Handy predictions Finger out your health!

"It's not just the lines on your hand,but the shape and texture of your palms and your fingers, that predicts your stress level, vitality and well-being," says Manju Maitra, who has been practising palmistry for the last five decades.

So, while a pink palm indicates a healthy and well-adjusted person, a red-handed person probably has too much energy and gets angry easily. On the other hand, a white palm is a symbol for general ill-health and weakness. According to palmistry, people with smooth hands rarely lose their temper, and those who have lines deeply etched on their palms tend to be worrisome, high strung and emotional.

What your finger length ratio says about you

Type 1:
If your ring finger is shorter than your index finger, you are at risk of heart disease in early adulthood and of depression, especially if you are male. You have superior reading and writing skills.

Type 2:
If your ring finger is the same length as the index finger, you are more attuned to your feminine side, possess soft skills, generally calm, but active and forceful at the same time.

Type 3:
If your ring finger is longer than the index finger, you are at higher risk of early menopause, if you are a woman; good at math and science; aggressive, athletic, but ... you have weak legs!

Hands are linked to vital organs: Reflexology

Hands have points within them that directly correspond to various areas in the body. Reflexologists use a map of the hand to locate the areas that need to be worked on. So, if a patient complains of a headache, the reflexologist will use massage techniques, like a finger roll, or steady pressure on the fingers to relieve the pain.

(Read more about the Osteoarthritis Research Program at WebMD.com)


Osteoarthritis Risk: Handy Finding - by: Miranda Hitti

Jan. 3, 2008 -- Is your ring finger longer than your index finger? That may show a risk for knee osteoarthritis, especially in women, a British study shows.

Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis. In osteoarthritis, the protective cartilage that cushions the ends of bones within joints gradually wears away. It can affect almost any joint in the body but commonly involves the weight-bearing joints: the knees, hips, and spine.

Osteoarthritis becomes more common with age and extra weight. Finger length may also be a risk factor, according to the new British study.

A Handful of Osteoarthritis Risk

The British study included more than 2,000 people with severe knee and/or hip osteoarthritis and more than 1,100 people without knee or hip osteoarthritis. The researchers, based at England's University of Nottingham, eyeballed the length of participants' ring and index fingers, following up with hand X-rays for precise measurements.

The key finding: People whose index finger was shorter than their ring finger were about twice as likely to have knee osteoarthritis, compared with other participants.

That pattern was stronger for women than for men. Among women, those with an index finger shorter than their ring finger were three times more likely to have knee osteoarthritis. The finding may also be true for hip osteoarthritis, but because most participants with hip arthritis also had knee osteoarthritis, it was hard for the researchers to confirm that. Other osteoarthritis risk factors -- including age, sex, BMI (body mass index, which relates height to weight), previous joint injuries, and physical activity -- didn't explain the results.

Rheumatology professor Michael Doherty, MD, and colleagues aren't sure how to explain their findings. They note that men are more likely than women to have index fingers that are shorter than ring fingers, so hormonal factors may be involved, but that's not certain.

The study appears in January's edition of Arthritis & Rheumatism.

And you can read more about the scientific details of this Osteoarthritis Research Program at ScieneDaily.com:
Osteoarthritis Risk Linked To Finger Length Ratio

Related sources:
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Double Digits
Giving Science the Finger
Finger Length could predict Arthritis