We often hear that the face is the mirror of our health, but the same can be said for our hands. See which diseases may be linked with the appearance of your hands…
Some of the first changes that reflect the state of your body and deteriorating health occur on the hands and nails. Therefore it is not surprising that the hands are the mirror of health and can indicate many hidden health problems.
Numbness in fingers and palms – rheumatoid arthritis
Indeed numbness is one of the first symptoms of this disease. Usually it is accompanied by joint inflammation and swelling. Stiffness comes suddenly and within one or two days can affect all joints in the hand, accompanied by pain that spreads to the wrist. If you notice these changes, you need to contact rheumatologist.
Hand tremor – Parkinson’s disease
The tremor may occur as a result of excessive amount of caffeine or as a side effect of certain medications. However, hand tremor may point to Parkinson’s disease.
‘Half and half nails’ – kidney disease
Many patients with chronic kidney disease have ‘half and half’ nails. The bottom of the nail is white and upper part has darker or extremely light-brown color. Brittle nails also indicate kidney problems. Both conditions result in increased concentration of certain hormones and chronic anemia linked with kidney disease.
Strength of hand grip – Heart Health
The strength of hand grip shows the strength of the muscles and the heart, and if the grip is weak then it means general weakness that can be related to lack of physical activity. With extensive research which was conducted on 14.000 people in 17 countries around the world it has been shown that people with weak hand grip have a greater chance of having a heart problems. Experts believe that measuring the strength of hand grip can easily become the method through which doctors will predict some serious medical conditions.
Sweaty Palms – hyperhidrosis
If you have problems with sweaty palms before checking the thyroid function, first exclude hyperhidrosis – a condition of excessive and uncontrolled sweating. Majority of people who suffer from hyperhidrosis have problems with sweating on specific body parts such as hands, armpits or feet.
