Astrology in India is either sincerely believed or reviled as a fake science. Scientists have usually held the latter view, but now some medical scientists actually believe your month of birth and your health may have something in common.
The medical experts are not saying that your zodiac will decide your future health, but studies have found that certain ailments are more common among people born in certain months.
For instance, asthma and respiratory ailments have been found more prevalent in those born in the months of September, October, November, and December while schizophrenia was more common among those born in the first three months of the year.
Dyslexia was found more among those born in April, May, June, and July.
The experts stress that this does not mean they can predict what ailment will befall a particular person and say more studies are needed to explore the linkages between the month of birth affects a person's health.
Scientists believe the link between birth and ailment is probably due to environmental factors. As most of us know, infectious diseases tend to vary from season to season, and foetuses exposed to such seasonal variations might be affected in later life.
What about neurological and behavioural disorders such as schizophrenia? How are they linked to the month of our birth? Here, experts believe that exposure to viruses during the second trimester (the fourth, fifth, and sixth months)
Scientists are also considering other possible factors such as prenatal exposure to seasonal allergens such as pollen, dietary deficiency, and vitamin D deficiency (causes by not being exposed sufficiently to sunlight, a common problem in winter).
The researchers insist that no study has yet shown a definitive cause-and-effect relationship.
Dr Emmanuel Mignot, professor of psychiatry at Stanford University in California, has stressed that environmental factors are speculative and difficult to study.
The researchers also urge precautions for pregnant women, not very different from what grandmothers suggest, such as eating a sensible diet, taking the necessary injections, exercising, taking sufficient rest and practising proper hygiene.
Research by Dr Steven Capps, neuropsychologist and director of the Learning Diagnostic Clinic at Southwest Missouri State University, Springfield, Missouri, has found that those born from April to July tend to be eight percent more likely to suffer from learning disabilities. But he warned that more research was needed before reaching a final conclusion.
The researchers say the utility of this study is to point out that there are real risks during pregnancy. If links can be found between diseases or disorders and the birth month, scientists say the next step is to find the underlying causes of such diseases.
