Q. I’ve just returned from a warm vacation, and my arthritis pain was so much better while I was away. Why?
A
Yes. Vacations are an opportunity to break our usual routines and explore different activities, foods and places. Temperature and humidity can affect arthritis symptoms (see page 2). If you live in a cold, wintery place and just visited a warm place, the increased temperature may help with your arthritis symptoms. During vacation you may have cut out some foods that bother your symptoms, such as highly processed fast foods, for example. Instead of being sedentary, perhaps you spent days on vacation exploring on foot or swimming. Maybe you make a movement when you are at work that irritates your arthritis, but you didn’t do it on vacation. Perhaps you spent extra time in nature. You also may have had a break from your usual stress during vacation, and a reduction in stress can improve health.
