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Top 15 Signs You Are Not As Healthy As You Think (#4 Is Really Surprising!)
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You try to eat right, get some exercise, get regular sleep, but sometimes things happen. Our bodies are very complex organisms that require maintenance and attention. Despite your best efforts, when something goes wrong with your body, it tries to tell you by giving you various signs.
Sometimes these signs are subtle. You need to pay attention to your body if you want to live a long and healthy life. Below is a list of the top 15 signs that something might be wrong with your body, and you aren’t really as healthy as you think.
1. Mouth Ulcers
Although most mouth sores come from accidentally biting your mouth or lips or from stabbing yourself with a toothbrush or toothpick, these little annoyances usually clear up on their own within a few days. However, if you are getting unexplained mouth sores or sores on your tongue repeatedly, this could be a warning sign of many different types of disease such as IBS, syphilis, AIDS, diabetes, tuberculosis, herpes or oral cancer. Check with your doctor if you get mouth sores repeatedly for no reason.
2. Premature Gray Hair
Although sometimes getting gray hair before you hit your 40s is genetic, and it is actually a natural process, many people with diabetes find that their hair goes gray very early in life, sometimes as early as their late 20’s. If your parents did not get gray hair until their later years but you are getting gray hair early, check with your doctor to see if you might be diabetic.
3. You Are Shorter
This sounds a bit strange, but some people grow shorter as they age. This is generally because of weak bones. For many women, this is the first sign of osteoporosis. If you discover that you suddenly feel a bit shorter, have your doctor do a bone density test.
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4. Thinning Hair
If your hair has suddenly lost its luster and is looking thinner than normal, this could definitely be your body’s way of telling you that something is wrong. Thinning hair can be the result of a hormone imbalance, excessive stress, severe vitamin or mineral deficiencies or poor nutrition. Thinning hair is not normal until you reach your 60s or 70s. If you are younger than this, see your doctor.
5. Change in Birthmarks or Moles
Most moles, birthmarks and skin tags are harmless, but when they change in color, size or shape, or if they start to bleed, these are common signs of skin cancer. Any mole or birthmark that turns black or red, or begins to grow irregular borders should be checked out by your doctor or dermatologist.
6. Very Dark Urine
This is a sign that you are not drinking enough water. Your body needs a certain amount of water in order for it to function properly. When you become dehydrated, your urine will become very dark-colored. Being dehydrated can cause numerous problems in your body including insufficient hormone production, kidney damage and poor digestion. Drink at least eight to 10 glasses of water or other liquids, such as herbal tea, daily.
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7. Your Eyes are Not White
The whites of your eyes should be exactly that: white. Okay, sometimes they can be a bit bloodshot from lack of sleep or excessive alcohol, but if they are suddenly a yellow color, you could have liver problems, gallbladder problems or even jaundice. If they are excessively red or bloodshot frequently no matter how much you sleep, you could have hypertension or a viral disease of the eye.
8. Red Face
Most people get a red face when they are angry or embarrassed, but if you get rosy cheeks that don’t go away, you might have rosacea, a chronic skin disease. This generally affects women more than men, but either way it should be checked out by a doctor or dermatologist.
9. Chapped Lips
Everyone gets chapped lips from time to time due to sun, cold, or wind but if you constantly have cracked lips, plus sores on the inner part of the lips, you could suffer from a deficiency of vitamins such as zinc or vitamin B. You might also have a fungal infection of the lips. If chapstick or coconut oil is not curing your chapped lips, see a doctor.
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10. Your Feet are Always Cold
Since your feet are farther away from the heart than any other part of the body, any problems with your heart will show up as cold feet first. If you have been experiencing heart palpitations, shortness of breath, pain in your left arm, plus having cold feet all the time, you should see your doctor as soon as possible to rule out heart problems.
11. Pale or Dark Fingernails
You might be surprised how many health problems can show up in your fingernails. If your nails are suddenly looking very white, you could be anemic, which means your blood does not contain sufficient amounts of iron. White lines across the nails are also signs of cardiovascular problems. Dark — almost brown — colored nailbed arcs are often the first sign of kidney disease or kidney failure. If you think your nails are too pale, or any other abnormal color, see your doctor.
12. Swollen Neck
Although sometimes your ankles and feet swell when you have been walking or sitting for long periods of time, and your arms and fingers can swell when they are exposed to high temperatures or overuse, your neck is one part of your body that should never swell. The lymph nodes under your jaw swell when you are fighting an infection. If they stay swollen for more than three or four days, you should see your doctor, as this is sometimes a sign of leukemia. If the front of your neck is swollen, you might have thyroid problems.
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13. Loss of Eyebrows
If you are over 60, thinning eyebrows is a normal occurrence. However, for those under 50, this can be the first sign of a thyroid problem. See your doctor to rule out hyperthyroidism, or an overactive thyroid.
14. Relentless Bad Breath
There are many causes for bad breath including smoking, poor oral hygiene or even eating certain foods. However, if you are brushing and flossing, as well as brushing your tongue, and you still have bad breath, it could be a sign that you have digestive problems, acid reflux, kidney failure or even stomach cancer. See your dentist first to rule out tooth decay, then see a doctor if the dentist gives you the all-clear.
SEE ALSO: 15 Cancer Warning Signs Men Tend to Ignore but Shouldn’t
15. Dark Colored Stools
Ok, this isn’t something most people like to talk about, but sometimes we need to face the facts. Your stools can change color based on your diet or medications, even herbal supplements, but sometimes dark-colored poop is telling you that you have an iron deficiency. Stools streaked with red could mean hemorrhoids, a bleeding ulcer, or other problems in the intestines or digestive tract. Most times these are not serious problems, but occasionally, they are. Talk to your doctor if this problem continues.
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Marvin Zinn
Aug 24, 2017 at 7:39 am
WOW! Based on this list, I must be healthier than I thought, considering doctors expected me dead already four times. Currently I have prostate cancer I reduced with herbs and it does not bother me.