(WellnessPursuits.com) – When was the last time you really studied the size and shape of your ears? Believe it or not, some features can be red flags for certain health issues. Some may even reveal insights into your character. Check out what the shape of your ears could be saying about you.
Frank’s Sign
A man by the name of Dr. Sonders T. Frank first discovered a connection between the earlobes and the heart in 1873. “Frank’s sign,” or a diagonal crease of skin across the earlobe, appears to be common in people developing coronary heart disease and peripheral vascular disease.
This might sound like an old wives’ tale, but researchers have found it to be a reliable red flag for an impending stroke. If you’ve developed this type of crease, talk to your doctor to see what you can do to cut your risk factors.
Skin Tags
Skin tags can say a lot when they’re on your ear. This is especially true in infants, where they can signal the presence of impaired hearing. In adults, skin tags anywhere on the body can mean issues with blood sugar, often warning of insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome or diabetes.
Preauricular Sinuses
Do you have a tiny hole in the front of the top fold of cartilage on your ear? That’s called a preauricular sinus, and it occurs in about 0.1 to 9% of the population. There’s some speculation that these rare sinus cavities are a non-functional genetic throwback to gills. Preauricular sinuses usually don’t really indicate you have any health problems, but in rare cases, they can signal genetic diseases affecting hearing and kidney function.
Physiognomy of the Ears
Physiognomy is the ancient art of deciphering facial features. It was first developed by the Greeks, but it’s been popular in numerous places across the world. The validity of this practice might be up for some debate, but research shows there might be some merit to some of it.
Researchers do warn that there’s a risk of “reading into” a person’s traits as opposed to “reading from” them. This is when we see what we want to see in someone’s character because of physical attributes, such as assuming someone is honest or nice just because they have a pleasant smile.
According to Chinese physiognomy, your ears can say a lot about you. Younger people with large ears are often more boisterous and energetic, whereas people with tiny ears are quieter and more prone to health issues.
Ears that rise above the height of the eyebrows can reflect an idealistic or philosophical mind. Low-hanging ears might mean the person is excessively concerned with luxuries. Large earlobes after 60 are believed to be predictive of good luck.
Whether you’re looking for evidence of disease or just having fun playing around with their physiognomy, you can learn a lot by taking a closer look at your ears. What do your ears reveal about you?
~Here’s to Your Healthy Pursuits
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