If You Have These Symptoms, Your Body Might Be Trying to Warn You Of Something Unexpected
If You’re Craving Ice, You Might Be Anemic It’s normal to chew on ice every once in a while, especially if you’re bored or are trying… Samantha Davis -
January 31, 2023
People who chew ice might have low iron levels. Dental Plans.
If You’re Craving Ice, You Might Be Anemic
It’s normal to chew on ice every once in a while, especially if you’re bored or are trying to cool off. If you’re having constant ice cravings though, it could be a sign of PICA. PICA is a disorder where people chew on items that have no nutritional value like clay, paper, soil, or ice. While doctors aren’t sure why there is a correlation between these two things, chewing ice is common in people with low iron or anemia. Some other common symptoms include cold hands and feet, irregular heartbeat, dizziness (especially when standing), and fatigue.
Bloodshot eyes could be from being tired, but they are also a warning sign of glaucoma. Shutterstock.
Bloodshot Eyes Are an Early Sign of Glaucoma
Eye redness is a pretty common symptom. It can be caused by having a cold, not getting enough sleep, dry eyes, or conjunctivitis (pink eye). In rare cases, however, bloodshot eyes are a sign of deep eye infection or glaucoma. Left untreated, either of these conditions can cause blindness. You should see your doctor if bloodshot eyes last longer than two weeks, don’t seem to have a cause or are accompanied by symptoms like eye pain or worsening vision. You also might need to see a doctor if redness appears after a chemical splash- damage from these can show up hours later.
Rashes could be caused by anything from infection to autoimmune disease. VeryWell.
Skin Rashes Shouldn’t Always Be Brushed Off
There are a lot of things that cause skin irritation, from dry skin to being exposed to irritants in your soap or laundry detergent. While skin rashes are fairly common, they can also be a sign of something more serious if they are painful, spread quickly, accompanied by a fever, or don’t respond to treatment. Infections like Staph are dangerous while hives could be from an allergic reaction. There are also several autoimmune diseases commonly accompanied by a rash, including lupus, dermatitis, Celiac disease, and Sjogren’s syndrome. Rash is also a symptom of kidney disease.
Chest pain could give you clues about melanoma skin cancer. Shutterstock.
Chest Pain Isn’t Always Your Heart
A lot of people experience chest pain from indigestion, especially if they’ve been eating acidic or spicy foods that might cause an attack. In other cases, sudden chest pain happens when a person is having a heart attack. A lesser knower cause of chest pain is skin cancer. The reason melanoma skin cancer is so dangerous is that it can metastasize anywhere in your body. As tumors grow in the chest, they cause chest pain and breathlessness. Other causes of chest pain include lung disorders like hypertension, blood clots, or COPD, and coronary artery disease.
Losing your sense of smell in middle age is an early indicator of Alzheimer’s or dementia. Shutterstock.
Losing Your Sense of Smell Might Be Caused by Alzheimer’s
A lot of people associate a lost sense of smell with Covid-19 since it’s a key symptom that sets the coronavirus apart from other colds. If you’ve lost your sense of smell without being sick, however, it could be giving you clues about your brain health. People lose their sense of smell when an inflammatory response is triggered in the brain. As one of the key symptoms of neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s and dementia is inflammation, it makes sense that this would be an early symptom. Older adults who lose their sense of smell are five times more likely to develop dementia.
Bruising could be caused by iron deficiency or even leukemia. Shutterstock.
Leg Bruises Don’t Just Mean You’re Clumsy
A lot of us lead pretty busy lives, so it’s easy to think nothing of it when we get random bruises that we don’t really remember getting. However, easy bruising is a symptom of iron deficiency or anemia. People with low iron levels bruise easily because they have low levels of platelets. Platelets help with blood clotting that slows bruising after an injury. In rare cases, leg bruising is also an early sign of leukemia. Leukemia bruises show up as red or purple spots on the skin and are accompanied by symptoms like pale skin, weakness and fatigue, headaches, shortness of breath, and feeling cold.
Smaller, cramped handwriting is an early warning sign of Parkinson’s disease. Shutterstock.
Handwriting Changes Could Be a Sign of Parkinson’s
Slight handwriting changes aren’t really something to worry about. This is especially true for those times when you’re rushed or trying to get something down in a hurry and the result is barely legible. For people who experience handwriting that gets smaller and more cramped with time, however, it could be an early warning sign of Parkinson’s. Before diagnosis, people with Parkinson’s may experience pain or stiffness in their joints that affect their motor movements. These changes result in them writing smaller because their usual writing style might cause pain.
