Creased earlobe page
As strange as it sounds, people with a crease or fold in their earlobe seem
to be at greater risk of heart disease. A certain chiropractor I know
picked up the information from mainstream medical literature many years
ago, and has found it to be valid. Studies have been conducted
since that time, apparently confirming the link between earlobe creases and heightened
risk of heart attacks. However, these studies, and the anecdotal evidence
provided by accounts such as this, are not necessarily welcomed or supported
by all doctors. I suggest you plug such terms as 'creased earlobe' into a search engine to read the establishment's mistrust
of the issue.
If
you do have a crease in one or both earlobes, heed such consolations at
your own risk. I have heard tell of several people who have died young. Of course, when dealing with health issues, exceptions and variables are inevitable. I would assume that not every creased earlobe signifies cardiovascular disease, and not all heart trouble will be preceded by such an external warning. A bit of healthy skepticism never goes astray in such matters, but when you're dealing with a body's one and only blood pump (we don't have a backup organ), it's probably intelligent to err on the side of caution.
Even if creased earlobes only provided a warning in
some cases, wouldn't that be enough? If you've got a dark mole on your skin, should you ignore it because only
some dark moles become melanomas?
Anyway, I once noticed a crease in a friend's earlobe. I mentioned to him what I
knew about the subject, and he confessed that he
had been suffering from chest pains for some time. This co-incidence secured his attention. Thankfully, treatment
by the aforementioned chiropractor and diligent lifestyle changes on my friend's part saw the crease
become less distinct, and the risk of calamity fade. As far as I know, he is now very healthy and fit.
A person with creased lobes and high risk of heart disease will often
have the palms of their hands facing backwards when hanging by their sides
in a normal standing position. When they walk, their hands will be swinging like paddles. This is caused by upper-body muscles pulling
in the wrong way, or something (I'm told). My friend definitely exhibited
this symptom too.
What
should you do if you have a creased earlobe and perhaps backward-facing
palms? Well, that's for you to decide. If it were me I'd have some tests
done, and work out an anti-heart-disease strategy.
Three footnotes (earnotes?)
- No, his head isn't really that shape, but I couldn't resist.
- There's some new thinking about the causes of heart disease, so if you're serious about looking into the subject, make sure you find up-to-date sources of advice. I believe that the experts are starting
to see significant risk factors beyond the usual suspects (bad diet,
lack of exercise, family history, etc). From memory, immunological stuff,
bacterial infection, depression, loneliness and social isolation—these sorts
of things are now seen to be major factors in many cases of cardiovascular
disease.
- Seems like one easy way to reduce blood cholesterol is to include
cinnamon in the diet:
Cinnamon, Diabetes and Heart Disease
Studies in rats have shown that cinnamon lowers blood glucose and cholesterol
levels. A new study published in Diabetes Care in December 2003 (Khan
et al) has shown that small amounts of cinnamon in humans with diabetes
can lower blood glucose, cholesterol and triglycerides. Sixty Pakistani
men and women were divided into 6 groups and given 1, 3 or 6 grams of
cinnamon (Cassia—red brown variety) or similar amounts of placebo
for 40 days. Blood glucose and lipids dropped on average by 20% and
remained low for 20 days after intake was stopped. Also, the impact
on blood levels was the same at all doses i.e there was no dose response
- so 1g was as effective as 6g. The authors conclude that inclusion
of cinnamon in the diet of people with diabetes will reduce risk factors
associated with diabetes and heart disease.
(PS there is also another variety of true cinnamon not used in this
study which is tan in colour).
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