You can't tell a person’s health just based on physical appearance alone. Agree or disagree?

[Still-alive]

You might see a person who is a bit bulky vs a person who is quite skinny and the bulky person may just be eating healthier than the skinny person.

https://mysticalraven.com/health/10069/no-you-cant-tell-if-a-person-is-healthy-just-by-looking-at-them

so do you agree that you really can't tell a persons health just based on physical appearance?

Strongly agree you can't tell a person’s health just based on their physical appearance

Agree

Disagree

Strongly disagree. Yes you can tell how healthy a person is strictly on their physical appearance

Im unsure

[Subarugirl]

Yes and no. There are certain symptoms that can indicate certain conditions, such as yellowing of the skin or eyes could be a symptom of jaundice. Drooping and or weakness on one side of the body could be a symptom of stroke.

If someone has a bone sticking out of their leg, it's safe to bet their leg is broken.

How ever you cannot always tell. You can use deductive reasoning to recognize certain things that could indicate, or that could put a person at a higher risk for an illness, but you can't always tell.

Like I can look at a really tall person and know that they are automatically at a higher risk for skin and heart problems.

Or look at a black person and know that they have a higher risk of having sickle cell disease.

Or look at person with specific physical traits and suspect downs syndrome.

The thing is you can't always tell, and you can't always make a diagnosis based just off of how someone looks. Not every fat person has health issues and not every skinny person is healthy.

[Still-alive]

Just to get a discussion going perhaps i just want to see @Fireguy17's take on this answer. you both seem to know your stuff.

[Fireguy17]

you can only tell so much from just visual cues.
You need to delve further into asking them what is wrong, or if they have an altered mental status either a family member/loved one or passerby to see if it was witnessed.
Sometimes you have to do a very detailed medical assessment, esp on someone who is unresponsive to start ruling things out.
Pulse, (if they have one) bp, spo2 blood sugar, skin color, is the skin cool, sweaty, hot, dry, how is their breathing, pupils, if they are breathing, is their pulse strong, thready, bounding, missed beats, you need to do a 12 lead ekg to see what their heart rhythm (s) is/are.
What does their breath smell like, intoxicants, an almondish smell, temperature, rash, hives, drug paraphernalia, anything in the area that does not look normal.
there are so many hidden things that can be wrong with a person inside, but they won't show it on the outside.
You can go through everything and still have no definitive answer.
The best way is if you can talk to them, or one of their vitals will give you an aha moment.
If their glucose level is low then they need something depending on their level of consciousness to bring it up.
Sometimes you cannot tell what is wrong because we are limited on what we can do, and have the equipment for, so its diesel therapy and bright lights and cold steel for them.
So, they can appear to be fine on the outside, they may not be fine on the inside.
Granny Good Cookies are hard to get a read on at times.
Women present differently than men.
Her finger, or neck hurt otherwise feels normal, she might just be having a heart attack, you just never know without going through all of your steps.
If it is angina 4 baby aspirin, an assist with their nitro, and some rest and they are fine.
Like I said it is hard to tell a book by its cover, you need to be a detective some days, and sometimes you still do not have a clue.
You know what it isn't, you just do not know what it is.

[Subarugirl]

@Fireguy17 exactly

[TenderFantasy]

Of course! You ever heard of cancer? Sometimes, it's not obvious. You ever heard of MENTAL ILLNESSES and PYSCHOSISES? ! Plenty of "normal" looking children shoot up schools or fired with a grudge people shoot up their old place of employement.

Also, yeah, I agree, though your examples in my opinion were bad ones. There is NO WAY those two are healthy. At least from what I can tell. One each too mcu than necessary, the other probably has mal absorption issues or digestive issues. Both need to go to their dietitians/doctors and see if they can get help with their binge eating and or maybe the other guy needs to eat a little more and more of the right things, NOT junk food!

[Summeroflove]

I agree to a POINT…….

If someone is morbidly obese, or on the contrary has bones sticking out. If someone just looks sick and hunched over. Etc etc. Ifs safe to say they’re in bad health.

There is many times though someone can be totally normal looking and have stuff going on beneath the surface.

There is people with cancer who look great and you rway can’t tell they have even late stages of cancer. Many other diseases that you really can’t tell on the outside how sick they are inside. But sometimes you can. It really depends.

Mental health is a thing too. There is people who are suffering inside who look totally fine outside. There is people who are crazier then a wild goose and some of the most normal to average to when handsome or beautiful folks you will meet

[Fireguy17]

I have 42 years as a firefighter/emt and we see all sorts of people with different ailments.
Some people that appear healthy have underlying heath issues, and others that you would think would have issues are perfectly fine.
Like the old adage, you can't tell a book by its cover.

[Still-alive]

what do you think of what Date_a_Snob says below?

[Fireguy17]

some truth to it.
Someone who is morbidly obese is not healthy and is a ticking time bomb, but being somewhat over weight they might be ok.
I have had patients that were very healthy, worked out jogged, ate well and had a stroke in their 40's.
We have delt with some very overweight people that fall and need help getting up that are in their 70s or older.
You just cannot tell by looking, except for your first impression when we get called.
you walk in, take a look around and look at your patient, and you can pretty much tell if they are really sick or not.
just seeing people on the street you would have no idea, unless they were laying in the street.

[168692376r83]

I feel like it definitely depends but most of the time yes. Skinny is always assumed to be healthier but genetics always play a role on how much muscle you can gain or how much fat you can gain (easily) so someone who is skinny may never work out and someone who may be a bit bigger may workout and be much stronger. For me personally, When I was skinnier the amount of weight I could lift in the gym was much lower (which isn't always the goal yes) but this is from my own experience. It depends on their lifestyle and their mindset as well. You can't just look healthy you have to have a healthy relationship with food and everything else.

[Emiliamazing]

There are many internal conditions and diseases that are not a parent from the outside. Arthritis, Crohn's disease, a variety of stomach ailments, some sexually transmitted diseases, and early stage cancer, perhaps. Cholesterol levels are not always obvious on the outside, heart conditions, or lung conditions can also not present themselves readily.

[sheenagwapa]

excess fat is bad for our health. it's not good for our circulatory system especially our heart. i am fat but if i don't eat when life is just too tough due to my ocd i think i will give up in life. these past few years have been about fighting for survival so i really have to hold on to things that makes me happy. apart from ocd i think i just really love food but then i'm also a beauty enthusiast so there's that balance.

[LovingJo]

Fuck no!!
I've dealt with this shit most of my life, invisible illnesses are the worst and it makes you very depressed!! 💯
You are judged, criticised, and made to feel like you are something that you are not.

[Still-alive]

Yes it sucks. I understand the sentiment here. *hugs*

[JustinTheGreat]

Agree. That’s why I never judge someone who might be overweight. For all we know, they could have lost a lot of weight already and they’re working out and eating healthy.
Some people are just blessed with better metabolisms. I know people who are skinny but they eat fast food, soda, and junk every day 🤷‍♂️

[DarkLegacy]

You can tell a lot about a persons health by appearance. their skin colour for start, if they are yellow then they have jaundice which means there is something wrong with the liver. When my Mum was ill with pneumonia it showed in her face and eyes. Very dark shadows under the eyes can sometimes be a health condition, having a bluish tinge to the lips can indicate a circulation problem.

[menina]

My sister told me the exact same thing. I can where she is coming from, but I'm not sure if I truly believe in this. I always think of a skinny person when I try to imagine someone who is healthy.

[SaoirseS]

Agree. I bury or cremated a lot of people who would LOOK to be in good health if they weren’t dead.

[Still-alive]

getting weekend at bernies vibes from this lol

[SaoirseS]

Wonder how much he was paid to be limp, say nothing, and play dead throughout the whole movie.

[Date_a_Snob]

I disagree. someonr who is fat is never healthy while a skinny person could still be unhealthy but that is unlikely.

[Still-alive]

I disagree with both of those

[Still-alive]

www.webmd.com/diet/features/can-you-be-fit-fat

[Date_a_Snob]

and I disagree with you I have never met a fit fat person

[Still-alive]

Just because you never met one means they dont exist?

[Date_a_Snob]

no it doesn't. its like this you can't be hot and cold at the same time just like you can't be fit and fat.

[Still-alive]

i guess you missed that link i provided.

[Date_a_Snob]

I saw and read the link you sent.

[lightbulb27]

I think you can tell a lot from the eyes. Maybe not all. body won't tell eveverything either, but I do believe in "aura" reading, that can indicate energy blockages and thus issues.

[Adaeva]

In almost all species, females choose who to mate with based primarily on appearance so obviously you can tell who is the most healthy, strongest, and who has the most vitality.

[coachTanthony]

Well if a skinny person who looks to be in great shape has cancer then the answer is no. But if you show me an overweight obese person then I am going to agree that you can very easily.

[melanieeeB]

With most yeah you can't cause they might not look sick but like with your example picture, you can definitely tell.
Obesity and anorexia is visible and definitely very unhealthy.

[PBandJ_Nerd]

I've mentioned on here before that being skinny doesn't always mean you're healthy. I'm underweight and I wouldn't say I'm healthy & fit, no matter how I look.

[CateM]

Some things you can tell, but many others, you can't. Maybe you can see if they have anorexia or marfan syndrome, but things like depression aren't immediately apparent

[Sonorous]

Nowadays it's increasingly harder since the food we eat kills us in many many unforeseen & unpredictable ways. So I lean more towards agreeing.

[Leopard23]

Fat guy isn't eating healthier. He is over eating and in risk of severe health problems not easily solved

[Adam1978]

You can tell on some people, just not all. If they are fat they are unhealthy period. That doesn't mean all thin people are healthy.

[petitedollbabee]

Agree. From an outside perspective I look perfectly healthy but I have a few invisible chronic illnesses.

[AsaKyo]

Agree

Being skinny doesn't always mean you're healthy and being a little on the bigger side doesn't always mean you're suffering from some horrible health ailment

[Guy13]

I would rather been seen with Skeletor 💀 than Moby Dick 🐳

[BoobMan]

You certainly can't tell EVERYTHING about a persons health from their appearance alone, but you can most definitely tell a great deal from it.

[douride2]

I tend to agree. Most people think I am in good health just from my appearance. In reality my heart is in bad shape because of a heart defect.

[the-mad-german]

Yeah lets say the fat guy is a professional Sumo and the other one has a Tumor the size of a Fist on his Liver
Who's healthier?

[Justneedtokno]

This reminds me of that shows super skinny versus super. It’s a British show

[Echosoul]

You can gauge to an extent. Some things are invisible or can be misinterpreted though. Someone who is clearly obese isn't healthy.

[NostalgiaSenpi]

It's true, but I still will not want to date someone that's obese.

[LiamJHayden]

Agree. Some seemingly healthy athletes drop from undiagnosed physical defects.

[Guardian45]

As a former healthcare professional, I can confirm appearances can be deceiving.

[GoodGuyBreakingBad]

I agree with you

[Dinosaursandanime65]

Probably, you can sometimes though.

[llorando]

100% agree.