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Any body any advice on where in France the climate is relatively good for rheumatism? Where we are in the Haute Vienne is as you would expect from how green everywhere is very bad news for rheumatism.

Much to my amazement Isabel and I improved no end during a week back in London.

Regards

Anton Redman

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According to my ex GP there is no such ailment - it is a generic term for aches and pains.  If you have arthritis (which you probably do) then weather/symptoms can vary with the person. The worse month in the UK is supposed to be July (well this is what I was told). I have improved mine with cod-liver oil caps and Glycosimine (?sP?).  For some a dry September/October helps her to forget just how bad it gets while during last winter which was waterlogged to put it mildly it was not as bad as I thought it would be.

There is more than one form of arthritis and also fibromyalgia which is similar in pain but a quite different disease. You need to get what you have diagnosed and then treated. Life is much better if you do. I have never been tested but with my symptoms and family history there seems to be no argument.

Arthritis is more common in women and you also tend to be genetically suseptable.

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These old houses can get quite damp when it has been raining for a bit. I suffer from AS and find that our Zibro Clima deshumidificateur makes a real difference. When we first moved in, the house had been empty for several months, it sucked many many litres of water out of it. We were emptying the receiver twice a day for a week. We only put it on now when the relative humidity gets above about 58%. Tends to run more in winter as there is not a great deal of point if all the windows are open.......does make a difference......Good luck for the future, we don't regret making the move here......John in Dept 79

PS Can I just say that I agree very much with Di and that you need a formal diagnosis from a rheumatologist. Taking Ibuprofen type or similar anti-inflamatories, even the over the counter ones, is down right dangerous for some folk. Even some GPs seem too keen to try these without the patient seeing a specialist. I nearly lost my mother to these some years ago as they can cause stomach ulcers. Sorry to bang this particular gong but I feel very strongly about this! No point in me talking about the climate in Deux Sevres, other than to say that it too is quite green, as I am on 2 grams of salazopyrene a day and that knocks out the AS pretty well. No one knows for sure why the damp effects some folk other than there being talk at some time about oxygen levels being low on damp days. You may care to look at:

 http://www.arc.org.uk/about_arth/infosheets/6258/6258.htm 

PPS Still wondering about radon gas levels in the cellar, no connection with the above.

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There are Rhumatalogue's in France, maybe they could give advice about what appears to be a maladie here called rhumatisme.

I had an accident in the late 1970's and hurt my spine/shoulder blade region and I only get aching spasms with it in mid summer, never in winter, which I always find slightly odd.

 

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[quote]Any body any advice on where in France the climate is relatively good for rheumatism? Where we are in the Haute Vienne is as you would expect from how green everywhere is very bad news for rheumatis...[/quote]

Somewhere in the deep and dark recesses of my mind I seem to remember reading the fact that The Lot is supposed to be beneficial to arthritis sufferers. This is probably due to the extremely dry/arid geological makeup of this region.  Very little water in the form of streams etc in some parts.  It's mostly underground. 

No doubt Iceni will be able to confirm this fact or disown it since the area is far more familiar to them being permanent residents. 

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[quote]These old houses can get quite damp when it has been raining for a bit. I suffer from AS and find that our Zibro Clima deshumidificateur makes a real difference. When we first moved in, the house had ...[/quote]

I have AS too John! I also live in Deux Sevres. I have found that the drier climate and shorter winters have meant tat I haven't had so many flare ups. Also, I have had fewer colds since moving here: 2 in 2 years as opposed to 5 per year on avaerage. That has helped too. I find I am generally healthier, but could that be less stress perhaps, as I was very stressed at work in the UK.

 

Have you seen www.nass.com ? Bit gloomy at times but can be very informative

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[quote]Somewhere in the deep and dark recesses of my mind I seem to remember reading the fact that The Lot is supposed to be beneficial to arthritis sufferers. This is probably due to the extremely dry/arid ...[/quote]

Bits of the Lot are very dry and we have friends who live in a hot dry bit and they have our sympathy - great if you like growing stones but not much else. The husband is also having quite a few elbow problems so perhaps it is not the best place.

We are in a wet part of the Lot, green fields and trees. We came here because we wanted to garden so would not have gone for a dry arid area.

We came from one of the dryest areas in the UK and it was far more painful there, but as someone else mentioned, stress is a big factor. My neck problems have almost gone and so the daily headaches as well. We eat a really good diet over here and we have tried to grow as much fresh veg as we can - eating a low meat and high veggy diet will also help. We only have meat every other day. Watch what you eat and see if anything triggers off the pains. Simple things such as oranges and tomatoes are known to give problems to some people, I cannot eat oranges. Regular walking also helps as does any form of gentle exercise. I also think a daily glass or two of wine helps no end . Having heard yesterday that we could all live 40 years longer if we did not ever eat sweet things or drink alcohol I have to say, even if I did not live the 40 extra years it would sure seem like it...

Hope this helps, all I know is that I have been far better since coming to France and we get at least 50% more rain on average than we got in the UK. Hope that this helps.

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Thanks everybody will follow up on the ideas. House is still damp from paster drying etc so will try a dehumidifier for a few weeks.

Compared to anytime during the last 35 years of my life I am totally unstressed so am fairly confident that is not the cause. Will try further South when we take the house compleation holiday

regards

Anton Redman
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