Does Cold Weather Make Your Joints Stiff?

The heavy rain yesterday did not stop me from making a quick trip to the supermarket. Vehicles were slowing down due to the heavy downpour. I feel lucky I live 10-minutes away from the supermarket. I rushed to fill my basket of fresh produce so I can get back to work within an hour. On the way home, I frolicked, splashed and even let my hair catch some spray.

I just realized that I'm getting fond of the rain. Before, rain used to spoil my mood. It reminded me of sad and lonely moments.

I ♥ summer before the climate started changing. Summer meant trips to the beach and Sundays at the park. This year, however, summer had been unbearable. Since it was almost impossible for me to tow 2 hyperactive boys to the mall, we tried so many ways to beat the heat while keeping the electric bill under control.

Now, the rainy season has extended to the cool 'ber months. And my joints are killing me. Does weather influence joint pain? It's definitely not old age! I just found that there is no study that relates cold weather with joint pain. Historically, though, there was a research that show patients suffer increased joint pain and stiffness as barometric pressure drops. However, medical professionals do not find it conclusive due to lack of further research. If cold weather does not make my joints stiff, what does?

I asked mom and she feels the same because of increased uric acid. Hmmm. I found Dr. Steven Chang's article from Daily Dose helpful. Dr Chang shares findings of a study showing that women had 74% higher risk of getting gout from daily consumption of drinks with high fructose. Frusctose is commonly used in sweetened beverages because it is cheap and easy to dissolve. Patients with gout who experience re-occurring joint pain can have gouty arthritis. Worse, it can lead to chronic arthritis. So I better stay away from bottled and canned beverages with high fructose to keep my uric acid level down.

However, the study also noted that women who drank orange juice daily had 41% higher risk of gout than women who drank less. So I guess, going natural isn't always safe. Too much of anything can be harmful. High levels of uric acid may also be due to diabetes, side effect of cancer therapy, Nephrolithiasis or Kidney Stones among others.

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Posted in: gout, Joint, uric acid