Hey there viewers! The internet is chock-full of articles telling you there's something
wrong with your health. Being concerned about your health is completely normal,
though we often end up jumping to the worst-case scenario.
Understanding your body can be rather difficult. You'd need a medical degree,
some blood work, and a slew of clinical tests to tell the full story. But there are certain
tricks that can help you figure out what’s going on with your body and in today’s video,
we will tell you what they are. From the stairs trick, clock drawing test, body balance check,
skin test to nail trick and more, watch till the end to learn about all of them.
Body balance check: Balance is an important measure of overall wellness. Time yourself
as you stand on one leg with your eyes open. Hold this position for up to 60 seconds. If
you wobble after just 20, you could possibly be at risk for future brain problems. In a study,
30 percent of older adults who couldn’t balance for this long had microbleeds in the brain.
These tiny drops of blood in the brain leaked from vessels are only detectable through MRI
and are an early indication of risk for stroke or dementia.
While these bleeds are a warning sign of bigger brain problems to come,
they have an immediate impact on balance as well as a person’s memory and decision-making.
How long can you balance your body standing on one leg? Tell us
quickly down below in the comments section!
The pencil trick: One of the silent diabetes symptoms you may be missing could be numbness
in your feet or diabetic neuropathy. Such nerve damage can also occur with autoimmune diseases
like lupus and Lyme disease. This numbness could be too subtle to realize on your own.
So, have a partner test the feeling in your extremities with a pencil.
Can you tell without looking if you’re being gently poked with the point or the eraser?
Touching toes and feet with a sharp but safe object often tells us how
well our nerves and sensation is. If you don’t feel sharp objects
appropriately at your toes it can be a sign of nerve damage.
Parkinson’s check: One of the early symptoms of Parkinson’s that’s easy to miss
might be a slight hand tremor. Although we associate shaky hands with that disease,
there are other conditions that could cause this unintentional movement,
like overactive thyroid. Shaking, or tremors, can be caused by many conditions,
including neurological ones, vitamin deficiencies, hormone problems, and more.
To see if you’re subtly shaking, place a piece of paper over the backs of your hands as you
hold them out in front of you. The paper will allow you to see any tremor much more clearly.
This is a surefire way to see if you shake.
Low iron check: Iron deficiency can cause problems such as fatigue, weakness, heart palpitations,
shortness of breath and light-headedness. A lack of Iron in the blood can present
itself through visible changes in your body. Some simple checks you can carry
out include checking the redness of your gums, stretching out the palm of your hand,
and the inside of your eyelids and checking the colour. If any of these appear paler than usual,
it could indicate anemia, for which a blood test would be required.
Wheeze test: Approximately 25 million Americans have asthma. This equals to about 1 in 13
Americans. While it is normal to become short of breath during physical work or
cardiovascular exercises, if you find that you are becoming wheezy and struggling to
catch your breath during exercise, you should get tested for asthma.
It’s a common health problem and many people who receive treatment
lead normal lives. But if it goes undiagnosed and you don’t get the help you need, it can be fatal.
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Check for pins and needles: With good circulation, you might occasionally have an arm or leg fall
asleep and get that ‘pins and needles’ feeling which clears up fairly quickly. However,
if tingling, numbness, or weakness endures, it may signal compression of a nerve—often
called a pinched nerve. Prolonged symptoms should not be ignored.
Skin test: Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States. More
than two million people are diagnosed annually. It is almost always treatable
when caught early. Scan your entire body, beginning with your face and working downward,
checking your neck, shoulders, chest, arms and legs.
Don’t forget your groin, palms, fingernails, soles of your feet,
toenails, and the areas between your toes. Take pictures of any iffy moles
so you can be aware of how they change over time. Use the “ABCDE” warning signs:
A, for asymmetrical; B for irregular borders; C for abnormal color; D for diameter which is
larger than a pencil eraser and E for evolving, meaning the mole changes appearance over time.
Stairs trick: You’ve probably heard that taking the stairs is a healthy alternative
to the elevator. But your fitness level on the stairs can also be used to detect
whether cardiovascular problems may be already present. Walk up one flight of
stairs while talking or singing a simple song like “Mary Had a Little Lamb.”
If you get so winded you can’t talk or sing, or feel a tightening in your chest, see your doctor.
This trick helps measure a number of things.
Walking up a flight of stairs while singing or talking may not only tell how well the heart is
functioning, but it also can indicate how well the lungs are functioning.
Getting out of breath easily could also indicate asthma, bronchitis, or COPD.
Bowel movement check: If you have quick, effortless, normal-looking bowels,
you’re totally on team healthy! Ideally, you should feel that your stomach is empty after a
healthy bowel movement. You can get better bowel movements by keeping a track of the amount of
insoluble fiber you eat as this is essential to keep your colon clean.
Avoid foods like heavy meat, too much bread, and lots of dairy , also, drink lots of water.
Flexibility test: To test your flexibility, sit on the floor with your back and head pressed up
against a wall. Bend forward and try to touch your toes. If they’re still far,
far away from your fingers, you may be at risk for cardiovascular problems.
Using this test, researchers found that a flexible body may be a predictor of flexible arteries.
The reverse was also true: People who were inflexible and unable to touch their
toes had stiffer, less elastic arteries than those who were more able to bend.
When arteries have some give to them, blood can flow easily. When they are stiff,
due to inactivity or unhealthy habits like smoking, the heart must work harder
to pump blood. This potentially puts the body at risk for heart attack or stroke.
Clock drawing test: There are treatable causes of dementia you can recognize before it’s too late,
so catching it early can help. One simple test to see if your mind is functioning properly is the
clock drawing test. See if you can draw a clock reading 11:10. Ask a friend to review your clock.
If there are errors like missing numbers or the wrong time, call the doctor.
This test measures some aspects of visuospatial and executive skills.
So, people with cognitive impairments may have difficulties with this test.
Certain dementias including Alzheimer’s disease will cause people to have trouble performing this
test, but it is not diagnostic of any specific cognitive disorder.
Eye check: You might think that checking your eyesight is something you are doing
constantly. Whether reading a book or trying to make out a sign
two blocks away you are constantly aware of how well your vision is functioning
and would know immediately if something was off, right? Not necessarily.
To assess your vision, look at three different locations: far off in the distance,
then computer distance, then up close. If any are not totally clear,
even after blinking several times, it may be time to update those glasses or contacts.
Eye health is often overlooked, but you can achieve perfect eyesight
by eating the right foods. Learn more about the eyes by watching “15 Foods To Boost Eye Health”
Now, back to DIY Health Check Tricks That You Can Do At Home
Frequency of headaches: Headaches—we all get them. They are the result of stress,
or tense muscles, and are normal. In a healthy person, they pass in time and do not linger.
But if medications no longer work, and other medical causes have been ruled out,
you may benefit by exploring other options.
Nail trick: Before heading to your next manicure, take a moment to inspect your nails. Are they dull
or do they have horizontal ridges? Either may be a sign of a protein deficiency or malnutrition.
Horizontal grooves may also develop as a result of an acute illness, such as
pneumonia. By comparison, nails with vertical ridges are fairly normal, especially as we age.
Curled spine test: This test is for those who have back pain.
Sitting in a chair, let your chin drop to your chest and curl your back round.
Lift your leg in front of you to straighten your knee, and finally, pull your toes towards you.
Do the test slowly and stop immediately if pain increases at any point. If you do feel pain during
this test it’s more likely that it originates from the sciatic nerve than, say, a pulled muscle.
The sciatic nerve runs from the lower back down the back of each leg. Sciatic pain can be
caused by problems with, or degeneration of, the discs in the back that then press on the nerves.
Your body has a way of telling you when things are not right. No matter what it is, it’s important
to recognize these signs so that you can take action. Learn more about these signs by watching:
10 Body Changes That Need Your Attention
Or
13 Alarming Signs That Your Body Is Flooded With Toxins
So go ahead and watch one or both videos if you want to better understand your body. Do you
prefer at home DIY health checkups or going to the doctor? Let us know in the comments section below!