Body Signs: From Warning Signs to False Alarms... How to Be Your Own Diagnostic Detective » (Reprint)

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 has a daughter, Rebecca, a cat, Fazelnut, and lives with her husband, Richard—also a writer—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 has a daughter, Elizabeth, two dogs, Coco and Abby, and divides her time between Darien, Connecticut, and Sag Harbor, New York.

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. When are these harmless and when is a visit to the doctor’s office in order? Drawn from cutting-edge research and the latest scientific literature, and vetted by a panel of medical experts, this fascinating guide covers every body part from head to toe to help you decode the often mysterious messages your body sends you.

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction 1

Body Signs Panel of Medical Experts 13

Chapter 1 Your Hair: The Long and the Short of it 17

Hair Texture Changes

Hair Color Changes

Spotty or Patchy Hair Loss

Balding in Men

Hair Loss in Women

Hair Shedding

Born (Hair) Free

Losing Eyebrows or Eyelashes

Losing Chest and Body Hair

Losing Pubic Hair

Hair in All the Wrong Places

Very Hairy Men

Chapter 2 Reading Your Eyes 39

Circles Under the Eyes

Bags Under the Eyes

Creases Under The Eyes

Droopy Eyelids

Bulging Eyes

Inside-out Eyelids

Growths on the Eyelid

Lumps and Bumps on the Eyeball

Bloodshot Eyes

Yellow Eyes

Spots on the Eyes

Rings Around the Iris

Different-Sized Pupils

Eye Color

Tears

Eye Twitches

Darting Eyes

Floaters

Flashes

Phantom Visions

Light Sensitivity

Night Blindness

Color-Vision Changes

Chapter 3 Listening to your Ears 67

Red Ears

Earlobe Crease

Misshapen Ears

Too Much Earwax

Watery Ear Discharge

Itchy Ears

Stuffy Ears

Ringing in Your Ears

Hearing Your Heartbeat

Sensitivity to Sound

Hearing a Loud Explosion When Sleeping

Hearing Sounds That Others Don't

Gradual Hearing Loss

Sudden Hearing Loss

Chapter 4 Your Nose Knows 83

A Red Nose A Bulbous Nose

A Crease over the Nose

Sun Sneezing

Inability to Sneeze

Snoring

A Very Runny Nose

A Dry Nose

A Smelly Nose

Smelling Problems

Chapter 5 Read my lips...and mouth 99

Puffy Lips

Pursed Lips

Dry, Cracked Lips

Blue Lips

Burning, Tingling Lips or Mouth

Lip or Mouth Freckles

White or Gray Patches in Your Mouth

White Streaks in the Mouth

Red or Swollen Gums

A Bump or Hole on the Roof of Your Mouth

A DryMouth or Excessive Thirst

Watery Mouth

Black Hairy Tongue

White Hairy Tongue

Beefy Red Tongue

Groovy Tongue

A Smooth Tongue

Traveling Tongue Patches

Twitchy Tongue

Diminished or Distorted Sense of Taste

A Metallic or Terrible Taste

Supersensitive Taste

Sweet, Fruity Breath

Garlic Breath

Urine- or Ammonia-Smelling Breath

Fishy Breath

Fecal Breath

Yellow-Brown Teeth

Greenish or Metallic-Colored Teeth

Bluish Gray Teeth

Spotted Teeth

Blackish Teeth

Indented or Notched Teeth

Smooth, Glassy-Looking Teeth

Cracked Teeth

Chapter 6 Telling the Truth: Your Throat, Voice, Neck, and Jaw 129

Lumps on the Front of the Neck

Lumps Elsewhere on the Neck

A Lump in the Throat

A Lump on the Jaw

Clicking Jaw

Stiff Jaw

Receding or Thrusting Chin

Frequent Yawning

Excessive Hiccupping

Chronic Coughing

Colored Phlegm

A Hoarse, Raspy Voice

A Sporadically Hoarse Voice

Frequent Throat Clearing

Trembly Voice

Slurred Speech

Suddenly Speaking with a Foreign Accent

Speaking Too Loudly or Too Softly

Chapter 7 The Main Body of Evidence: Your Torso and Extremities 151

Mismatched Breasts

A Lump in the Breast

Lumpy Breasts

Swollen, Discolored Breasts

Enlarged Breasts in Men

Extra Breasts

Triple Nipples

Inverted Nipples

Crusty Nipples

Leaky Nipples

Apple-Shaped Body

Sudden or Unexplained Weight Change

Shrinking

Curved Back

Hunched Back

Unsteadiness

Stiff, Rigid Gait

Double-Jointedness

Stiff Joints

Creaky Knees

Being Left-Handed

Knobby Knuckles

Club-Like Fingers

Curled Fingers

Bump on the Wrist or Hand

Twisted Toes

A Bump on Your Heel

Body Tingling and Numbness

Numb or Tingly Extremities

That Funny-Bone Feeling

Tingly, Numb Fingers

Tingly, Numb Feet

Night Jerks

Jittery Legs

Leg Cramps During the Night

Leg Cramps During the Day

Tremors

Feeling Your Heart Beat

Cold Hands and Feet

Feeling Cold All Over

Feeling Hot When It's Not

Chapter 8 Private Parts, Farts, and Body Wastes 195

Crooked Penis

A Prolonged Erection

Spotted Penis

Scrotal Swelling

A Swollen Penis Head

A Lump on the Testicle

Red Ejaculate

Penile Discharge

Vaginal Farts

Vaginal Discharge

A Gurgling Stomach

Excessive Burping

Frequent Farting

Feeling Bloated

Green Stools

Orange Stools

Red or Maroon Stools

Black, Tarry Stools

Pale Poop

Floating Feces

Greasy, Smelly Stools

Slimy Stools

Skinny Stools

Colored Urine

Smelly Urine

Sweet Pee

Foamy Urine

Cloudy Urine

Frequent Urination

Leaking Urine

Profuse Perspiration

Night Sweats

No Sweat

Smelly Sweat

Chapter 9 Scratching the Surface: Your Nails and Skin 239

Changing Nail Colors

Strange Markings

Misshapen Nails

Texture Transformations

Unusual Skin Colors

Facial Marks and Masks

Body Patches and Patterns

Spots and Veins

Visible Veins

Lumps and Bumps

Texture Changes

Appendix I Body Signs Review: Multisystem Diseases and Their Signs 283

Appendix II Body of Resources: Recommended Websites and Books 293

Appendix III My Body Signs Checkup Checklist 299

Index 305

About the Authors 321