May/June magic... how does it work?

[sb4]

@Orla It seems to me that you do open curtains some time (2hrs) after waking. This means you will be getting more light in summer no?

I don't know much about atmospheric pressure but I do know light can be massively beneficial. More so than most here think.

 

[Orla]

@Orla It seems to me that you do open curtains some time (2hrs) after waking. This means you will be getting more light in summer no?

Sorry the point I was trying to make was that I can sometimes feel a massive improvement overnight, before I open curtains etc. so the improvement can't be put down primarily to getting more light, as the improvement is felt before any experience of greater light. I also get some of this in winter, with the shorter days, if we have a run of dry days with reasonable weather I will sometimes notice an improvement (it depends a bit on what else is going on with symptoms, but that also applies in the summer).

I have gone abroad for short holidays a few times since getting sick, to much better climates, and I feel a big improvement there also. Admitedly some of that is from not doing stuff I would be doing at home, which leaves more energy for doing other things, but I think the weather is a big factor also.

If I had the money I would move abroad for the winter, or maybe permanently. But as I don't have the money it is not an option.

 

[sb4]

If I had the money I would move abroad for the winter, or maybe permanently. But as I don't have the money it is not an option.

Me too.

Maybe as an experiment you could try getting as much sun as possible this year and see what happens symptoms wise. It's been OK so far in northern england...

 

[rwac]

I'm the opposite-ish. My flare up this time started in May. And 3 years ago, my last major flare up, was from May to August. Funny enough, no issues for the last two summers.

May has been pretty hot so far. How high have the temps been in Iowa? Maybe your metabolism isn't up to operating at the higher temps.

 

[PennyIA]

May has been pretty hot so far. How high have the temps been in Iowa? Maybe your metabolism isn't up to operating at the higher temps.

There were a handful of days in the 80's and 90's, but for the most part it's been running in the 60's and 70's. :-/

So, I don't really get it.

 

[Forbin]

According to this article, some gene expression follows a seasonal pattern. In part, this is thought to prepare the immune system to fight winter infections. The mechanism that signals the seasonal changes is unknown, or at least is not consistent from region to region.

The article:
https://www.wired.com/2015/05/dna-changes-seasons-just-like-weather/

The paper itself appears in Nature Communications, an open access journal published by the same group that publishes Nature.

From the paper's abstract:

With regards to tissue function, the immune system has a profound pro-inflammatory transcriptomic profile during European winter, with increased levels of soluble IL-6 receptor and C-reactive protein, risk biomarkers for cardiovascular, psychiatric and autoimmune diseases that have peak incidences in winter.
https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms8000

 

[virtual]

However multiple sclerosis seems to be linked to the rhythm also - but symptoms worsen from March to August:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/...-experience-worse-symptoms-warmer-months.html

 

[gregh286]

Every year, comes May/June all my symptoms are reduced by some kind of magic I don't even begin to understand.

Sure, temperature is mild, almost ideal, there's more hours of light etc.. but I still don't get it.. where's the trick? How the heck does a boost in temperature improve 30 different symptoms? From generalized pain, inflammation, digestive issues, brain fog, anxiety, histamine issues etc... etc...

I don't even need to be outside in the sun or warm spring air, I can stay all day long indoors and still get the benefit of May/June's magic.

I can swallow bucketloads of supplements, herbs and medications and still get nowhere near the kind of improvements I typically get around this time of the year!

My question is: do we really understand how these physiological changes happen, what modulates them, which mechansims etc...?

For me the difference between mid January and mid May is typically like day and night. At this point I guess I should save all the money I throw at doctors and pharmacists and move to a place with spring weather all year round, like Malaga or S.Diego

But seriously, I don't effing get it!

Earlier sunrise.
Our body sense the change and we come out more from state of torpor we are all in. Metabolism speeds up.
I get this in may..June too.
Same thing for people in oz would happen in Nov.
Autumn comes and we go back to torpor for the darkness.