Body Signs: From Warning Signs and False Alarms…How to Be Your Own Diagnostic Detective
by Joan Liebmann-Smith and Jacqueline Egan
Summary
From brittle hair to hair in all the wrong places, a tingling tush, mismatched eyes, streaked nails, inverted nipples, and excessive flatulence, to name just a few, the body supplies endless signs regarding its state of health and wellness….
Drawn from cutting-edge research and the latest scientific literature, and vetted by a panel of medical experts, this remarkable book also includes historical trivia and fascinating factoids about each body area in question, plus an invaluable resource section. Whether you have a health concern or simply enjoy playing medical detective, Body Signs will not only absorb and inform you but will help you gain a more intimate understanding of the wondrous workings of your body.
Excerpt
Your Hair
The Long and the Short of It
Hair defines us like no other part of the human body. It conveys to others an enormous amount of information: our age, gender, ethnicity, social status, religious and other group affiliations, personal hygiene habits, and—last but not least—our state of health. Yet the assumptions some people make based on our hair may be as false as their eyelashes. We can cover the gray, making us appear years younger; cut our hair very short or let it grow very long, making it difficult to determine our gender; or straighten curly hair or curl straight hair, making our ethnicity anyone’s guess. And by adopting the hairstyles of the rich and famous, we can look like we’re to the manor born when we may be struggling to make (split) ends meet.
Hair is overflowing with sexual symbolism and cultural significance. People in many parts of the world routinely—if not religiously—cover or remove it. English barristers, for example, wear wigs in court. Muslim and Orthodox Jewish women are required to cover their heads. And not only do Buddhists and some Christian monks shave their heads, but skinheads do as well.
While we’re busy sending messages to the outside world by covering, cropping, curling, or coloring our hair, we should also pay attention to the messages it’s sending us. Our untouched, natural hair can give us a headful of vital information that we should carefully read and heed. Your age, sex, and race, as well as where you live and the hair products you use, all affect your hair’s mineral makeup.
Hair contains a myriad of minerals, from aluminum to zinc, and for many years hair analysis has been used to confirm mercury and arsenic poisoning. More recently, researchers have been able to diagnose eating disorders from hair samples.
Indeed, the quality, quantity, and color of our hair can all be signs of our physical well-being. No wonder hair is said to be a barometer of health.
Starting at the top
Hair texture changes
Hair is made up mostly of dead protein (keratin), but that doesn’t mean it’s supposed to lie there listlessly. Dry, brittle hair and split ends can all be signs that you’re mistreating your hair with excessive washing, brushing, drying, dyeing, or bleaching. However, these hair shaft disorders, as they’re called, can also be signs of stress, hormonal changes, nutritional deficiencies, and thyroid disease.
If you notice, for example, that your formerly luxuriant locks tangle easily or have become dry, brittle, or coarse, don’t be so quick to rush off and buy the latest expensive new hair product. You may, in fact, have the classic signs of hypothyroidism—a fairly common but often underdiagnosed condition, especially among women. (See Appendix I.) When the thyroid gland, which regulates metabolism, fails to produce enough thyroid hormone, hair growth—as well as other body functions—slows down. Hair texture change can signal iodine deficiency as well, which is also implicated in thyroid disease. (See Chapter 6.)
Copyright © 2008 by Joan Leibmann-Smith and Jacqueline Egan
Reprinted with permission of The Bantam Dell Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc.
Reviews
“[Q]uite thorough and packed with information, a handy and entertaining resource that fulfills its mission”—Publishers Weekly
"Read it and you’ll know what to worry about and what to ignore"—Barbara Kantrowitz, co-author of Is It Hot in Here? Or Is It Me? The Complete Guide to Menopause
“[O]ften funny, always informative, and potentially life-saving."—Joel Gurin, former Editorial Director, Consumer Reports
Author's Biography
Joan Liebmann-Smith, Ph.D. is a medical sociologist and award-winning medical writer. Her articles have appeared in American Health, Ms., Newsweek, Redbook, Self, and Vogue, and she has appeared on numerous television talk shows, including The Oprah Winfrey Show and The Today Show. She lives in New York City.
Jacqueline Nardi Egan is a medical journalist who specializes in developing and writing educational programs with and for physicians, allied health professionals, patients, and consumers. She is also a former medical editor of Family Health magazine. She divides her time between Darien, Connecticut, and Sag Harbor, New York.