Think back to your last visit to a general doctor; what are the first things he looks at?

　　He asks you to stick out your tongue, he examines your eyes and takes an almost kinky interest in your mouth and ears. All this is not to follow some protocol but to read the signs of your body’s health. Visual diagnosis has been followed through the ages; this is because your face is the most illuminating part of your body and provides great insights into the functioning and status of your organs. This is because our body is a coherent machine where all the parts work in symphony and harmony, with the same energy flowing through our veins. Let us take a look at what can be ascertained by examining the face。

　　Face and Body: Connections

　　Why your face is such a good mirror of your general health –

　　1. Your mouth is the entry to the digestive system and hence provides the basic diagnosis of your digestive tract。

　　2. Your nose is the ingress to the respiratory system and thus is a fine place to begin to understand your respiratory health。

　　3. The eyes are directly connected to the optic nerve, the brain and the nervous system, which also explains our heavy reliance on our sense of vision。

　　4. The ears send sound signals to the brain, making up the auditory system。

　　5. Did you think ‘rosy cheeks’ were just part of a poem? The colour of your cheeks actually represents the health of your lungs。

　　6. Dark circles and bad skin under the eyes reflect poor kidney health。

　　7. The condition of your forehead reflects the condition of your bladder。

　　Symptoms, their meanings and solutions

　　Forehead acne

　　First connection, the forehead reflects the general condition of your digestive system. So acne in this region is a sign that you’re not really pampering your stomach and such. We might think of pampering as filling it up with rich foods and corpulent amounts of alcohol, but to the body the exact opposite is true. Too much oil or grease is what causes the acne, and the booze doesn’t help either. Healthier food habits, like a high-fibre and low-carb diet will set this right。

　　從黑眼圈和眼袋來識別

　　Dark circles and under-eye bags

　　Dark circles and under-eye bags, though mostly hereditary, do sometimes appear all of a sudden or get worse than before. This is a clear indication of deteriorating health. Dark circles and bags under your eyes are known to be linked to the kidneys. Discolouration in this area could mean that the toxins are building up in your kidneys, or even general dehydration. This could be a result of excessive alcohol or caffeine consumption. On the other hand, it could also be the result of certain deficiencies such as vitamin B12 or Iron。

　　Congested cheeks

　　One of the most common complaints about the face is white spots near the cheeks. This is because these spots can result from simple reasons such as bad cosmetics or unclean pillows. This doesn’t mean that you can dismiss them lightly because this part of your face also corresponds to the health of your lungs. So the spots can be indicative of a respiratory problem, such as in smokers or asthmatics. This is because they are prone to breaking of capillaries in the cheeks. This is not as dramatic as it sounds so don’t freak out. A visit to a dermatologist should solve it。

　　Moles

　　Ever heard people complimenting “that sexy mole”？ Apart from being kind-of attractive when in the right places, a mole is not always bad even from your health point of view. Research has actually found that people with more moles have stronger bones and are less likely to suffer osteoporosis. The benefits are not limited to the bones. People with moles are known to have healthier eyes and even a more well-functioning heart. So don’t curse your moles. If you have them, feel blessed。