.

The people here are like the weather.

 

I get creative when it rains,

and there's thunder blocking out all the other sounds.

 

I get depressed when it's too sunny.

 

TOO SUNNY.

 

I get it.

[InfiniteNow]

it invariably leads to high tempers!

Indeed. I've posted on this point a few times here.

 

 

http://hypography.com/forums/philosophy-humanities/5220-conflict-21st-century.html#post80253

 

 

http://hypography.com/forums/biology/5205-evolution-climate.html#post80116

[Turtle]

However, I believe the point of this thread is more about the effects of the current weather, not so much speculating what is going to happen in the future.

 

For example, how are you affected by a rainy day?

 

In retrospect I might have written the title more consisely....but I was hot as hell.:) Anyway, I did have in mind the more immediate reactions of the body to weather & other Earth environmental factors.

One of my housemates is extremely sensitive to sudden changes in barometric pressure, which trigger migraine attacks.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/headaches/AN00751

The "Winter blues' they now call "Seasonal Affective Disorder". (SAD)

http://www.nmha.org/infoctr/factsheets/27.cfm

Earthquakes & their precursors make some people feel ill (myself included); the most studied case is Charlotte King.

http://www.viser.net/~charking/

I get creative when it rains,

and there's thunder blocking out all the other sounds.

Good point Orby; so far we have only considered "hot" as a deragator, when in fact "hot" may refer to positive human physiological change. The "hottest" poet on the planet is Orby, for example. July is typically my most creative month as well as the most emmotionally unsettling. One might say I get passionate about my work.:cup:

[InfiniteNow]

There's also the "Seasonal Affective Disorder," or "SAD." This is a real and studied phenomena whereby the amount of light available, if it's raining or not, temp, etc... all have an impact on us our sense of well-being.

 

http://www.mentalhealth.com/book/p40-sad.html

 

Retinal mechanisms have been proposed as an etiology of SAD. Using flash electroretinography, Lam et al found reduced b-wave amplitudes in female SAD patients, but not in males. Ozaki et al replicated the finding of reduced electrooculographic (EOG) ratios in SAD. These results support a hypothesis of reduced retinal light sensitivity in SAD. In contrast, Oren et al did not find differences in a number of different electrophysiologic measures of ophthalmologic function.

 

In preliminary brain imaging studies, Cohen et al studied seven winter SAD patients with positron emission tomography (PET) and found abnormalities in the prefrontal and parietal cortex areas. In another PET study of nine patients with a summer pattern of SAD, abnormalities were noted in the orbital frontal cortex and in the left inferior parietal lobule.

 

 

Cheers. :cup:

[Turtle]

Let's not forget the physiological effects of altitude:

Traveling at high altitude can be hazardous. The information provided here is designed for educational use only and is not a substitute for specific training or experience. Princeton University and the author assume no liability for any individual's use of or reliance upon any material contained or referenced herein. This paper is prepared to provide basic information about altitude illnesses for the lay person. Medical research on high altitude illnesses is always expanding our knowledge of the causes and treatment. When going to altitude it is your responsibility to learn the latest information. The material contained in this article may not be the most current. Copyright © 1995 Rick Curtis, Outdoor Action Program, Princeton University.

 

http://www.princeton.edu/~oa/safety/altitude.html

THE LITERATURE ON PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY of Latin America continues to grow both in quality and quantity. Substantial new biological research on native populations in the Americas has provided additional illustrative examples of different processes of evolution, including genetic drift, hybridization, and natural selection. The variety of topics represented, ranging from prehistoric skeletal morphology to nutrition, high altitude physiology, cross-cultural healing practices, genetic variability, and population growth, all have a common denominator in the analytical focus upon evolution and adaptation. A new journal in the field first appeared in 1988: American Journal of Human Biology (New York: Liss Publishers).

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/hlas/ss51anthro-halberstein.html

 

Post Script: As a note of clarification, I have presumed emotional states are physiological phenomena.

[HydrogenBond]

Atmospheric pressure also plays an affect. Some people can tell a change of weather by their trick knee acting up.

 

I know when I was living up north in Massachusetts, the seasonal changes appeared to have an impact on my behavior. I liked the summer the best. It seemed to be a time of more vitality. Everyone is outside doing stuff. Spring time was more bi-polar with nice pre-summer days and rainy post winter cool days. The fall was more industrious. While the winter was a good time to take up a hobby, especially after the superbowl.

 

Now I live in N Florida but am still sort of in a northern cycle. N Florida skips the winter and goes from long summer to short fall to short spring. It is almost always sunny, at least part of the day, 300+ days a year with PM thunder showers, especially in the summer. It was a little adjustment, expecting the fall but still having many more months of summer and then having to turn part of fall into winter hobby time. The spring time is great and has become the time of renewed vitality. The vitality seems to last longer, until the summer heat and humidity slows you down. It almost creates a new season between two summers, i.e, spring summer and fall summer. It become the time of warm summer nights.

[Turtle]

Then we have those unfortunate souls who seem to attract lightning. Gird your loins for this one gentlemen:

 

June 18, 1999: Either lightning is attracted to testosterone, or men spend an inordinate amount of time outdoors swinging metal objects about. Men are struck by lightning four times more often than women.

 

http://science.nasa.gov/newhome/headlines/essd18jun99_1.htm

[hallenrm]

Thanks Turtle for the links you suggested on the various ailment associated with weather, I gathered a lot of useful info from these sites.

 

One thought that recurred during my readings, is about the ancient medical system that originated in India, the Ayurveda. This system did recognize the association of certain ailments that occur to only a few during certain weather conditions.

 

Although, I have not done an extensive research on this subject, my subjective experience suggests that there is some substance in these thoughts.

 

What do you think about it, I am keenly waiting for your response. ;)

[Turtle]

One thought that recurred during my readings, is about the ancient medical system that originated in India, the Ayurveda. This system did recognize the association of certain ailments that occur to only a few during certain weather conditions.

 

Although, I have not done an extensive research on this subject, my subjective experience suggests that there is some substance in these thoughts.

 

What do you think about it, I am keenly waiting for your response. :)

 

I have only recently encountered Ayurveda, and that in the way of the film Ayurveda: The Art of Being featuring Brahmanand Swamigal. I found it fascinating! The highlight for me is that not only has Brahmanand Swamigal mastered some 20 or more specialties of Ayurveda, he holds a western PhD as well. He is working assiduously to bridge the two sciences and I find it a worthy and commemndable effort.

As to the Ayurveda & weather, the film didn't mention it as I recall. Do you rememeber any specific weather conditions and/or types of "certain" people? Have you seen the film I mention? ;)

[hallenrm]

Unfortunately No, but I often read a column about Ayurveda by a modern Ayurveda Guru, called Deepak Chopra M.D.

 

According to Ayurveda different people can be classified into three groups according to the Doshas (maladies) that they are born with. I hope you will be able to find more about it by surfing the Net.

[Turtle]

Atmospheric pressure also plays an affect. Some people can tell a change of weather by their trick knee acting up.

 

Or their back. Oh my aching back! Our barometer here is rising & falling like a yo-yo this past week & it's killin' me...again. The last disk in my spine is compacted (crushed?) to half its normal size and the rapid changes in barometric pressure brings on what we called in the old days the rheumatiz.

These same sudden changes in barometric pressure trigger migraines in people; one of my housemates suffers from this.

:) :D