Can Your Palm Give Clues to Health Issues?

Palm reading has shown up in many cultures, throughout many centuries, in cities and towns alike. Although considered by many to be fraudulent or a waste of money, palmists still hang their shingle advertising a display of mystery. Maybe this is why the never completely validated by science practice of palmistry, also called chiromancy or chirosophy, still holds curiosity for many. It is a mystery that is able to make sense to (or take advantage of) a select few, but may now be expanding to the masses as evidence of possible health clues.

There is evidence of many observational studies and even some small conventional clinical research that convincingly theorize at the meaning of the matrix of lines scored across your palms. These theories have shown up more than your average charlatan carnival act making some, even in the medical community, take notice.

What’s in your palm? Some have experienced a link between these line formations and a possible personality trait, athletic ability, advanced cognitive function or clue to a potential health risk. As these links continue to prove, over and over in observational research, maybe palmistry is coming out of the unscrupulous shadows and into a more rational, alternative remedy in and of itself.

Single Palmar Crease

Among the tangle of wrinkles on your hand, there could be one prominent single line that runs across the palm that holds particular significance. This line was once referred to as the “simian crease” but has now been changed to “single palmar crease” so as not to offend monkeys, those who look like monkey’s or people offended by a monkey reference of their hand.

According to the New York Times Health Guide, this single palmar crease occurs in 1 out of 30 people with males twice as likely to develop this crease than females. It is reported that,

A single palmar crease is often a normal finding. However, it may also be associated with:

• Down syndrome
• Aarskog syndrome
• Cohen syndrome
• Fetal alcohol syndrome
• Trisomy 13
• Rubella syndrome
• Turner syndrome
• Klinefelter syndrome
• Pseudo-hypoparathyroidism
• Gonadal dysgenesis
• Cri du chat syndrome

Each of these conditions have been linked, in one way or another, through observations and recorded studies to this one specific line in the hand. Proof that more credence should be given to these very prominent clues the body has developed, most likely through hereditary traits.

Health Line

Running from the middle of your open palm to just below the start of your pinky is the health line. This line is considered an indication of the current or future status of your well being. Here are some associations that may (or may not) apply:

• Not there – This is good new as no health line means few health issues. You’re good to go!
• It’s really there – If your health line is deep, prominent and straight this is an indication of good robust health. Now you’re really good to go.
• Wavy, scattered, broken – When your health line is all over the place this could be a warning of possible future health problems, particularly gastrointestinal, liver or gall bladder.
• Covered in small hashes – If little horizontal lines are scored across your health line chances are you are vulnerable to accidents.
• Short – A short health line or one made up of many little lines may indicate a weak constitution and possible chronic illness.
• Triangle – Sometimes there is a small triangular formation near the pinky end of the health line. It is believed that this demonstrates possible mental health issues especially if it’s a broken triangle leading to a potential for psychosis.

Lifeline and Big Hands

In an archived study on the relationship between longevity and lifeline, published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, it was summarized,

“The relationship between length of lifeline and age at death has been evaluated in 100 consecutive autopsies.A highly significant association between the two was discovered which was strengthened further when hand size was controlled for.We feel that a powerful new prognostic sign may thus be within grasp.”

On hand size, in the study results it was stated,

“We have minimized the confounding effect of hand size (i.e. the bigger your hands the longer you live) by expressing the length of the lifeline as a ratio of the theoretical maximum it could run. Using this ratio we have found a strong statistical correlation, particularly for the right hand, and age at death.”

The palmar crease, the health line and so many fantastical associations with the human palm continue to have some interesting, theoretical foundations for many. Take a look at yours and see if any similarities appear.