Do not move to Rhode Island to escape barometric pressure changes! My sinuses hurt daily, sometimes unbearably, and the rest of my body (mostly my legs)hurts as well. T

his sounds absolutely crazy, but bp also affects whether or not I can wear my contacts! Most people, except for my family, think I am nuts when I tell them how affected I am by barometric pressure changes.

It is great to see this blog and know I am not alone. I travel often and I agree that Florida is not the place to be if you want to escape this pain, but I have also found San Diego tough to tolerate.

The lady who wrote about New Mexico is right -- the desert seems to be great for barometric pressure pain. I was very comfortable when I was there, as well as in Arizona. Good luck to everyone.

Wow sitting in my living room (as usual) since 4 a.m. nursing a migraine, which I am throwing everything i have at, from the vaporizer to prescription medication. This happens daily. Like most on this site, I am a chronic migraine sufferer. I lived in dallas and new orleans in my younger years, and didn't have as many but still got them. Moved to KCMO as i entered my 40s and started getting a lot more. At 50 I moved to DC and over the last ten years they have gotten to be a daily occurrence. This year 2009 has been the worst. It has also been a crazy year for weather. I know my migraines are related to weather changes, and barometric pressure, which is obviously exacerbated by age and lower estrogen, thus lower serotonin. Or is it climate change?

DC is the worst. I lived here as a child, but I didn't have them then. Now I'm back and it's a daily occurrence. Also in KC for 10 years - it is very similar in weather patterns to DC. I have asked several neurologists why the profession doesn't do more research on the effect of weather and relationship to migraines. I never really receive a good answer. My guess is a possible invention that would regulate barometric pressure on the brain might not be profitable for pharmaceutics so the pharmaceuticals won't pay for research). The problem to me is unless barometric changes affecting health are more closely studied, the less likely a solution. And there may not be a good city out there.

There has got to be a method or an invention out there that would work to stabilize the pressure on the brain, that is compact and transportable, so we don't have to move away from people we love just to run away from the pain. You've got to wonder sometimes: am I getting more headaches because I'm older, or is climate change making my health problems increase? I say it's time for all of us on this site to pressure our congress members to look into to this phenomenon and fund research -- research for cures. It is said that over 50 percent of the population suffers from barometric pressure headaches. That could affect the US economy and that should be worth looking into. It affects the ability to work, absenteeism, emergency room visits, disability claims, depression and suicide. It appears to me that if the money and incentive were there for research someone would come up with an invention or a drug that addresses it. The other part of this situation is climate change. Are negative health effects like migraines, etc. a growing phenomenon with climate change? Perhaps we should consider creating a coalition to put pressure on congress to at least research this situation. Thoughts?

This is a very interesting website. My son has been continually ill for several weeks now--headache, sore throat, small cough, nausea and extreme exhaustion (no fever). We've had him tested for the regular kid illnesses with no results. I started thinking about it and realized that he always gets sick for weeks on end during the winter months here in Northern California (Napa)--starting around Halloween. He has allergies to contend with year-round, but he can usually deal with that with medication (Napa is known as one of the allergy capitals of the U.S.). Anyway, I was thinking that it's the change in barometric pressure that accompanies the first rains of the season. It goes back and forth here all winter -- rain pending and heavy clouds, then rains, clears up, then starts all over again all winter long and his health is iffy all winter (pretty good in the summer, and spring and fall, even with the allergies). At first I thought it was the fact that he's in school and picking up everything along the way, which is a problem, too, but it seems to be more. I notice that people on this website have a lot of headaches (which I actually suffer from too) and joint pain, but are there others that have unexplained child illnesses? What do you think? It's like a medical mystery to me. All symptoms are medium in intensity so that nothing specific jumps out, but it's all enough to keep him in bed almost all day, missing school and his other activities, etc. It's getting very depressing to him as he misses out a lot on life and it's very worrisome for me. If we can target the cause, maybe we can find a cure. Thanks to all for any help. Truly, Poochiemama

I'm a massage therapist in Corpus Christi, Texas, and notice an increase in calls during barometric pressure changes (which are constant here). I have one client who has a severe case of TMJ, and is extremely sensitive to barometric changes, so much that I can actually feel how much tighter the Pterygoids are (muscles inside of the mouth). There really needs to be serious research done in this area. If we could better figure out what actually is happening to the body, then maybe instead of moving, we could figure out a way to combat the way our systems respond to the change.

I am a migraine sufferer looking for a place with the most stable (fewest fluctuations of)barometric pressure. I gather from the comments above that neither sufferers nor scientists have figured out where we should live for stable barometric pressure. Is there a good scientific source that I could read?

I have an inner ear disorder after a car collision; my health is as variable as the weather. Barometric pressure is important -- not if it is high or low but if it is stable. I am not sure how much humidity affects me as I have no problem with steam baths etc. However what seems to be true is some of the most stable weather is in areas with low humidity. Recently I was invited to join on a trip to Kauai, having heard that Honolulu is stable I thought this will be great. Then I spoke to someone at the destination resort and heard how folks from Portland, Oregon love it there as the weather is the same but consistently warm versus extremely cold or hot. Well I now live on the SW coast of California moving out of Portland OR where I could not function as the barometer more than not is all over the place. The dilemma: What are the odds I could function for a week in Kauai, the "garden isle"? June gloom and doom at the beach tanked me. Has anyone with inner ear/vertigo or migraines had success on the dry side of Kauai?

I have had chronic fatigue, chronic headaches and migraines for 20 years. I have lived on the Gulf Coast of Florida for the past 13 years. For some reason, 2009 has been especially bad for migraines not only for me, but for other people in the area. Florida is definitely not the place to live! I, too, am searching for a place with steady barometric pressure and low humidity but can't afford high cost of living. Even in NWFL, it is hot most of the time, and the heat bothers me. I'm looking for some cooler, crisper air. I like anon14145's idea: a list of cities for migraine sufferers! FL has too much live vegetation year round. I need to move now! Not sure why it has gotten worse this year- any ideas?

I live in Phoenix (have been here for almost 15 years) and just wanted to let those of you thinking of moving here know that it is good most of the year, but the monsoon season is pretty bad. It's still probably one of the best places to live for least amount of weather changes except for the horrible air quality. I've suffered with migraines for the past 20 years, but only the past 3-5 years with barometric pressure headaches/migraines. I am currently working with a homeopath who was able to rid herself completely 202 years ago of the barometric pressure headaches. I've definitely had a lessening of my symptoms that will hopefully continue until they are no longer there. Good luck!

I live in Texas - never had this problem in Canada. I suffer from dizziness and anxiety attacks which coincide with barometric changes. I had no idea that there were others "out there" with barometric pressure issues. This morning I worked out and almost passed out afterwards but I didn't know why until a storm rolled through several hours later.

The truth is that if you have a problem that is related to the barometric pressure, then even here in San Diego you will have problems. Over the course of my lifetime I have had headaches in Florida and Maryland and they were bad. Here in San Diego is good most of the time except in summer. The pain actually will happen just with the *change* in pressure. I have found that unless I live in the Biosphere in the Arizona desert, nobody is going to avoid the pain. Note to the previous post from San Diego: if you leave San Diego, you will be leaving the place noted in the article with the least amount of barometric change. I would recommend really digging in to seeking out all of the wonderful aide opportunities available here. Metro Urban ministries or catholic charities as well as section 8 at the HUD office as well as Salvation army vouchers. Do yourself the favor before you move and come crawling back like I did many years ago for my family and health.

I also live in the Seattle area, about 90 miles north. I moved here from California eight years ago thinking it would be a wonderful place to retire. *Wrong!* I've been sick ever since I've been here: fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, osteoarthritis. So much pain on a daily basis, and some days almost unbearable. We would love to visit San Diego and stay a month or so to see if I feel better, but right now I'm in no condition to travel. I wish I knew the answer.

I have had osteoarthrits since i was 19 and am 32 now. I live in probably one of the worst states for pain, Massachusetts. Humid and weather changes by the minute. Def looking to visit the Arizona, Nevada area to see if it helps my pain. I've only traveled from Maine to Florida and the East Coast just stinks if you have joint pain.

Keep this discussion going, I'm thinking seriously of doing some travel to check out other parts of the country with little bp change due to constant and permanent migraine headaches that are so connected with our summer tstorms on the east coast. I'm a walking barometer.

To Deltasierra--I've heard that Florida is the worst possible place in the US to live, unfortunately. I too was hoping that would be a good place. I think within the continental US the best place is the desert southwest, with the Phoenix, Mesa AZ area the best. I spent a week there during Christmas time a couple years ago and was in absolute heaven. I felt like a teen ager. I mean I had zero pain, and I live in constant pain every day due to past abuse, a medical malpractice issue that caused brain damage, and fibromyalgia/myalgic encephaopathy--otherwise known as chronic fatigue syndrome, which is a horribly misleading name cuz it makes us sound like lazy people, which we are not. In fact most of us are Type A people who have burned the candle on both ends and several places in the middle as my wonderful Rheumatologist, Dr. Eric Ruderman in Chicago, told me. I'm a nurse, so you know I worked hard, and before that I was in the Army -- but enough about me. I wish you well in finding a comfortable place to live. I am presently torn between family and my own health as well, and so far family is winning. Ouch.

As an RN, BSN I strongly suggest paying attention to the jet stream and the weather channel. You can really see where the weather fronts, which are also areas of great pressure fluctuation, happen, and plan a move based on that. This article was very helpful. As a FM/CFIDS/ME sufferer who lives in Wisconsin, I absolutely MUST move, as my symptoms have gotten to the point where I'm not just in pain, which was miserable but tolerable, but get physically ill, as in sick to my stomach and have anxiety attacks when the barometric pressure drops drastically. I wish I had one of those barometric pressure bags to crawl in when the weather gets like that. What sucks the most of all is that I *love* storms...absolutely love them...but now I can no longer enjoy them cuz I'm too miserable. I musta been a baaaaaaad person in past life. ;)

I suffer from chronic migraines with my main trigger being barometric pressure changes. I lived in Phoenix, AZ for 6 months after high school and had no pain what so ever while I was there. I missed my friends and family back in Ohio though. Now that I am married my husband and I are thinking of moving back to Phoenix so I don't have to suffer so much. The area around Phoenix is surrounded by mountains and acts like a bowl. It rains very little there a year with very little barometric pressure change. It also helps with asthma, arthritis, and fibromyalgia.

i am 43. i moved from ohio to orange county california in hopes of relief from chronic fibromyalgia, arthritis in past broken leg and jaw and 24/7 nerve pain in my head; the latter from an abusive relationship i was in 15 years ago in which i received at least 50 punches to the head, face and jaw. the weather did not positively affect the head pain at all, so i moved back to ohio, but have seen a negative difference due to what i think is the barometric pressure at times, but not always so i cannot conclude that this a fact, may just be that my pain randomly changes levels for no apparent reason that i have tried to figure out for 8 years. however, i believe i have sinus issues here in ohio more than cali which affect the head pain. i have heard that a stable barometric pressure is best but i cant prove that in my own case because that only is true on some occasions.

If you are suffering from any type of arthritis pain, stay away from Florida. At least in the summer months. The barometer changes several times a day with each storm that rolls through the state. I came here from South Dakota 6 weeks ago and this is far worse then anything I ever experienced up north. I am on the Gulf side of the state at Naples. Maybe the winter will be better as the storms go away... so I'm told, but summer is Horrible... any suggestions?

Fibro mama, be careful. I thought WA would be better than MT because it is milder, what a mistake. Much worse here! It's really hard to know how a place will affect you until you spend some seasons there. We are kicking around the idea of higher altitude cities in AZ but with the present economy, not a great time to move. Good luck with your search! And if you come up with a great place, please post it here!

I have suffered 24/7 with a lot of pain since 1992 from a double portion of fibromyalgia, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, and nerve damage pain in my shoulder and ribs. Am allergic to all anti-inflammatory medicines that could help some with the pain, so life is miserable all the time. But what makes it much worse is living in very cold weather most of the time and when the barometric pressure starts to rise up and up. The higher, the more pain all over my body. I'm 67 and would like to know where i could move to in the U.S.A. that maintains the lowest barometric pressure? Cannot afford to live in any expensive cities. Any help would be appreciated. Need to move out of cold montana! Thank you. Fibro mama

Great to find others who have the bp question. I thought I would be the only one. I'm interested for geographical areas with stable bp anywhere in the western hemisphere.

I live in Colorado, and over the last week we have experienced the "bi-polar" barometric pressure changes that I have come to endure over my life. I'm only eighteen, but ever since I was a baby I have had horrible leg changes every time the barometric pressure changes. I am about to graduate, and have been seriously considering moving to somewhere that I wouldn't hurt as badly. Thank you so much for this information, it has been extremely helpful.

HA! I was enthralled to see both Seattle (where I am from) and Upstate Ny (where I live now) represented here. I am 23 and have had chronic migraines (pretty much all day every day) for about the last 5 years. I was in a botox study (didn't help) while in WA and now am taking topamax everyday but it only helps a little. What I really want is to move but since my husband is in the army it wont be for a few years. We do however have the wonderful opportunity to move in a few years, So I am excited to try hawaii or southern california. I have visited southern cali and did not have any headaches while there. I also had a lot less headaches while in georgia for a few weeks. Just thought I would share- good luck to you all.

We are looking for the best area to live in the US with the least amount of barometric pressure changes. My daughter has an illness that is compounded my changes in the barometric pressures and we live in the Midwest. She has been having a horrible time this Fall. We are thinking of moving to a more stable climate.

Honolulu does not only have the least fluctuation in barometric pressure, but it also tops the list of large cities with safest air.

I moved to western Washington a year ago and I have been suffering unbearable pain ever since. Every time the cold rainy weather blows in, which is often, even all summer, I am crippled by pain. I have migraines almost daily. Out of a whole year's time there has been only one pleasant month, September. This place is a nightmare.

OMG I am so thrilled to find this site. It is exactly what I want to know...retirement places where I can be healthy and free (free-er) from the curse of my migraines. I would give anything to have a list of the "best" places for migraine sufferers to live.

I live in Upstate New York and suffer from arthritis and migraines - both of which are worsening with age. I am actively looking for a new place to live because I absolutely cannot bare to tolerate another winter here (even the spring is no fun because of so many low pressure systems that are in and out of here)!I'm looking at the mid-eastern portion of Florida - mostly because I'm an East Coast girl, but, I want to be within a reasonable flight distance of my family.

Anyone have any insight on how people fare with arthritis in Florida?

Hi, I live in an area that is one of the best kept secrets... NEW MEXICO! There are some things about the state that I don't know about, but I came here to help my single mom daughter with her kids, and I love it! I lived in Raleigh, NC for 27 years, and it was like living in Charleston, SC, where my other daughter lived for a time. I hated the humidity and the barometric pressure! It was the worst thing for me, as I couldn't move, and could hardly get from the couch to the front porch! Going out and trying to move and breath was a disaster. Since coming to the Southwest, which is similar, but hotter than San Diego (where I also lived years ago) has been the best thing that has happened to me. Living here in New Mexico is cheap compared to other places. No vehicle inspection, 65 dollars to register my car, I have an apt. for $635 a month with utilities in the nicest section of town, etc. Gas and food about the same, and they do loads for the retired. I can have a free meal here every day during the week for free if I don't have the $1.70 donation at the Meal Site. There are so many things to see and do, it's amazing. But the best part is that I am out even in 113 degree weather!!! I am moving so much better, have lost 26 lbs. without trying, (but now I am) and rarely even use A/C in my car with the dry breeze. I'm in heaven here in SE New Mexico. However, I am going to look at Las Cruces about 3 hours to the west to see if I can be nearer to better health care, as that is the only draw back here. Good docs, adequate hospitals, but Las Cruces is only 45 miles or so from El Paso, where the better hospitals are. I would urge anyone who is suffering like I did from barometric pressure problems to check out the Southwest. It's really great...and right now I'm only 13 hours from San Diego. Beach here I come!

I am also a chronic migraine suffer. Interesting that juliejackson has had some improvement in Seattle. I moved to Seattle area 2.5 years ago and have had the worst stretch of migraine frequency in my life. My "Headache Dr." (migraine/head pain specialist) mentioned that Seattle is the worst area in the country for migraines because of the pressure and multiple storm fronts coming through (but also may be additionally attributed to the number of high-stress jobs in the area and constant overcast leading to depressive conditions).

You should research this point carefully and ask your doctor - although barometric pressure changes resulting in migraines is debatable among dr.s, those of us with physically sensitive brains can probably agree with this.

I am looking to move to SD, although the cost is a little worse than Seattle mainly because of State Income Tax. If I can have fewer migraines, I am willing to live poor (quality of life is less with pain no matter how financially well off you are - unless you like popping pills daily).

Not only does Honolulu have the least amount of fluctuation of barometric pressure, but the quiet, unhurried life, beautiful nature and friendly people on the island of Oahu make it an ideal place to live. I am not sure, but I think it is safe to assume that the rest of the Hawaiian Islands have the similarly low barometric pressure fluctuation. Yes, things such as food, and gasoline are a bit more expensive than on the Mainland, but there are some other benefits, in addition to the beautiful, mild climate. Sales tax is 4.5%, public transportation, which is very good, on the island of Oahu is practically free for people over 65. You can get a yearly pass and it will cost you something like $10 for the whole year. You can take the bus anywhere on the island. The best part is that the state of Hawaii does not tax pensions. So there can be some good saving in that area. Definitely worthy of looking into it.

I am on an extended visit here in Hawaii, and I simply love being here. Ocean swimming, an additional bonus, is an activity that can be enjoyed year round.

I am in the same dilemma. live now in san diego but it is too expensive for us and we need to move. i have some chronic illness and affected by the weather. i was wondering about las cruces new mexico or do you know of someplace that is warm but good pressure? look forward to hearing from you all. thanks.

I am also looking for an affordable area to retire with consistent barometric pressure without the chill & rain of the Seattle area. I am in far less pain in South Maui, but as with San Diego, the cost of living is too high on our projected retirement income. I am wondering if the author of this article has devised a list of the other areas in the US with these considerations or can direct us to a database containing that information. Thanks

Hi there, I'm a native Texan and moved to Seattle a year ago. I suffer from chronic migraines and my health has been much better in Seattle over the past year. The barometric pressure has always been an issue for me, and the weather in Texas always a challenge. I found another article online that said Seattle, WA, Olympia, WA, and Astoria, OR, also have steadier barometric pressure than other places in the US. However, it is extremely damp, rainy and overcast here and chilly, which may pose other issues for you. And the Seattle area isn't really cheaper than California. I'm looking myself to try to find other areas of the US with very little BP fluctuation - which is why I'm posting here. Good Luck!

I have a health condition that is triggered by sudden changes in barometric pressure. My husband and I are looking to retire in the US area with the least amount of such change, but we cannot afford San Diego. Anyone know the area with the second- or third- least amount of change in the barometric pressure???? Please advise. This will make a huge difference in the quality of the rest of my life. Thanks.