In every man's life there is one conversation that never ends: the one between you, your body, and the world around you. After all, your body's number-one job （other than luring female fauna to your plumage） is to provide you with updates about your environment. Am I hot? Cold? Wet? Is she really looking at my plumage?

    Amid this barrage of immediate information lies a stream of hints about your health as well. You just have to learn how to spot them-and translate them. Use the list at the left to find out what the mirror might be trying to tell you.

    Your Legs

    What you see: You have short legs and a longer upper body.

    What it might mean: For the athletes among us, these proportions translate into a lower center of gravity and a greater ability to change direction quickly. Think Allen Iverson, John Stockton, and a world full of soccer stars. Still, according to a 15-year British study, this body type also means an increased possibility of heart disease.

    "There's a directly proportional risk between leg length and heart disease," says George Davey Smith, M.D., a physician at the University of Bristol in England and one of the study's authors. "We followed 2,512 Welshmen over 15 years and found that for every half inch shorter your legs are in proportion to those of other men with the same length upper bodies, you have a 10 percent higher risk of coronary heart disease."

    But there's some good news as well: Many Welshmen report feeling relieved that they can now leave their houses without being followed.

    Your Waist

    What you see: Your waist is bigger than your hips.

    What it might mean: For men, this is the double whammy.

    Whammy #1: "We're not sure precisely why, but men who are 'apple-shaped' instead of 'pear-shaped' have a higher incidence of heart disease," says Richard Stein, M.D., a professor of clinical medicine at Cornell University. Which means too many guys are eating the apples without leaving off the pie, strudel, and fritter part.

    Whammy #2: A round, Santa-type belly is also a primary indicator of type-2 diabetes. "Abdominal fat causes a man's naturally produced insulin to work less efficiently," says Christopher D. Saudek, M.D., a professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University and president of the American Diabetes Association. It also keeps you and the sack of toys from fitting down the chimney.

    Your Ears

    What you see: You have a deep, vertical crease down the middle of your earlobe.

    What it might mean: You're a hobbit. Check your birth certificate. If there are no Middle-Earth references, consider your heart health. Some studies have shown that people who have creases in their earlobes have a high incidence of heart disease. Doctors don't know why, and some don't subscribe to the idea at all, but it's worth looking into.

    Your Cornea

    What you see: There's a whitish-colored ring along the outer edge of your cornea.

    What it might mean: Your blood's a fat river, baby. "That's arcus senilis," says Monica L. Monica, M.D., Ph.D., an ophthalmologist in New Orleans. "For men in their 30s or 40s, it's a sign that you likely have high cholesterol: That white line is cholesterol lodging in the fine tissues of your corneas. As we age, we all get this a little bit--but younger men who see it should have their cholesterol tested."

    Your Eyes

    What you see: Your eyes are bloodshot.

    What it might mean: Yeah, we know the obvious reasons. But it also may mean you're taking too much aspirin for those repeated hangovers. "Aspirin slows clotting and thins your blood, and that ends up flooding the small vessels in your eyes," says Dr. Monica

    Your Hands

    What you see: There are very small hemorrhages-which look like wood splinters-under your fingernails.

    What it might mean: Ask yourself, "Have I been tortured recently?" If the answeris no, you may have endocarditis, an infection in one of the valves in your heart, says Edmund Chitwood, M.D., an emergency-department physician at Martha Jefferson Hospital in Charlottesville, Virginia.

    Splinter hemorrhages are blood clots that have been thrown off by the infection and then have lodged in the small blood vessels. Sorry, getting a manicure won't help.

    Your Face

    What you see: In flat, white light, your skin and eyes have developed a yellowish tint.

    What it might mean: You're lucky: You may have picked up on the only obvious symptom of hepatitis, liver disease, or jaundice. "The liver is a noncomplaining organ," says Thelma King Thiel, of Hepatitis Foundation International. "So most people don't know they have a problem until the damage is advanced-then it's nearly too late." Too late for what? To use an organ that does complain: your mouth. See your doctor immediately.

    Your Skin

    What you see: You have a large or colorful mole. （And we don't mean a flamboyant double agent.）

    What it might mean: Melanoma-the most common skin cancer men get. Examine your hide for moles once a month, says Stephen Webster, M.D., a clinical professor of dermatology at the University of Minnesota's school of medicine.

    Apply the A-B-C-D rule: Look for asymmetry-anything that's not perfectly round; the border-i.e., an irregularly shaped one; the mole's color-whether its hue changes across the mole; and its diameter-you're looking for anything larger than a pencil eraser. If you find cause for concern under any of these letters, look in the phone book under "D" for dermatologist.

    Your Package

    What you see: Your scrotum is "fuller" and "heavier" on one side than the other.

    What it might mean: A few extra family jewels in the ol' money sack? Nope. More likely, you have a varicocele. "This is nothing more than a varicose vein around your testicle," says Larry Lipschultz, M.D., chief of male reproductive medicine and surgery at Baylor college of medicine in Houston.

    Symptoms include loss of testicular size, some testicular discomfort, lowered testosterone levels, and, in many cases, poor sperm production. Which could reduce your chances of being honored on Father's Day. An outpatient surgery can put your swimmers back in the water in no time （and give you an impressive scar to show your friends . . . uh, maybe not）.

    Your Noggin

    What you see: You have a wide, round head, like a partially deflated soccer ball.

    What it might mean: You may have a higher risk of sleep apnea. "People with wide, short heads have shorter airways, which are easier to obstruct," says Mark Hans, D.D.S., chairman of the department of orthodontics at Case Western Reserve University's school of dentistry.

    And that puts you-and 10 million other men-at risk of sleep apnea, which can cut your energy, torch your memory, and make you impotent. Your doctor can help you with a diagnosis and refer you to a sleep specialist. Leave your noggin the way it is, though. No one likes a guy with an inflated head.

    在每個男性的生活中都有一個永遠講不完的話題：這個話題是關于你、你的身體，還有你周圍的世界的。畢竟，除了誘惑女性以外，你身體的首要工作就是給你提供環境變化的信息。我熱嗎？我冷嗎？我感覺濕嗎？她真的在看我嗎？

    身體在提供大量即時信息的過程中同時也存在著許多關于你身體健康的跡象。你必須得學會怎樣識別它們，并且理解它們。運用下面的清單來弄清楚這些健康鏡子到底想要告訴你什么。

    你的腿

    現象：你的腿比較短，上身比較長

    含義：對于我們中的運動員來說，這種比例意味著低重心，和更強的迅速轉換方向的能力，想想看阿倫·艾弗森，約翰·斯托克頓，以及其他許多足球明星。然而，英國一個長達15年的調查研究表明，這種身體比例同樣意味著更高的心臟病發病率。

    "腿的長度和心臟病之間有一個直接成比例的危險關系，"喬治大衛史密斯說。喬治大衛史密斯是一個醫學博士，同時是英國布里斯托大學的一個外科醫生，還是這個研究的發起人之一。他說："我們跟蹤調查了2512個威爾士人15年多。我們發現和其他人擁有同樣長的上身的人，腿的長度每減少半英尺，他得冠心病的幾率就會增加10%."

    但也有一些好消息，很多威爾士人現在感到如釋重負，他們說現在他們可以不受跟蹤調查，隨意進出房間了。

    你的腰

    現象：你的腰比你的臀部大

    表明：對男性來說，這是禍不單行

    倒霉一："我們不明確為什么，但是'蘋果形'的男性比'梨形'的男性得心臟病的幾率要高，"醫學博士理查德·斯泰因說道。理查德·斯泰因是康奈爾大學臨床醫學的一位教授。"那就意味著太多男性吃蘋果餡餅，蘋果陷點心，以及其他甜食。"

    倒霉二：圓圓的，圣誕老人形狀的腹部也是2-型糖尿病的前兆。"腹部的脂肪使男性自身分泌的胰島素功能減弱，"醫學博士克里斯多佛紹德克說，他是約翰霍普金斯大學的醫學教授，同時是美國糖尿病協會的會長。同時它也是你穿不下衣服。

    你的耳朵

    現象：你的耳垂中間有一個很深、垂直的折痕

    表明：你是一個霍比特人。查看一下你的出生證。如果沒有關于地球中部的注釋的話，那就考慮一下你的心臟健康狀況吧。一些研究已經表明耳垂上有折痕的人有著很高得心臟病的幾率。醫生們不知道為什么，有些醫生根本不同意這種觀點，但這個問題值得進一步研究。

    你的角膜

    現象：你的角膜的外緣有一個白圈。

    表明：你的血脂很高。"那是老年環，"醫學博士莫尼卡說。莫尼卡是新奧爾良的一個眼科醫生。"對于30-40歲的男性來說，那表明你很有可能膽固醇太高：那個白線是堆積在你眼角膜精細組織的膽固醇。隨著我們年齡變大，我們都會多少有點這個環--但如果年輕人有這個的話，就需要查一下自己的膽固醇了。"

    你的眼睛

    現象：你的眼睛充滿血絲

    表明：我們都知道明顯的原因。但是那也可能表明由于多次醉酒你以服用了太多的阿司匹林。"阿司匹林可使血液凝塊變慢，使血液變稀，那會使你眼中的血管充血。"莫尼卡博士說。

    你的手

    現象：你的手指甲下面有些小出血，看起來就像木材的碎片。

    表明：問問你自己："我最近受折磨了嗎？"如果沒有，那你可能得了心內膜炎，那是一種心臟瓣膜感染，醫學博士埃德蒙齊伍德說。他是弗吉尼亞州夏洛特維爾的瑪撒杰弗遜醫院急診部的一個外科醫師。

    碎塊式的出血是被心臟瓣膜感染排出來并堆積在小血管里的血塊。不好意思的說，修剪指甲并沒有用。

    你的臉

    現象：在平滑，光亮的臉上，你的皮膚和眼睛都呈現一種暗黃色調。

    表明：你很幸運：你可能只發現了一個最明顯的肝炎癥狀。"肝是一個很少有不適的器官，"國際肝炎基金會的塞爾瑪金泰爾說，"因此大多數人直到肝炎進一步惡化才知道自己的肝有問題，而那時已經太晚了。"為什么太晚呢？那就應用你會抱怨的器官：你的嘴。立即去看醫生。

    你的皮膚

    現象：你有一個很大或是有顏色的痣。（我們并不是說那種鮮艷的雙重間諜。）

    表明：黑素瘤是男性最常得的皮膚癌。醫學博士斯蒂芬韋伯斯特是明尼蘇達大學醫學院的皮膚學臨床教授，他建議男性每個月檢查一次自己身上看不見的地方有沒有痣。

    遵守A-B-C-D法則：查找對稱處--所有那些看起來不是很圓的地方；邊緣地區，比如不規則形狀的地方；痣的顏色--痣周圍的顏色是否不一樣；痣的直徑--查找任何比橡皮擦大的東西。如果你發現了這四條中任何讓你擔心的地方，那就趕緊聯系皮膚科醫生。

    你的陰部

    現象：你的陰囊的一邊比另一邊鼓或是重。

    表明：難道里面有許多額外的家庭珠寶？不是的。你更有可能得了精索靜脈曲張。"那只是你睪丸周圍的一個靜脈曲張血管，"休斯頓貝勒醫學院男性的生殖醫學與外科主任，醫學博士拉里利浦舒爾茨說道。

    該病的癥狀有睪丸縮小，有時會有睪丸不適，睪丸激素減少，很多病例里面還有精子分泌減少等，這可能會讓你做不成爸爸。接受門診手術可能會給你留下一個明顯的疤痕，或許不會。

    你的頭

    現象：你的頭又寬又圓，就像一個部分充氣的足球一樣。

    表明：你更有睡眠呼吸暫停的危險。"那些頭又寬又短的人呼吸道短，這很容易導致呼吸堵塞，"醫學博士馬克漢斯說，他是凱斯西儲大學牙科學院矯牙部的部長。

    那會讓你以及其他1000萬的男性同胞們有睡眠呼吸暫停的危險，進而影響你的精力，損壞你的記憶力，并使你陽痿。你的醫生可能會給你確診，并把你介紹給一個睡眠研究專家。但是，還是讓你的頭保持原形吧。畢竟沒有人喜歡大頭男人。