Barometric pressure and headaches

So, when I was young and fancy free in Wroclaw, Poland back in the 90s, I laughed when my Polish host family members told me about the horrible effects of changing pressure systems upon one's health. They assured me that barometric pressure fluctuations were the culprit behind many a headache, cold, or other bodily ill. It was certain. I can't tell you how many times I asked a friend how he/she was doing and his/her response included something about low or high pressure. Time and time again, I looked at people blank-faced and thought to myself, "Changing barometric pressure: get over it. It can't be that bad." Mind you, I was raised by a father whose favorite phrase was 'buck up'. But, I'd be a liar if I didn't admit I personally feel more aches and joint pain when it rains. The bottom line is quite simple: weather affects us whether we like it or not.

Besides barometric pressure, Poles tend to focus on drafts. I never new the litany of horrors caused by drafts. One hot, sweaty, and entirely unpleasant overnight train journey from Krakow to Frankfurt an der Oder (80 Km east of Berlin) in 1999, my brother Mark and I found out drafts are absolutely never allowed. That's right - no matter how hot a train car in the winter might be, one never, ever opens the window in the middle of winter - even if the windows are steaming and your lungs feel as if they might burst from lack of free-flowing air - because the ensuing draft will make you sick. It became a game. Mark got up a couple of times to open the window and our Polish traveling companions would proceed to close it shortly thereafter. After numerous attempts, Mark, exasperated, just gave up and gasped for breath, lifting his shirt and sweater for a bit of relief. I, on the other hand, exercised extraordinary skill in mind over matter as relates to Polish old wives tales.

Today I was sitting at my desk, trying to clear up my cluttered email inbox and catch up on some reading, when I was overcome with none other than a full-fledged headache, with pressure in my temples and above the eyes. My head felt as if it were Sputnik, and about ready to explode. Of course, we had a rather severe change in weather pattern between yesterday and today. Funny how life works, but after all these years, I totally agree with my Central European friends. My headaches come and go with fluctuations in barometric pressure. I also fall victim to drafts all the time.

That said, I still open my window for fresh air whenever I feel like it - after all, I'm an American.