for the past 2 days i have been hearing my power steering pump (or what i think is my pump) straining while turning the wheel at low speeds. it is quite loud and you can feel the vibrations from it when it happens. the pump was making the moise it would make if it were low on fluid, but upon checking the reservoir, it was full and exactly where it was at when i filled it up a month and a half ago. i have been hearing my suspension creek and my brakes squeel because of the salt on the road, and the cold weather and was curious if this could contribute to the power steering making such a horrendous noise. also, what other possible "problems" could this be?

Same here I'm redoing my whole suspension and some of my p/s hoses so i hope It will stop doing that agrivating noise.I also have to replace my Headgasket, Manifold gaskets, and all of my valley pan.

You can try draining and refilling the power steering system with fresh fluid. My guess is the power steering pump is going bad. There are after-market companies that have flushes for just about everything, might be worth a try.