Some people are often plagued by minor ailments or chronic ailments, and although they may not be significantly unwell, it does not mean that they do not have health problems.
In fact, some basic health self-tests can be completed at home. Bookmark these 10 easy health self-assessment methods to help us detect potential problems in our body in time and detect early warning signs!
Health Times Chart
1. Cardiac self-test: Bow posture test
Zhang Wen, a doctor of oncology at Shanxi Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, recently pointed out in an article in the Health Times that if the heart is healthy or not, you can try to bow.
Before the test, first calm yourself down, sit quietly for 5~10 minutes, then measure the pulse rate A within one minute, then make a bowing posture, keep a moderate frequency and do 20 consecutive times, continue to measure the pulse number B, rest for 1 minute, and then measure the pulse number C. Then start substituting the following formula: add up the number of three pulses, then subtract 200, get the number, divide it by 10, and then compare the final number with the following criteria to simply determine whether your heart is still healthy.
Between 0~3, it means that the heart is strong;
Between 3~6, it means that the heart is good;
Between 6~9, the state is average;
Between 9~12, I am afraid that I should always pay attention to heart problems;
If it is above 12, you should go to the hospital for examination as soon as possible.
Whether it is a cardiovascular patient or a healthy person, once there are uncomfortable symptoms such as chest pain, chest tightness, and shortness of breath, they should seek medical attention in time. ①
2. Cardiopulmonary self-test: 6-minute walking test
Xu Jianzhao, a resident physician in the Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine at Beijing Chest Hospital, pointed out in an article in Health Times in 2024 that symptoms such as fatigue, exhaustion, frequent colds, wheezing after climbing stairs or activities, and difficulty breathing may all be manifestations of decreased cardiopulmonary function. For cardiopulmonary function, there is a "six-minute walk test", which only takes 6 minutes to understand cardiopulmonary function.
The six-minute walk test refers to walking as fast as possible in a straight line of 15~30 meters, and the total distance walked in 6 minutes is tested.
The range of the six-minute walk test for healthy adults is 400~700 meters. If the 6-minute walk is less than 400 meters, it indicates possible cardiopulmonary insufficiency. ②
3. Hair loss self-test: hair pulling experimental test
Zhong Shiyu, the attending physician of the Dermatology Hospital of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, pointed out in an article on the hospital's WeChat public account in 2023 that if you doubt whether you have hair loss, you can do a small test - hair pulling test.
Do not wash your hair for 5 days before the hair pulling test. Use your thumb, index finger, and middle finger to pull a strand of hair from your scalp, about 60 strands, and pull the hair outward with appropriate force to check the amount of hair falling. If more than 6 hairs are lost, the hair pull test is positive, and if there are less than 3 hairs, it is considered normal physiological alopecia.
If you have a positive hair pull test or find that you have thin hair, it is recommended to see a hair loss specialist for professional guidance. ③
4. Psoas muscle self-test: bend over and lean back test
Yang Kexin, chief physician of the Department of Spine at Wangjing Hospital of the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, introduced in an article in the Health Times in 2021 that by bending over and leaning back, it can help amplify the signals of lumbar diseases, so as to detect diseases earlier.
Bend over slowly, and in the process of bending down, if you have lower back pain, radiating pain in your hips, thighs, calves, or even feet, and the leg pain worsens when you bend over and cough, then you may have a herniated disc in your lumbar spine.
In the process of leaning back, if there is no obvious pain in the lower back, but there is a feeling of soreness and pain in the legs, buttocks, etc., it is considered that there may be spinal stenosis. Common causes of spinal stenosis are herniated discs, articular process hyperplasia, and thickening of the ligamentum flavum.
If there is muscle pain on both sides of the waist during bending or leaning back, a lumbar muscle strain is considered. It is easy to stand for a long time or bend over frequently. If you have symptoms after doing the above actions, you must go to the hospital for further examination. ④
5. Vascular self-test: Leg lift for 1 minute test
Xu Gugen, director of the endocrinology department of the Second People's Hospital of Guangdong Province, said in an article in the Health Times in 2023 that elderly people, especially diabetic patients, will have vascular lesions. In the early stage, there may be numbness, chills and other paresthesias, as the disease progresses, there may be intermittent claudication, pain, fatigue and weakness after walking, pain often occurs in the back of the lower leg, in addition to the above symptoms, you can take the leg self-test method.
Lower extremity elevation 70°-80° for 1 minute. The skin of the distal limb (in the direction of the foot) remains reddish or slightly whitish, and if it appears pale or waxy, it indicates an inadequate arterial blood supply.
Health Times Chart
Then the lower limbs hang down on the edge of the bed, the skin color of normal people can be restored within 10 seconds, if the recovery time is more than 45 seconds and the color is uneven, it indicates arterial blood supply disorder, it is recommended to go to the hospital for further examination. ⑤
6. Knee self-test: balance squat test
Chu Xi, chief physician of the Health Management Department of Xuanwu Hospital of Capital Medical University, published an article on the WeChat public account of Jingyitong in 2021 to introduce that if you want to know whether your knee joint is healthy, try squatting.
Keep your feet shoulder-width apart, keep your arms balanced in front of you, and slowly squat until you can no longer squat or feel pain.
Health Times Chart
If there is a click, but it doesn't hurt, and it doesn't ring once or twice, then there is no need to worry. If each squat snaps and is accompanied by pain or soreness, it may indicate wear and tear or inflammation within the joint. If knee pain is evident when squatting, it may indicate a knee disease. ⑥
7. Nervous system self-test: Finger test with eyes closed
Chu Xi, chief physician of the Health Management Department of Xuanwu Hospital of Capital Medical University, said that there is a simple self-test method for the nervous system, which is to find fingers.
Close your eyes, raise your arms from your sides, and put your index fingers in the center of your body and touch them together.
If the index finger is aligned smoothly, or only slightly off, it is normal. If the index finger is not aligned, it may indicate a neurological lesion. ⑥
8. Fall risk self-test: timed stand up test
Duan Leilei, director of the Injury Prevention and Control Office of the Chronic Disease Center of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said in an interview with Health Times in 2021 that timed stand-up is a relatively simple test method for the risk of falls in the elderly.
Prepare a chair with an upright back, firm, no bottom wheels, armrests, and a height of about 45 cm, and the elderly wear comfortable shoes and sit on the chair with their bodies resting on the back of the chair and their hands on the armrests. When the subject shouted "start", the elderly man stood up, walked forward 3 meters, then turned and walked back to the chair, sat down and leaned back in the chair. If it takes more than 14 seconds to complete the whole process, it indicates a high risk of falling. ⑦
9. Fundus health self-test: Look at the grid table test
Yang Xubo, deputy chief physician of the Department of Ophthalmology of West China Hospital of Sichuan University, pointed out in an article published on the hospital's WeChat public account in 2018 that there is an easy way to self-check fundus diseases, and that is the Amsler grid table.
The eye is about 30 cm away from the table, and the light should be clear and uniform during self-examination; Check the right eye: put your hand on the left eye, and stare at the center point of the checkered table with the right eye; check the left eye: repeat the previous step, change the direction of the hand and eye; if you have presbyopia or myopia, you should wear glasses to test, otherwise the test will not be accurate.
The picture is from the WeChat public account of West China Hospital of Sichuan University
When you gaze at the black spot in the center of the gaze, you notice a gap or curve in the center of the table, which may be a sign of fundus problems, and you need to see an ophthalmologist for a detailed examination. ⑧
10. Kidney Health Self-Test: Observe the urine sample test
Hou Fanfan, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a nephrologist at Southern Medical University, said in an interview with Health Times in 2018 that observing urine by himself is the most direct and simple way to judge whether the kidney function is normal. ⑨
First, observe the pattern of urine, if there is an increase in foam in the urine, and there is a fine foam on the surface of the urine after the urine is left for a period of time and does not dissipate, it may be proteinuria;
Secondly, you should also pay attention to the color of the urine, the change of urine color, the turbidity of the urine is like rice water, or the urine color is red, it is dark brown or even soy sauce color, which is an abnormal phenomenon;
In addition, to observe the change of urine output, the daily urine output of normal people is about 1000~2000 ml, and too little or too much urine output indicates that there may be kidney problems.
Finally, these self-test methods cannot replace the real physical examination, but they can help you find individual health problems in time, especially the early detection and early treatment of some major and difficult diseases. If you do feel unwell through the small test method, it is recommended to go to the hospital for further examination.
Source: Health Times