Under the Weather: How Weather and Climate Affect Our Health [Paperback]

Pat Thomas (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2004

An entertaining and fact-filled look at the links between health and climate, this book details both short-term symptoms and life-threatening conditions that can be aggravated by the weather. It explains how to be protected from the extremes of weather as well as how to ease weather-related symptoms. Startling weather-related observations include evidence that the onset of labor is more common when barometric pressure is falling; migraines can be made much worse by cold and winds; deaths from heart disease are more common on days when there are blustery winds bringing changeable temperatures; changes in humidity can cause scar tissue to ache; and patients with noninherited forms of schizophrenia are twice as likely to have been born in extreme weather conditions as those with the inherited form of the disease.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"There is no other comparable book on atmospheric impacts on human health." -- Weather Reviews

"This book will take its place as an important contribution to natural and complementary medicine." -- Islands

"Transcends the folklore . . . an important contribution to natural and complementary medicine." -- Library Journal

About the Author

Pat Thomas has written 25 books, including Cleaning Yourself to Death, Overcoming Headaches, and Alternative Therapies for Pregnancy and Birth. She regularly writes health columns for Here's Health, The Guardian, and Health and Fitness.

Product Details

• Paperback: 257 pages
• Publisher: Vision (June 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1904132308
• ISBN-13: 978-1904132301
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #738,984 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Thought provoking...., July 24, 2005

By 

C. Klock (Madison, WI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Under the Weather: How Weather and Climate Affect Our Health (Paperback)

Although I'll stop short of saying this is a scientific book, I will say that it is thought provoking. Protected from the weather by air-conditioning and other modern conveniences, have we tuned out to the impacts that come with living on Planet Earth? According to Ms Thomas, 35% of the world's population is 'weather sensitive' leading to mood disorders, forgetfulness, headache, and a host of others problems. Filled with interesting facts and a long list of references, this well-written book is worth a read for those interested in branching past traditional medicine and into the realm of alternative health.

3.0 out of 5 stars Accessible and entertaining, but not always correct, January 21, 2012

By 

e. verrillo (williamsburg, ma) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Under the Weather: How Weather and Climate Affect Our Health (Paperback)

This is a fun little book that covers all bases when it comes to climate and health - from migraines to murder rates. Step by step, Thomas takes us through everything from how local weather can affect vulnerable populations, such as the elderly, to how global warming will affect us all. The chapters include the effects of the seasons upon health (immune system depression in the spring, increased heart attacks and strokes in winter due to increased blood thickness), phases of the moon (increased violence and accidents during the full and new moons), windstorms (higher SAT scores!, but more migraines), heat waves, winter chills, thunder storms, and even how the environment inside buildings can increase lung ailments. All this and more, is conveyed in a completely down-to-earth style that makes this short 196-page paperback a pleasurable read.

While I appreciated the wealth of information Thomas packed into this volume, I could not find verification for some of the scientific claims she made. Thomas often couches these claims in vague phrases such as "it is thought," which makes them hard to track down. However, when references were given, I did look them up. What I found in some cases were studies which did not, in fact, back up the claims Thomas was making (e.g. melatonin levels in CFS patients were not proven to be abnormal in the study cited, although Thomas claims the reverse). Nor could I find anything at all to confirm the claim that increased serotonin causes a spike in adrenaline. As an aficionado of neuroendocrine responses to weather change, I was disappointed that there was no backup for these claims in the medical/scientific literature.

This is, I realize, a book intended for a popular audience, rather than an academic one. Nevertheless, I have the expectation that whenever anybody makes a scientific claim in print they will check their sources carefully, rather than leave the legwork up to the readers.

3 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars How True, March 31, 2005

By 

Dr Adam Weiss (Buffalo Grove,IL.) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Under the Weather: How Weather and Climate Affect Our Health (Paperback)

I think anyone who suffers from any phyiscal aliment or emotional distress during certain times a year should really read this book.