In the Northern Hemisphere, many of you have been facing extreme heat. In the Southern Hemisphere, many of you have been facing extreme cold. Each of these causes symptoms to look worse. Keep your faith and defeat your fear…you ARE NOT getting worse!
You need to realize that you are impacted by weather. Parkinson’s sufferer’s in the Northern Hemisphere have been impacted in a harsh way during these last few weeks of summer. If you look in the Parkinson’s Recipe for Recovery®, in cause number 2, you will see that heat agitates wind. This means that internal heat makes you have larger tremors. As you know, larger tremors will set off a worse-looking set of other symptoms.
In the Southern hemisphere, the cold weather tightens rigidity and increases tremors. The body is using extra energy to stay warm. However, your Parkinson’s body was low on energy to begin with, so when the body is needing more energy to stay warm, you will suffer with increased symptoms.
In the Northern Hemisphere, the record hot weather has caused dizziness and fatigue. The difficulty with staying hydrated has caused increases in tremors and slowness. The body is using extra energy to stay mobile. However, your Parkinson’s body was low on energy to begin with, so when the body is needing more energy to stay mobile, you will suffer with increased symptoms.
This does not equate to you getting worse with Parkinson’s. It equates to a shifting in energy for comfort and survival. In the Northern Hemisphere, the body needs a certain amount of water to stay hydrated and to use perspiration to regulate body temperature, and it is prioritizing its energy. In the Southern Hemisphere, the body needs a certain amount of warmth and it is prioritizing its energy. That’s it!
Please know that you are not only impacted by weather, but also that the Parkinson’s body is moving very slowly inside. As a result, recuperating from the effects of extreme weather takes time, so do not be afraid.
When I had Parkinson’s, here is an example of how I realized how slowly my body was moving inside. One evening, Sally and I had roasted beets with our dinner. The next morning, Sally reminded me that beets will bring a reddish color into urine and bowels, so not to be afraid if I saw red in my urine or bowels.
It was three and four days later that there was a reddish color in my urine and bowels. After my full recovery, the reddish color from the beets appeared the next day.
I offer this story so you can understand that heat or cold has built up inside of you and exacerbated your symptoms. By the time your symptoms appeared worse, the heat or cold already had taken hold of you inside, but it took a number of days to appear as worse-looking symptoms. Drinking plenty of water and eating cooling foods (you can go on Google and look up cooling foods) will start the process of cooling you down (or warming foods for those on the Southern hemisphere to warm you up).
Since you already are behind the heat or cold, and your body is moving slowly inside, it will take some time to catch up to the heat or cold.
As you have been struggling, it is important to know that your best is good enough. Not only do you need to know this, but you need to know that each day “your best” will be different than the day before. Don’t judge or criticize yourself…just do your best. And, let your faith defeat your fear.
Click here for a refresher that your best is good enough.
Click here for a refresher on faith over fear.
Be strong. We will get through these extreme temperatures together.
You are worth it!
All my best,
Howard
Thank you Howard
That explains my energy shifts during this hot weather.
How do I change my sleeping pattern as I am waking up every two hours to go to the toilet & drinking water because I am thirsty?
Hi Timothy,
Thank you for your question. If you are drinking two liters of water during the day and are drinking a glass of water before bed, then you are fairly well hydrated. If you are doing that and still having the waking issue every two hours, it is probably because your body is sensing a dehydration possibility with the extreme heat in the UK and is asking for more water. This will subside as you keep hydrated and as the temperatures begin to return to a more normal temperature.
If you are not drinking two liters of water a day, that would be a good place to start to get your body properly hydrated.
With blessings and gratitude,
Howard
Thank you
Your advice as always is spot on.
Hi Howard, as if we didn’t have enough to contend with, the blooming weather has a go at us as well. :-). Yes you are spot on, the weather here has been fabulous. We Irish are not built for hot weather, rain, rain and more rain is what we are used to. I just found my legs became very weak which was really scary. My legs mean I still have my independence so the thoughts of losing that OF COURSE made me worse as well. My mind had a field day. Cried a lot and felt extremely overwhelmed but thank you God and all your angels, I got through it and feel empowered that I survived it. Howard did you tell me once that a few weeks before your recovery that you woke up and your legs just would not move? You just meditated as you rationalised that they were fine before you went to sleep. So that kept me grounded, cheers friend.
Big love to all my warrior comrades,
Karen xx
Hi Karen,
Thank you for your comment and question, which you answered correctly. Toward the end of my recovery, I woke up from a nap and could not move at all, only my eyes. After the initial panic, I thought for a moment that I had been okay one hour earlier, so I meditated and prayed. When I next opened my eyes, I had my mobility back…Parkinson’s impacted mobility, that is.
Love and blessings,
Howard
Cheers Howard xx
Thanks, Howard! This is an amazing blog.
Hi Howard, I am new to your blog but so glad I found it! I’ve been looking for inspiration and you have given it to me!! Thank you!!
So, which is more detrimental: summer heat (with air conditioning) or winter cold with snow/ice making being outside a fall hazard. Both worsen symptoms. Thanks.
Hot weather is weakening my legs. I don’t like this weather at all, it’s overall too hot for me. 31celsius, makes me lazy, walking like granny’s. Instead of getting afraid I thought: let’s having a look if Howard wrote something about it, and here it is. Thanks Howard for this explanation, otherwise I would get frightened of the symptoms. 🌺🌺🌺