Another vital indicator of a person's physical and mental health status is found in the lines and patterns of the palms. These develop on the fetus in the second trimester and therefore are central to your well-being. They show your energy levels, emotional balance, and ability to overcome pain and illness. They will help you see what conditions are likely to bother you before they show up in other areas of the body. This lets you take preventive measures and work to build up your health in those problem areas.

Of course, the first place to look on the palm to assess the state of your general health is the life line, which can tell you a lot if you examine its length, depth, and legibility. All people have a life line, and it is the first line that appears on the hand of the newly developing baby. Its span — from between your thumb and Jupiter finger and swooping around the mount of Venus to your wrist — encompasses your entire life and represents, among other things, your health — illnesses, accidents, emotional traumas, and weaknesses. A long, deep, unobstructed life line signifies that you have a strong and healthy body that can fight off disease and recover quickly from accidents.

Marks of Vulnerability

When it comes to marks that appear around your life line, here are the ones that carry clues about your health:

• Breaks: A break in the line at a certain point in time may represent a major operation or serious illness.

• Stars: These may signal injury or a surgical procedure.

• Islands: Times when your health is jeopardized and you are more vulnerable to illness. If they are shaped like oblong blobs, you may have a predisposition to cancer.

• Colored dot: This mark could indicate a high fever; if the heart or head line shows a similar dot in the area around the same period of time, you may be looking at when a particular disease is due to set in.

• Diamond: Indicates gynecological or urological troubles.

Your life line can be strengthened by two other lines. There could be an inner life line that goes alongside the main line; this line can fortify the main life line and provide additional support in times of need. The same is true of your fate line, which runs in close parallel to the life line for most of your life.