We often get asked if we're able to link other ailments to the Mediclim Index and hence to weather changes, and, if we can, why don't we?

The answer is that we have no doubt that other health problems have a weather component amongst their triggers but, as yet, there is no available, statistical proof. And we take pains to offer only well founded information to our subscribers.

However, we do have plans in the works to resolve this problem...in the following way. We intend to invite people who suffer from illnesses other than our five core diseases to log in with us, weekly, for 26 weeks. During that period we will send a weekly reminder email that asks them to log in to a personal diary to say which, if any, of the preceeding seven days their ailment has kicked up. After 26 weeks we hope to be able to tell which of our 14 Mediclim weather states is the most likely, according to their personal record, to cause them a problem.

We will then alert the subscriber when that weather pattern is passing through their area, in just the same way that we do now for the five core diseases.

In this way we will be able to help people with other diseases we are interested in, such as fibromyalgia, epilepsy, c.o.p.d. and emphysema, allergies, eczema, epilepsy, Alzheimers (via their caregivers), and chronic fatigue syndrome. This list is not yet complete by the way. 

We will also be able to help people whose problem lies outside those ailments we have specifically listed. Using this method, anyone who thinks his or her health concern is weather related will be able to find out.

We will also be able to correlate the information (without identifying people specifically, of course) and publish it, so that others can take advantage of it.

We're thinking of calling this program the V.R.P....the Volunteer Research Program. If you can think of a better name, please let me know.

John Bart.