If the eyes are the windows to the soul, perhaps the hands should be labeled the windows to the body. In many ways, our hands provide telling tales about our overall health and well-being: the condition of our nails can clue us into a number of nutritional deficiencies, from zinc (weak, cracking nails) to protein (soft nails), to iron (white nail beds);

Peeling, flaky skin can signal that we are vitamin B deficient; and dry, itchy, or rash-prone skin can be a sign of eczema, psoriasis, or food allergies.

And while each of these is a serious condition that should be addressed, other signals that our hands give us may be clues to far more serious conditions that should warn us to get medical attention, or at least to speak with our doctors about our risk factors for various diseases.

Among them:

Blotchy, Red Palms

The palms of our hands can turn red for a number of reasons. You may have squeezed that stubborn jar lid too tightly while struggling to open it or dried out your skin washing a sink full of dishes in hot water. Or it can be a common symptom experienced by pregnant women. If you develop chronically red, blotchy palms, it could be a condition called palmar erythema, which is a signal that you have liver disease – either cirrhosis or nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

When our liver becomes damaged or diseased, it can no longer effectively flush out the waste products that build up in the body, resulting in excess levels of hormones that dilate the blood vessels, making them visible through the skin on the palms of our hands and feet.