When it comes to your health, the body always sends signs that something is off balance long before a serious condition appears. Sometimes, a symptom in one part of the body may be a sign of a problem in another part of the body. Early signs and address them early can significantly improve overall quality of life.
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Ice Cravings: Craving ice cubes or ice cream? It could be that the body is low in iron. Doctors call it “pica.” It’s when the body starts craving things that have no nutritional value like ice, clay, soil, or paper. Specifically, chewing ice is associated with iron deficiency anemia. It also seems to be a signal toward high lead in children. There seems to be no clear studies that show the reasons why. There are other problems associated with pica like those with emotional problems such as stress and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
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Swollen Legs: Noticing that your legs are expanding in size, it could be related to the health of your thyroid. Legs swell because of an accumulation of fluid in the tissues. There are several causes of this symptom like salt retention, cellulitis, congestive heart failure, pregnancy, venous insufficiency, and side effects from medication. An edema is a sign of smaller issues like blood clots in the leg, liver disease, kidney disease, lymphedema, or eosinophilic fasciitis. Simple lifestyle changes, such as exercise, eating whole foods and taking supplements can often take care of leg swelling.
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Persistent Itching: Persistent itching on your body can be an indicator of allergies or a skin disorder. There are several causes of itchy skin or pruritus such as internal diseases like an unhealthy liver. Pruritus has many faces. You could experience a rash with red bumps, or your skin will look like it has some rough patches. If the itchiness lasts more than two weeks with no improvement, it’s time to see the doctor.
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Black Feces: Having black feces is an indicator of internal bleeding, most likely due to a stomach ulcer. There are other reasons such as taking too many iron supplements or foods that are dark blue, green, or black. If that is not the case, there is possibly an issue in the upper digestive tract. An issue in your lower digestive tract would consist of bright red blood in your stool. A black stool with pain, vomiting, and diarrhea, then there is something more severe going on in your body. Talk to your medical practitioner about what you can do to resolve the issue.
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Impaired Cognitive Function: If you have difficulty thinking clearly or if you experience brain fog, it can be due to excess fat in the body. Fatty acids floating around the body eventually will get to the brain causing inflammation that will affect your ability to think clearly. Excess fat and obesity have been shown to affect the brain’s ability to function correctly. You could improve your condition simply by taking steps towards shedding those extra pounds. Not only will you start thinking clearly but you will have much more energy to be productive than ever before. Obesity causes all kinds of health problems. A nutrient filled diet and regular exercise will get you on the right track.
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Anxiety: Anxiety is completely normal. Common stressors in life like family, kids, and finances can keep you on edge. If you’re living in a state of anxiety, it could be a sign of hormonal imbalance. Severe anxiety that includes lightheadedness and nausea may mean something more serious. Prolonged anxiety causes stresses on your body that can lead to severe complications. A way to help your anxiety is to try meditation, yoga, or get a massage.
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Snoring: Snoring is a sign of sleep apnea, which means that your airways are being blocked in some way. This can potentially lead to hypertension and even, heart failure. Common causes of snoring are being overweight, smoking, or high cholesterol from thickening or other abnormalities in the carotid artery. Snoring is not to be ignored. If you or your partner are snoring all of the time, it might be time to take a look at your diet and your habits. Losing a little weight will do wonders for your body including giving your partner a quiet night of sleep. A quick visit to the doctor doesn’t hurt either.
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Persistent Exhaustion: If you constantly feel tired and drained, it could be that your body is working extra hard to eliminate toxins from things like alcohol, cigarettes or processed foods. This effort puts additional stress on your adrenals which can cause long-term exhaustion. Chronic fatigue is a sign of other critical conditions. Feeling consistently tired could mean something more serious. Some diseases linked to persistent exhaustion include anemia, depression, fibromyalgia, allergies or even cancer. Most of the time, you are just not feeding your body the right kind of fuel. If you feel tired after indulging on a huge plate of French fries and fried fish, then your body is not getting the right nutrients to give you energy, thus giving you a reason to want to take a nap.
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Finger Length: Is your ring finger longer than your index finger? If so, you could be at a higher risk for osteoarthritis (OA), and you’ll want to look into incorporating more exercise into your lifestyle to help strengthen your body. A study of over 2,000 patients was conducted showing those who had significant symptoms of OA in the knees or hips had their hands and feet analyzed to find similarities. They discovered that men with a ring finger longer than their index finger were 2.5 times more liker longer than their index finger were 2.5 times more likely than women to get OA in their lifetime. The study also discovered that both men and women were at greater risk of OA of the tibiofemoral knee joint.
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Extra Belly Fat: Being overweight and obese is always an indicator of some kind of ill-health. However, if you tend to carry your extra weight in your belly, as opposed to your hips and thighs, you’re at a higher risk for heart disease. Some women who carry weight around their belly area might have a condition called polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) which is linked to a high risk of diabetes. All you need is 30 minutes a day of a moderate-intensity workout like walking outdoors to get rid of your gut.
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Early Grey Hairs: Some people get grey hair at an early age simply because they’re genetically designed to do so. But for others, grey hairs at an early age can indicate thyroid disorders or some nutrient deficiencies. Naturally, your body produces melanin which is the pigment that gives your hair color. When you get older or you experience nutrient deficiencies, your body stops or slows down the production of melanin giving you grey hairs. An autoimmune condition called vitiligo is linked to destroying pigments or melanocytes, giving you white patches on your skin and body. Take a good look at your family to see when they tend to start getting greys. If you are getting them earlier than everyone else, then it’s time to visit your doctor.
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Diminishing Height: As we age, we generally get a little shorter, but if this is happening at a fast rate, it could be due to loss of bone density. Low bone density is concerning since it means one has weak bones that can fracture easily. Normally, those who lose height is because the discs between their vertebrae start to dehydrate and compress. As the spine gets older, it also becomes more curved and can collapse due to loss of bone density. Even the arches in your feet can start to gradually flatten to make you shorter. Women are more likely to get osteoporosis than men which is the loss of bone density. Get your calcium on a regular basis to prevent shrinking.
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Cold Hands And Feet: Do your hands and feet getting extremely cold in the middle of the summer? There are several causes of frosty hands and feet like frostbite, anemia, diabetes, lupus, or Raynaud’s disease which causes your blood vessels to overreact which does not allow blood flow. More than likely, especially if you do not keep an eye on your iron levels, you could be anemic. Try adding an iron supplement to your diet to help keep your hands and feet warm. Other serious conditions usually have symptoms associated with your freezing digits. If you have pale skin or discolored skin, then you might have Raynaud’s disease which would mean to cure your ailment, you will need surgery to correct your nerves.
