If you have ever spent time around older people, you have probably heard at least one say something to the affect, "It's going to rain because I feel it in my bones". This one is actually true. Anyone, young or old who suffers from arthritis in their joints can predict rain/stormy weather because most storms are preceded by a drop in air pressure. This causes joints afflicted by arthritis to become painful.
image source - Pixabay.com
Dr. Robert Newlin Jamison, PhD, a professor in the departments of psychiatry and anesthesiology at Harvard Medical School and a researcher has studied and published a paper on this very subject. Of the patients in the study, 2/3rd said they could tell a different in their pain levels, before there was any sign of a storm coming.
Dr. David Borenstein, MD, FACP, FACR, a rheumatologist and clinical professor of medicine at George Washington University Medical Center and past president of the American College of Rheumatology agrees with these findings. He explains that the higher the air pressure is, the higher the pressure against our bodies. It works in the same way an elastic bandage wrapped around the affected area would work to help keep the tissues compressed. Remove that bandage (or air pressure) and the tissues expand causing tissues to pull against the tissues damaged by arthritis. Not all scientist agree on this matter and no specific mechanism to cause this has been found.
Many of Dr. Jamison's patients have asked if moving to a city with warmer weather might help. In his study, Dr Jamison found that of the 4 test cities, San Diego, the one with the warmest weather was the one with the highest instances of weather prediction.
So while this old wives tale has not been proved to be 100% true with current scientific testing abilities and a cause has not been found. The percentage of instances reported from the entirety of test subjects indicates there is something too it, even if we don't know why.
Source:
webmd.com