我們多多少少會遇到一些身體上的“小毛病”，比如腹脹、長粉刺、舌苔發白、生潰瘍等等。很多人覺得這不算什麼大事，過些天也許自己就好了，但有時這卻是身體給我們發出的健康警告，你的健康狀況可能亮紅燈了！

　　1. Bloated tummy 腹脹

　　A staggering 70 percent of us have reported suffering from regular bloating.

　　多達70%的人經常腹脹。

　　Your body is basically trying to tell you you're not digesting your food properly or that you have a food allergy or intolerance such as to wheat or lactose.

　　你的身體其實是想告訴你，消化吸收出現了問題，或者出現了食物過敏或小麥、乳糖等不耐受的情況。

　　'Other common causes of bloating include hormonal issues, candida, constipation, too much sugar or booze, stress, dysbiosis (an imbalance between the good and bad bacteria in our digestive tract) or IBS,' said nutritionist Rick Hay.

　　營養學家瑞克·海因説：“其他常見的腹脹原因包括激素問題、念珠菌感染、便秘、吃糖或飲酒過多、壓力、生態失調（消化道有益菌和有害菌不平衡）、或者腸易激綜合徵。”

　　Simply eating too much at once can also dilute down the acid in our stomach, rendering it unable to start breaking down the food efficiently.

　　一次進食過多也會稀釋胃酸，使其無法有效分解食物。

　　Furthermore, enzymes that act optimally at a lower, more acidic pH, cannot function as well which means that food remains only partially digested and needs to be broken down further.

　　而且，消化酶在更低的偏酸性PH值環境下活性最佳，進食過多時消化酶也無法起效，這意味著食物只有部分被消化，尚需進一步分解。

　　This is usually done by bacteria in the gut and the consequent fermentation process results in the release of gases that may also cause bloating.

　　這一步驟通常由腸道細菌完成，隨後的發酵過程會産生氣體，也會導致腹脹。

　　2. Red inflamed skin and acne 紅腫的皮膚和粉刺

　　According to a 2013 review, the causes of skin inflammation and acne are many and will vary from person to person.

　　根據2013年的一項研究，導致皮膚發炎和粉刺的原因有很多，因人而異。

　　However, the most common causes are often hormone-related. The review explains that testosterone is the hormone that promotes acne the most so acne is a big issue for males and teenage boys in particular.

　　但最常見的原因與激素有關。研究解釋説，睪酮最能刺激皮膚長粉刺，因此男性和十幾歲的男孩們通常都面臨粉刺的問題。

　　But women also tend to get acne flare ups about one week before their menstruation starts due to a dip in oestrogen levels which, funnily enough, prevent the development of acne.

　　但在經期前一周，女性也很容易突然長粉刺，因為此時她們體內的雌激素含量突然下降，有趣的是，雌激素恰好可以抑制粉刺。

　　'When you get acne, your body may also be trying to alert you to an underlying hormonal or digestive disturbance,' said Mr Hay.

　　海因説：“如果你長了粉刺，身體也可能是想提醒你，你的激素水準可能出了問題，或者消化道功能紊亂。”

　　'It could also be a result of liver imbalance, poor diet especially if you eat too much carbohydrate, stress and allergies amongst other things.'

　　“也可能是肝功能紊亂，飲食不良，特別是如果你吃了太多的碳水化合物、壓力過大、或者過敏等等。”

　　Red inflamed acne with a white discharge is usually indicative of excess carbohydrate consumption and bacterial overgrowth.

　　有白頭的紅腫粉刺通常預示著你攝入了太多的碳水化合物，且體內有細菌過快生長。

　　3. White coating on the tongue 舌苔發白

　　A thin white coating on the tongue can be indicative of digestive disturbances such as microbiome imbalance, iron or B vitamin deficiency and possibly diabetes.

　　舌頭表面有一層薄薄的白舌苔可能表明你消化道功能紊亂，比如消化道微生物不平衡，體內缺鐵和B族維生素，還可能有糖尿病。

　　'In the case of iron and vitamin B deficiency it is quite likely you will be feeling constantly tired,' Mr Hay said.

　　海因説：“如果是因為缺鐵和B族維生素，你可能總是覺得疲憊。”

　　'Thick, white spots on the tongue that look like pus are more likely to be oral thrush, leukoplakia, or oral lichen planus.

　　“如果舌苔又白又厚，像是發膿，那更可能是患上了鵝口瘡、黏膜白斑病、或者口腔扁平苔癬。”

　　4. Vertical and horizontal nail ridges 指甲上的橫紋或豎紋

　　Healthy looking nails should be smooth, curved, with a shine to them and have no spots.

　　健康的指甲應該是光滑、有弧度、有光澤且無斑點。

　　The thing about nails is that they can cause potentially serious self-image and self-esteem harm.

　　指甲也可能嚴重影響你的自我形象和自尊心。

　　Nail ridges themselves are nothing to be overly concerned about as far as physical health goes but if untreated, they can pose a social problem.

　　如果從身體健康的角度看，指甲紋路本身並沒什麼可過于擔心的。但如果不處理，可能會導致社交問題。

　　'That is not to say, however, that you shouldn't have them checked out by your GP just to be on the safe side,' Mr Hay said.

　　海因説：“但為了確保萬無一失，你還是應該讓醫生檢查你的指甲。”

　　Vertical ridges - not horizontal - can be a sign of anaemia or even rheumatoid arthritis, Medical News Today reports.

　　據今日醫學新聞網站報道，指甲上的豎紋（不是橫紋）可能預示著貧血，甚至類風濕關節炎。

　　5. Cold sores and mouth ulcers 唇皰疹和口內潰瘍

　　'For starters, mouth ulcers are found on the inside of the mouth on the gums, tongue and inner cheeks whereas cold sores develop on the outside on the lips.

　　海因説：“首先，口內潰瘍是長在嘴裏面的，比如牙齦、舌頭和內側臉頰，而唇皰疹長在嘴唇上。”

　　'Most importantly, whilst mouth ulcers are indicative of a weakening immune system, they are non-contagious.

　　“最重要的是，口內潰瘍意味著我們免疫力較弱，但它並不通過接觸傳染。”

　　'Cold sores on the other hand are a manifestation of a dormant viral infection which flares up whenever our immune system becomes compromised for whatever reason.

　　“但唇皰疹意味著你的體內有處于休眠狀態的病毒性感染，免疫力低下或者在其他誘因下就會突然爆發。”

　　'They often start popping up as the weather gets colder and in times of stress both of which can weaken our body's innate protective systems.'

　　“它們通常在天氣轉冷或者人們壓力大時突然生出來，這兩者都會削弱人體的自身保護機制。”

　　6. Yellowing of the eyes and/or skin 眼白或皮膚發黃

　　'Whereas yellowing of the skin may be attributed to an excess intake of beta carotene, vitamin A and vitamin C, in which case it usually poses no threat, yellowing of the eyes is usually observed in people whose livers may be in trouble.

　　“皮膚發黃可能是因為攝入了過多的胡蘿蔔素、維生素A和維生素C，一般沒什麼危害。但眼白發黃的人可能肝臟不好。”

　　'Jaundice occurs when a compound called bilirubin builds up in the body.'

　　“當膽紅素在體內淤積時，人會患上黃疸。”

　　'The yellowing of the skin or eyes can be symptomatic of something more serious but they are all fundamentally either directly or indirectly related to the health status of the liver.'

　　“眼白或者皮膚發黃可能是更嚴重疾病的症狀，但從根本上説，他們都直接或間接與肝臟的健康有關。”

　　According to the NHS, jaundice can be caused by gallstones, alcoholic liver disease, pancreatitis, hepatitis, sickle cell, amongst others.

　　據英國國民健康體係，膽結石、酒精性肝病、胰腺炎、肝炎和鐮狀細胞等疾病都會導致黃疸。

　　7. Eye twitches 眼皮跳

　　If your eyes keep on twitching every now again out of nowhere, your body is trying to tell you that your nervous system is not very happy.

　　如果你總是莫名其妙地眼皮跳，你的身體是想告訴你，你的神經係統出了點兒問題。

　　But don't panic, eye twitches are rarely a sign of anything to be concerned about and more often than not will stop by themselves.

　　但不要慌，眼皮跳沒什麼可擔心的，通常自己會停下來。

　　'Electrolyte imbalance and the hydration status of your body are quite often the culprits of nerve spasms and these can be easily fixed,' Mr Hay said.

　　海因説：“神經痙攣症的罪魁禍首通常是電解質紊亂和身體的水化狀態。這些問題很容易解決。”

　　Eye twitches can also signify a magnesium deficiency.

　　眼皮跳也可能表示體內缺鎂。

　　A recent article published in June this year on the scientific journal Nutrients by the American University of Washington reported that 'from a neurological standpoint, magnesium plays an essential role in nerve transmission and neuromuscular conduction.'

　　今年6月，美國華盛頓大學的研究人員發表在《營養物》科學期刊上的一篇文章指出，“從神經學來看，鎂在神經傳輸和神經肌肉傳導中起著重要作用。”

　　Magnesium is essential to nerve signal function, which is why lacking it could be causing your eye twitches.

　　鎂對神經信號功能很重要，因此缺鎂可能導致眼皮跳。

　　翻譯&編輯：yaning