How can you check you’re in good nick? Most of us steer clear of the doc – instead, you rely on your body to give you clues about how things are ticking over. And, you usually get it wrong. Here’s a list of things you fret over unnecessarily – and what you really should worry about.

　　怎样知道你的身体健康与否？大多数人都是绕过医生，依靠自己的身体来提供健康状况的线索，可这样通常都会出错。下面列举的是一些你不必烦恼的状况，以及一些你真正应该担忧的情况。

　　WHITE SPOTS ON NAILS: No, it’ not a sign you’re lacking calcium. These spots are usually caused by bumps and scrapes to the base of your nails. Or, occasionally, they’re a sign of a fungal infection or skin trouble like psoriasis – both a nuisance but neither life-threatening.

　　BUT SEE THE DOC IF... your nails have all developed a strange downward curve like a parrot’s beak. This is “clubbing” – it’s rare but can be a sign of lung or gut problems.

　　指甲上出现白点：不，这并不是你缺钙的标志。这些白点通常是由于指甲根部受到碰撞和刮擦引起的。抑或有时候它们是真菌感染或牛皮癣等皮肤问题的一个信号——尽管都很令人讨厌但不会危及生命。

　　但如果有以下现象就要去看医生了……你的指甲都出现了一条奇怪的向下的弧线，就像鹦鹉的嘴，这是“鼓捶指”——虽然很罕见，但却可能是肺部或肠子有问题的讯号。

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        COLD FEET: Poor circulation, right? Wrong. The blood vessels in our hands and feet tighten up when it’s chilly – which makes our fingers and toes cold and white. This is more noticeable in some people than others.

　　 BUT SEE THE DOC IF... you get an ache in your calves which comes on after you’ve walked a certain distance, particularly if you’re a smoker – that really could mean your blood vessels are clogging up.

　　脚部冰冷：是因为血液循环差吗？不是。天气冷时，人们手部和脚部的血管会收缩，使手指和脚趾冰冷、发白。这种情况在某些人的身上要更明显一些。

　　但如果有以下现象就要去看医生了……你在走了一段距离后，感到小腿疼痛——尤其是如果你是一个吸烟者——那可能真的说明你的血管堵塞了。

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         WIND: Typically, this results from your diet and lifestyle – overdoing the fruit and fibre, gobbling your food too fast, necking fizzy drinks and chewing gum or pen tops.

　　 BUT SEE THE DOC IF... there are other symptoms like persistent diarrhoea or weight loss. You could have a bowel problem.

　　肠胃气胀：通常，这是由饮食和生活方式引起的——食用了过多的水果和纤维、吃东西过快、喝了太多汽水、嚼口香糖或啃笔帽。

　　但如果有以下现象就要去看医生了……有持续腹泻或体重下降等其他症状，那你的肠部可能出现问题了。

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        DISCOLOURED TONGUE: Blame the docs for this one. They’re always getting patients to poke their tongues out and I’ve no idea why – it rarely gives any useful information. But it does create tongue neurosis in the public – so if it’s furry, coated or black, you panic. Don’t bother. It’s normal or just caused by whatever you’ve been eating. 　　　　        BUT SEE THE DOC IF... you’re middle-aged or more and you’vehad a painless ulcer for weeks – especially if you’re a smoker. It might just be something nasty.

　　 舌头发白：这要怪医生。医生们总是让病人伸出舌头，我不知道为什么——这并不能得到多少有用的信息。反而会在公共场所让人害上“舌头恐惧症”——如果舌头发毛、舌苔厚或发黑，你便会惊慌失措。不要担心，这属于正常情况，或者只是由你所吃的食物造成的。

　　但如果有以下现象就要去看医生了……你是中年人或更年长的人，并且已经口腔溃烂好几周了（但没有疼痛感）——特别是如果你是一个吸烟者——这可能会有一些危险。

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      DISCOLOURED OR SMELLY URINE: As per a nasty tongue, it’s usually just a reflection of what you’ve been eating. Dye can colour the wee, and certain foods – such as asparagus – can make it pong.

　　BUT SEE THE DOC IF... you think you’ve got blood in your wee or you’ve got other plumbing symptoms. You could have an infection or bladder problem, or if you’re a chap, prostate problems.

　　小便变色或气味重：与口腔异味相似，这通常只是由你所食用的东西所致。食物中的染料会使尿液带有颜色，一些特定的食物（比如芦笋）会使尿液发出难闻的气味。

　　但如果有以下现象就要去看医生了……你发现自己的尿液中带血，或是有其他排尿问题。那么你可能是受了感染或是膀胱出现了问题，要是你是小伙子，可能是有前列腺的问题。

　　Vocabulary:

　　1. nick  n . 情形，状况。

　　 2. wee = weewee   n .撒尿，尿。