It would have to rain where I'm at to be affected by it lol don't have any problems that I know off. Get some rest and I hope you feel better. Cuddling with pets always makes me feel better :)

Maybe in addition to the pups, a nice cup of tea and an electric blanket to ease the hurts?

I am heating hot water for some teahouse Chai tea as we speak. The amazing aroma alone is soothing. TY

Ah, yes! My arthritic joints can tell me when it is damp outside. Today it is not and i feel better than yesterday. Warmth and tea will help.

The pot of tea was so good. I chucked up the wood stove, and that mazing warmth is helping some.

Moni, can you taste the gin? I was thinking maybe some other alcohol fluid might work too, or is it the juniper berries? I have some gin and yellow raisins in the pantry. so my give it a go.

I don't think cold and rain affect my joints so much but it does affect my mood... Having to wade thru mud to take care of the animals. Right now I am stiff and sore from unloading that truck load of dog food Saturday night. I was proud of myself getting it done, and the next day I felt like a crumpled up old spider.

((((( Marilyn )))))

the rain not so much-but the impending whatever is coming,yes...the pain,at times,is almost unbearable,but once the weather happens,or is happening,the pain goes away.Tylenol ex is all I take,it seems to help.

Rain, damp, cold all affect me. Today its sunny and 50deg. But I'm my hip hurts like the dickens, as if someone has a drill gun in there and course it radiates into the buttock and down the thigh, classic RA flair. I'm trying to move around but each movement that gun starts its drilling..I'm going to laugh here (((LOL))) because you kids know if we don't sometimes laugh it gets worse.

Tell me about this gin and raisin treatment? Sounds more than interesting about now. I'm picturing you all wrapped in your heating pads nibbling on raisins and gulping the gin...I'm ready to join in the fun.

The only thing weather change does to me is cause headaches.

My joints flare up when I eat tomatoes, fresh, cooked or in sauce -- does anyone else experience that? It took a while to make the correlation, but now I am pretty sure of it.

Tart cherry juice helps a remarkable lot to reduce the inflammation, stiffness and pain.

The main effect I get from rain is that I get wet if I venture out. It tends to aid my sinuses a bit by clearing the air of dust and grime. If it drizzles all day, I do begin to get 'cave bound' by the end of the day.

Similar to what raee_gw noted: The barometer-pressure change hits me a few hours or a day before the rain itself does. Harsh headaches; I just take Advil Liqui-Gels, not any migraine headache meds.

not like that but it is suppose to rain here in se mi...and i'm still trying to get over a cold...hoping it doesn't last long...

Joints no. But damp weather and the atmospheric pressure changes really mess up my inner ears. My deafness is worsened and I get pressure headaches. Sometimes can get so bad it leads to episodes of vertigo.

Winter is a miserable time for me for a number of reasons. I am definitely a warm weather person.

It's been raining in northern Ca for a month and a half now and there's more coming. It doesn't affect me physically, but mentally I'm bored to tears cuz the golf courses are quagmires. (Sure has helped the drought and the skiers though.)

Rose said: It is the juniper berries? I have some gin and yellow raisins in the pantry. so my give it a go.

Moni says:

The origin of the gin-soaked raisins cure is shrouded in urban
legend, though this famous home remedy got a boost from legendary
newsman Paul Harvey. Although this remedy dates back many many years,
the kinds of pain that have been relieved or eliminated after taking
the gin-soaked raisin formula include migraine headaches, gout and
arthritic pain. Many experts will tell you this is nothing but a
placebo effect, but any herbalist can easily spot the science behind
it. It would stand to reason that the alcohol in the gin would
extract the medicinal compounds in the rai sins, just as it does in
other herbal tinctures.

But why specifically GIN and Golden raisins?

Gin started out as a herbal medicine before it
was adopted as an alcoholic drink by the manufacturers of spirits.
Even today, while there many varieties of gins, juniper still remains
a common ingredient to impact the flavor to all of them.

Gin is a spirit flavored with juniper berries. Juniper berries
were first used by the Greeks and then later the Egyptians and
Romans. In fact, the use of berries as medicine is believed to
predate their use in food preparation. Some of the notable medical
uses of juniper berries in alternative medicine include its use as a
diuretic and appetite suppressant. It is also used in the treatment
of arthritis
and rheumatism.

Juniper berries are rich in vitamin C, catechins,
alpha-terpineol, alpha-pinene, betulin caryophyllene, limonene,
menthol, rutin, and delta-3-carene. These are all anti-inflammatory
compounds.

Since gin contains alcohol, it is an effective solvent in
traditional medicine. Gin is often used to extract the active
ingredients of barks, leaves, roots and other plant plants used as
herbs. Besides water, alcohol is the other popular solvent for
obtaining and dissolving herbal extracts. Gin makes an especially
good candidate as an alcohol for herbal extraction.

Golden raisins also contain several
anti-inflammatory compounds: ascorbic acid (Vitamin C), cinnamic
acid, coumarin, myricetin, quercetin, and loaded with antioxidants
such as resveratrol and vitamin C. Raisins also contain ferulic acid,
gentisic acid and salicylic acid — known pain relievers. In
addition, raisins contain potassium and calcium, both of which help
protect against bone de-mineralization.

The basic powerhouse of nutrition, properties found in raisins are
numerous - Iron, Zinc, Sodium, Potassium, Magnesium, Manganese,
Vitamin C, Vitamin K, B vitamins, Anthocyanins

Golden raisins are treated with sulfur dioxide in
order to slow down the browning process. After this, they are either
oven-dried or flame-dried. Sulfides left on the grapes after drying
are thought to provide anti-inflammatory benefits. Sulfur is common
in many other treatments for arthritis.

The exact causative pathways of arthritis and arthritic pain are
unknown, and there may be many mechanisms in the body that are
affected in the development of arthritis.

Perhaps the synergy between the various natural compounds in the
drunken raisins remedy creates a communication with the body to allow
it to heal on a complex level that modern science cannot yet analyze
or address.

RECIPE:

1. Put one packet of golden raisins
   in a shallow glass container and pour enough gin into it to just
   cover the raisins (I never use THAT much gin I just stir them up well every day!)
2. Let the raisins absorb the gin and the remaining liquid
   evaporates, about 7-10 days to allow the raisins to steep in the
   gin.(about 5 days is enough)

Allow all the gin to evaporate before putting the gin-soaked
raisins a container.

Originally it said, to take 9 raisins daily, but I just use a small (very small) spoon full, one in the morning, and one at night. I find it works best, if I take it close to every 12 hours.

Moni

good read,Moni-thank you for sharing

Moni, thank you for the detailed information about raisins and gin. I may give this a try. Do you suppose I could cut back the amount I make just to test. Hopefully I don't end up tipsy and dancing on the table haha.

Thanks Moni

I don't see why you could not make a smaller batch. My first batch was a full recipe. After taking them for a month I doubled up and took them morning and night. That is when I quit having shooting pains.

Now my friend Roger quit taking ibuprofin within 2 weeks, but he started taking them morning and night right off the bat.

When this was last discussed here, I went out and bought the gin but never did get the raisins. I fixed myself a drink of the gin. It was so awful, I put it in the cabinet and forgot about it. I will get the raisins tomorrow. I have had a lot of pain in my right hip. I've been taking Ibuprofen and that has helped. I meant to call my doctor the first of the year but got busy taking care of the new horse. I need to make an appointment.

I don't like the gin/raisins by themselves. I can only eat them in cereal porridge, etc.