Hands
Hands
You have to hand it to the hand: This body part can really grab your attention. Whether it''''s flagging down a taxi, waving to a friend or flipping someone the proverbial bird after he cuts you off in traffic, the hand simply cannot--and will not--be ignored.
It''''s no wonder that Captain Hook was so bad-tempered. Think of the problems he encountered, lacking this most versatile of body parts. The hand brings many of life''''s basics within reach--allowing us to write, drive a car, hold a baby, feed and groom ourselves and perform a handful of other activities.
The hand is made up of the wrist, palm and fingers. The tendons that attach the muscles of the forearm to the bones of the hand are mainly what make movement possible. These tendons are surrounded by sheaths containing a lubricating fluid that prevents friction. Other movements are controlled by short muscles in the palm of the hand.
Some 90 percent of healthy adults use the right hand for writing, and two-thirds prefer it for activities requiring coordination. Just what makes a righty or a lefty isn''''t known, although heredity is probably the biggest factor.
Looking Younger, Hands Down
The weight- and age-guessing guy at the carnival knows the secret. Whenever he takes a stab at guessing how old people are, he has them hold their hands out in front of them. The aging result of a lifetime of dishwashing and sunbathing is right there--from the top of your middle finger to the top of your wrist.
| Go Ahead--Snap, Crackle and Pop Despite Mom''''s warnings about permanent damage, popping your joints doesn''''t cause arthritis, mutate your knuckles or separate your head from your spine. It only makes noise and, in a very few cases, relieves joint tension, says Mary Ann E. Keenan, M.D., chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Albert Einstein Medical Center and orthopaedic director at Moss Rehabilitation Hospital, both in Philadelphia. For most people, cracking knuckles is a habit born of a need for distraction. Though you may think you''''re rearranging your bones, the noise is really created by shifting joint fluid and escaping gas. If nothing else, popping your joints is a great way to clear a crowded room. |
Here are a few ways to help perk up your hands by turning back the hands of time.
Wax therapeutic. Having your hands dipped in paraffin wax is a sure way to smoother, less-dry skin, says Mona Winograd, owner of Dyanna Body and Nail Salon in New York City. Paraffin wax traps moisture and stimulates the blood supply, leaving hands feeling soft and healthy, says Winograd.
A manicurist dips your hands in warm paraffin several times and covers them with plastic gloves. Then, warmer mitts are put on for 15 minutes, says Winograd. "That way, moisture from the skin cannot escape." The treatment is usually every other week.
Cover up. To prevent snags and splits, use gloves whenever you do anything around the house--even light housework such as dusting, says Winograd. Wear plastic gloves when you''''re washing dishes and cloth or rubber gloves for all other household chores, she suggests. Gloves protect hands from harsh household cleaners.
Moisten your mitts. Don''''t forget the benefit of good old moisturizer, says Lisa Siegle, esthetician (a specialist in skin treatments) at Aveda Esthetique in Los Angeles. "If you wash your hands a lot during the day, keep moisturizer by the sink and reapply lotion each time." Even better, don''''t dry your hands completely. Apply the lotion while the skin is still damp, which helps to lock in moisture.
Siegle advises her clients not to use petroleum-based products such as mineral oil. She prefers naturally derived substances such as botanical oils.
See spot fade. Doctors say that liver spots are mainly caused by sun exposure. To keep spots from recurring, however, it''''s vital to use sunscreen on your hands first thing in the morning, says John E. Wolf, Jr., M.D., professor and chairman of the dermatology department at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.
The Drying Game
Sweaty palms don''''t make a great first impression--and many women are self-conscious about palm perspiration that seems to pop up when they least want it. You don''''t need to worry, since lots of people get that sweaty palm feeling. But if your palms sweat like a soda can on a hot day when you''''re nervous, you may want to do something about it.
| Unwrapping a Sticky Situation A ring may be a symbol of wedded bliss, but it can pose real danger when it''''s stuck on a swelling finger. Injury to the hand--as well as the finger--can cause your ring finger to swell. Because that ring can cut off blood circulation just as surely as a tourniquet, that band of gold has to come off--the sooner, the better, if your finger starts to swell for any reason.  Take a long piece of floss--as much as two to three feet--and begin wrapping at the tip of your finger, closely wrapping the floss around the finger and spiraling down toward the ring as shown. Keep the encirclements an eighth-inch apart or less. If your knuckle has swollen and is already too big to slip the ring over, try this trick using dental floss--or better yet, waxed dental tape. This technique, used by emergency medical technicians, is recommended by John C. Johnson, M.D., past president of the American College of Emergency Physicians and director of Emergency Medical Services at Porter Memorial Hospital in Valparaiso, Indiana.  To make the procedure even easier, grease the finger with petroleum jelly from the stuck ring up to the fingernail before you remove the ring. Then try the following steps. When you get to the ring, slip the end of the floss under the ring and pull that end toward your palm. Then lift the end of the floss over the top of the ring and pull up toward the tip of your finger. As the floss unwinds, it will ease the ring up and off your finger. |
Here are some quick fixes.
Bag it. Hold a wet tea bag in your palm for 10 to 15 minutes each day for a week or two. The tannin in regular tea is an astringent; it decreases sweating and shrinks pores, says Karen Burke, M.D., Ph.D., a research scientist and dermatologist in private practice in New York City.
Give them a clean swipe. If you rub witch hazel or medical alcohol over your palms before you have to shake hands, you may have a drier grip. These astringents shrink pores a bit and help diminish sweating, says Dr. Burke.
Apply an antiperspirant. The same spray that keeps armpits dry can work on palms, says Dr. Burke. Just choose the invisible kind, rather than powder sprays that leave a white coating.
See also Skeletal System
