Your Hands Can Tell You about Your Health [28-09-2011]

 

Your Hands Can Tell You about Your Health [28-09-2011]

Stop what you are doing for a moment and take a closer look at your hands. How do they look? What color are your finger nails? What colors are your palms? Your hands are playing very important roles for you every day. They help you eat, write, make phone calls, play sports, and hold things. Your hands can also tell you something about your health. If your hands don’t look healthy, you should go see a doctor!

 

If your fingers are swollen…

Look at your fingers carefully. If they are swollen, think about the food you ate last night. Did you eat a bowl of instant noodles before going to bed? Or did you eat really salty food? Then, the swelling will go down soon. However, if you didn’t eat salty food late at night and your fingers are still swollen, you might have problems in your thyroid gland. Thyroid problems such as hypothyroidism can lead to many health problems. For example, you can gain weight and feel tired very easily. Untreated hypothyroidism can even cause heart failure. Your doctor can check your thyroid gland with a simple blood test.

 

If your fingernails are pale…

Now, take a look at your fingernails. What color are they? Your nails should look pink. If you press on them, they will turn white. When you release, they should return to pink again. If your nail stays white for more than a minute or two, you may have anemia or lack iron. If your iron level is low, you may feel tired all the time. In serious cases, you may even suffer from heart problems. Try eating iron-rich food such as lean meat, spinach, almonds, and pumpkin seeds. Eating foods with vitamin C is also good because it helps your body absorb iron easily.

 

If your fingernails are disordered…

Look at the shapes and colors of your fingernails more carefully this time. Healthy fingernails should look smooth, even, and pinkish. However, if you have off-color nails, it may mean you have diabetes. So, you should go to the hospital and check your blood sugar level.

 

From now on, observe your hands and fingernails more often. This is because they can tell you many things about health. If they don’t look normal, you should check your health at a nearby hospital. Remember that prevention is always better than a cure!

 

OPIC Q : Would you describe this picture?

A : This man is playing something. He has beard, and it’s a lot. He wear simple clothes and a cowboy hat. He is a singer…umm..I think he is in a band. His friends are playing something, too. I see beer and some drinking things on the ground.. It’s not a big concert. He’s not famous…

 

## This is a picture of, a musical instrument, somewhat messy,

 

DEAR ABBY: When I was in middle school, I was pretty much an outcast. In the summer between eighth grade and high school, I read a Dear Abby column where you offered advice to someone who was shy like me. You recommended that the writer smile and greet people every day. You also published a booklet to help us to be more outgoing.

When I got to high school, I took your advice. Your column changed my life. During my senior year I became involved in drama, choir and sports, and I was elected student body president.

 

I am now a mom with two children. I hold a master's degree and have a wide array of friends all over the world. I am a public speaker, poet and actor -- all bacause you wrote to someone like me and told that person how to make friends.

 

Recently a friend and I were discussing that column, and he said, "I wish I had seen it!" Abby, please repeat those words and let people know if the booklet is still available. Folks of all ages need that message of friendship and guidance. Thank you for the impact it has had on my life. -- RENEE IN WASHINGTON

 

DEAR RENEE: I'm pleased that my column was so helpful for you at a time when you needed it. I think I know the column you mentioned. The reply echoed advice that's in my booklet "How to Be Popular." It said: "No matter what you wear, the ｅxpression on your face is your greatest asset -- or liability. Would you want to strike up a conversation with someone who looks like he (or she) is mad at the world? Well, neither would anyone else. So, if you're wearing a perpetual frown, get rid of it. Trade it for a smile.