Remember Jerry?

A few years ago, a skeptical reader from Missouri, sent me a handwriting sample and challenged me to figure out his or her gender, marital status, financial situation, and health.

In a column, I replied that the writer was a rather stubborn, macho male. I saw something else in his script. “Those extra doodads in your letter ‘k,’” I wrote, “show that you’re dealing with some health issue.” I must have passed my test because Jerry, the skeptic, wrote back and said… “You really do know your stuff!”

Recently, I received the following e-mail from Jerry:

Dear Michelle,

You have my stuff on your website, Great Scott! Who would have thunk it? I have to bring you up to date. You said I had a health problem. You saw something that I didn’t find until 6 months later. I found a cyst or a tumor on my right kidney. I had laproscopic surgery that removed the kidney and tumor. Three days later I was out of the hospital. So far, all is well. Just wanted to say, “hi.” Thanks again, Jerry

After reading Jerry’s e-mail, I decided to review the original letter that Jerry had sent to me, including those “doodads” in his “k”.

Handwriting can tell a lot about a writer’s health. Researchers all over the world are exploring the connections between a person’s script and their mental and physical health. The handwriting of a person who’s had a stroke may become extremely shaky. Arthritis will make a person’s script more angular and jagged. Sometimes, handwriting can even pinpoint the area where a person is having a problem.

In general, the upper zone (the upper loops of the letters b, d, f, h, k, l, and t,) correlates to the head. The middle zone (the letters a, c, e, i, m, n, o, r, s, u, v, w, and x) correlates to the mid-body. And the lower zone (the lower loops of the letters f, g, j, p, q, and y) correlates to the legs or sexually area. 

Look at the way Jerry made the letter “k” in the word “know.” Do you see the nodule or doodad that was stuck in the middle of his “k”?  This little doodad was a sign that something wasn’t right in Jerry’s midsection.

Now, diagnosing illness through handwriting is far from an exact science. But I think it’s important to be aware of changes in your handwriting, because a sudden change in your script could be an early warning sign of a hidden health problem. On the other hand, if you notice an extra curly-cue in your script now and then, it doesn’t mean that you should run to the emergency room.   

Jerry, it was great to hear from you. As my grandmother would say, “You should stay healthy, have luck a-plenty, and live to a hundred and twenty!”

Michelle Dresbold is a nationally known handwriting expert and personality profiler. Are you a doodler? Have a personal question or problem? Mail your doodles and handwritten letters to: The Handwriting Doctor, P.O. Box 1161, Monroeville, PA 15146.