Feeling under the weather?
MY FRIEND THERESA has asthma. She manages it well and controls it with an inhaler when needed, and she has an awareness of the things that trigger her asthma attacks: hot weather, humidity, cold weather, and often physical exertion and exercise.
Theresa uses a phone app that helps her control her asthma. It comes from the website accuweather.com. It’s under respiratory rates and reports, on a scale of 1-8, how the weather will affect various respiratory conditions.
Many people with chronic conditions, like asthma, heart disease, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and other health challenges, say they watch the weather forecast very carefully and focus on two weather measures: relative humidity and dewpoint. Some people say that their bodies can predict the weather.
I asked Jay Berschback, Channel 13’s Chief Meteorologist, to explain to me the two weather terms that many people watch out for but really cannot explain, other than that they affect how their bodies function.
Jay explained, “Humidity and the dew point are two of the most confusing concepts in meteorology. You’re not alone when it comes to not completely understanding the difference and impacts of each variable.”
Dew point is the temperature at which dew forms or the air becomes saturated. It’s the amount of moisture in the air. Dew points in the 50s are generally comfortable. Dew points in the 60s can make it a bit muggy. Dew points in the 70s are tropical/ oppressive to most people. The human body, and other animals, cool down by sweating. When the dew point is higher, the sweat doesn’t evaporate as quickly, or at all. This reduces the body’s ability to cool down. Theresa pays attention to relative humidity and dew point. She says that these measures give her an awareness of how weather might make her body behave that day.
Relative humidity is the amount of moisture in the air compared to the amount of moisture the air can hold. Think of the air as a bucket of water. If the bucket is nearly empty, it’s like having a relative humidity of 0-5%, like the dessert. When the bucket is half full, it’s like having a relative humidity of 50%, a common reading. When the bucket is full, the relative humidity is 100%, like a rain forest/foggy morning/in a cloud. When the relative humidity hits 100%, the air is saturated and can’t hold any more water.
When the temperature and dew point readings are far apart (like a temp of 80 and a dew point of 50), it’s comfortable. When the temperature and dew point are closer together (like a temp of 80 and a dew point of 70), it can become uncomfortable.
But for many of us who know that our bodies will not work their best on days of high humidity or a high dewpoint, we don’t need to completely understand these concepts. We Just need to be aware of the weather those days.
Weather affects our health. We, in the 21st century, are not the only weather-sensitive people. Health writer Richard Leviton tells of some famous people who felt weather affected their health. In his later years, the 19th century poet Wolfgang von Goethe took to carrying a barometer with him to foresee what indispositions he risked from each day’s weather. One of his contemporaries, French philosopher Maine de Brian, wrote, “There is no atmospheric change, no matter how slight, which escapes my sensitive system.”
Hippocrates, the Greek father of medicine, in his pre-Christian-era book On Airs, Waters, and Places, described the links between human health and weather. That advice to physicians might have laid the foundation for a future scientific field: biometeorology.
Although research is a bit scarce, there does seem to be a case for studying weather and what it does to our bodies. Our bodies tell us that there is a link between our physical well-being and what’s in the air. Biometeorology is the study of the relationship between living organisms and weather. The motivation for forming the International Society of Biometeorology (ISB) was to bring together scientists from around the world who were working in the field of Biometeorology to exchange information and ideas. The ISB was founded on August 29, 1956, at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France. The foundation was initiated by the geologist Dr. S.W. Tromp (The Netherlands), the meteorologist Dr. H. Ungeheuer (Germany), and several human physiologists of which Dr. F. Sargent II (USA) became the first President. The organization validates the fact that life has an important relationship with weather.
When you watch the weather report, remember that nature is affecting us in the world. If you don’t completely understand the weather terms, you don’t have to. Just know that when the numbers go up, your body will be affected. Be aware of the numbers and know that we are part of creation and weather affects everything on this wonderful planet!
Sister Karen Zielinski is the Director of Canticle Studio. Canticle Studio is a part of the Sisters of St. Francis of Sylvania, OH’s overall advancement effort and has a mission of being a creative center where artists generate works, products, and services in harmony with the mission of the Sisters St. Francis. She can be reached at kzielins@sistersosf.org or 419-824-3543.
