--- title: 7 Weird Signs of Health Troubles description: From your fingernails to your nose, these tricks could give you clues about your body for years to come canonical: https://time.com/9297/7-weird-signs-of-health-troubles/ author: Men's Health article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-02-23T10:45:39.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-21T06:28:13.930Z article:section: Health og:title: 7 Weird Signs of Health Troubles og:description: From your fingernails to your nose, these tricks could give you clues about your body for years to come og:url: https://time.com/9297/7-weird-signs-of-health-troubles/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5cb0ff18c910323c/698682fdcd68482a4009357e/weird-signs-health.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1400 og:image:height: 788 og:image:alt: Many conditions and diseases start with physical changes you may not pinpoint as problematic. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 7 Weird Signs of Health Troubles twitter:description: From your fingernails to your nose, these tricks could give you clues about your body for years to come twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5cb0ff18c910323c/698682fdcd68482a4009357e/weird-signs-health.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 7 Weird Signs of Health Troubles > Sponsored content. 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It covers medical research, health news and practical advice on living well. #### Where can I get reliable health news by email? Health Matters is TIME's weekday health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free weekday newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-health-2026q3/newsletters?i=8e5b3ba8-d5d0-4d57-a4ae-ff7922b5f5fa&cr=time-nl-health-2026q3-v1) by [Men's Health / Paige Fowler](https://time.com/author/mens-health/) ## Men's Health / Paige Fowler Feb 23, 2014 10:45 AM UTC  Many conditions and diseases start with physical changes you may not pinpoint as problematic. Many conditions and diseases start with physical changes you may not pinpoint as problematic. Vstock LLC—Getty Images/Tetra images RF by [Men's Health / Paige Fowler](https://time.com/author/mens-health/) ## Men's Health / Paige Fowler Feb 23, 2014 10:45 AM UTC You don’t need a crystal ball to predict your future health — just your five senses. Whether you realize it or not, many conditions and diseases start with physical changes you may not pinpoint as problematic. The good news: if you know what to look for, you can spot many issues early — and treat them fast. Here are seven ways your body could be signaling a health hazard. **Check your: Sense of smell** **For: Alzheimer’s disease** A decline in sniff-ability could be one of the earliest signs of Alzheimer’s disease, according to a study by the U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Mice bred to produce high levels of a protein called amyloid precursor protein — involved in the development of Alzheimer’s disease — had higher rates of nerve-cell death in their noses compared with normal mice. Changes that occur in your olfactory system because of Alzheimer’s may be similar to those that happen in other regions of the brain, but appear much sooner. Gradually losing your sense of smell can be normal after age 70, but if you notice a decline much younger — or more suddenly — discuss it with your doc. (**MORE:** [Learn the 7 Pains You Shouldn’t Ignore](http://www.menshealth.com/health/7-pains-you-should-never-ignore-0?cm%5Fmmc=Time-%5F-7%20Weird%20Signs%20of%20Health%20Troubles-%5F-Article-%5F-7%20Pains%20You%20Should%20Never%20Ignore)) **Check your: Fingernails** **For: Lupus** Healthy nails are typically smooth and spotless. If you notice redness under your fingernails it could be a sign of lupus, a disease in which your immune system attacks healthy tissues. Lupus can also cause a rash on the backs of your hands and fingers as well as swelling and puffiness at the base of your nails. **Check your: Hairline** **For: Thyroid disease** When your thyroid — a butterfly-shaped endocrine gland in your neck that churns out hormones — isn’t working properly, it affects hormones throughout your body, including those linked with hair growth. What’s normal and what’s not? With thyroid-related hair loss, you may experience other mane changes, like your hair becoming dry or coarse before it started falling out. An underactive thyroid can also cause thinning of the eyebrows. **Check your: Reflection** **For: Heart attack** People who look old for their age have a higher risk of ticker trouble down the road, suggest researchers at Copenhagen University Hospital. Compared with people without visible signs of aging — gray hair, baldness, wrinkles and cholesterol deposits on the eyelid — those with three or four signs had a 40% higher risk of heart disease and a 57% higher risk of a heart attack over 35 years. If you notice any of these signs, ask your doctor to check for any other heart-disease risk factors that may be lurking beneath the surface. (**MORE:** [100 Ways to Protect Your Heart](http://www.menshealth.com/mhlists/heart-health-tips/?cm%5Fmmc=Time-%5F-7%20Weird%20Signs%20of%20Health%20Troubles-%5F-Article-%5F-100%20Ways%20To%20Protect%20Your%20Heart)) **Check your: Breath** **For: Erectile dysfunction** Dragon breath is a telltale sign of gum disease, which may be linked with erectile dysfunction. Turkish researchers found that among men between 30 and 40, those with severe gum disease were more than three times more likely to suffer from erection problems than guys with healthy gums. Your move: brush twice a day, floss daily and open wide for your dentist two times a year. (**MORE:** [Discover What More Testosterone Can Do for You](http://www.menshealth.com/fitness/boost-testosterone-levels?cm%5Fmmc=Time-%5F-7%20Weird%20Signs%20of%20Health%20Troubles-%5F-Article-%5F-What%20More%20T%20Can%20Do%20For%20You)) **Check your: Eyes** **For: Cognitive decline** In a study, people as young as 38 who had wider blood vessels in their eyes scored worse on IQ tests than those with smaller veins, according to Duke researchers. The veins in your eyes are similar in size, structure and function to your brain’s vessels, so your peepers could indicate a decline in brain health years before the onset of dementia. It’s not so easy to spot the change yourself, so make a yearly appointment with your eye doc. And while you’re at it, make sure you know the top [10 questions every man must ask his doctor](http://www.menshealth.com/health/10-questions-you-must-ask-your-doctor?cm%5Fmmc=Time-%5F-7%20Weird%20Signs%20of%20Health%20Troubles-%5F-Article-%5F-10%20Questions%20Every%20Man%20Must%20Ask%20His%20Doctor). **Check your: Hearing** **For: Diabetes** Testing, testing, 1-2-3\. People with diabetes were more than twice as likely as those without the disease to have hearing loss, report researchers at Niigata University in Japan. Surprisingly, younger diabetics — under age 60 — were even more at risk for developing hearing impairment than their older counterparts. High blood-sugar levels associated with diabetes may damage blood vessels in your ears. [_This article was written by Paige Fowler and originally appeared on MensHealth.com_](http://www.menshealth.com/health/7-ways-predict-health?cm%5Fmmc=Time-%5F-7%20Weird%20Signs%20of%20Health%20Troubles-%5F-Article-%5F-7%20Weird%20Signs%20of%20Health%20Troubles)_._ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/9297/7-weird-signs-of-health-troubles/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/9297/7-weird-signs-of-health-troubles/"},"headline":"7 Weird Signs of Health Troubles","datePublished":"2014-02-23T10:45:39.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T06:28:13.930Z","description":"From your fingernails to your nose, these tricks could give you clues about your body for years to come","url":"https://time.com/9297/7-weird-signs-of-health-troubles/","keywords":["Diet & Fitness","heart attack","diabetes","Alzheimer's"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5cb0ff18c910323c/698682fdcd68482a4009357e/weird-signs-health.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Men's Health / Paige Fowler"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5cb0ff18c910323c/698682fdcd68482a4009357e/weird-signs-health.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Many conditions and diseases start with physical changes you may not pinpoint as problematic.","caption":"Many conditions and diseases start with physical changes you may not pinpoint as problematic.","creditText":"Vstock LLC—Getty Images/Tetra images RF","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/diet-fitness/","name":"Diet & Fitness"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/9297/7-weird-signs-of-health-troubles/","name":"7 Weird Signs of Health Troubles"}}]}] ```