Table of Contents
The earliest sense: touch
Tactile perception is the first developed sense system of an embryo. It already exists from the second month of pregnancy. At birth, touch is the most developed of all the senses. At around half a year, children can feel different materials with their hands just as well as with their mouths, and at 18 months, even the smallest differences in objects can be perceived well with their hands. Children who do not have enough tactile experiences are at risk of social atrophy and tend to lag behind in their mental and emotional development. That’s because they lack key impulses that are important for social, cognitive, and emotional development.through touch and feel, so that experience becomes knowledge.
You can use an exercise to understand how the brain adjusts to this: cross your index and middle fingers and clamp a pencil between them. Now close your eyes and move the pencil up and down with your other hand. How many pencils do you feel? Two?
What is behind it: As soon as we change our usual finger position, the sense of touch can be fooled! A single pencil usually cannot touch the outside of the index finger and the middle finger at the same time. Our brain has memorized this experience. Therefore, such a touch stimulus is automatically interpreted as “two objects” when the eyes are closed. Only when we open our eyes and see what is actually happening between the interlaced fingers does the impression disappear.
What is behind it: As soon as we change our usual finger position, the sense of touch can be fooled! A single pencil usually cannot touch the outside of the index finger and the middle finger at the same time. Our brain has memorized this experience. Therefore, such a touch stimulus is automatically interpreted as “two objects” when the eyes are closed. Only when we open our eyes and see what is actually happening between the interlaced fingers does the impression disappear.
Training makes you younger
As we age, our sense of touch decreases by up to 40%! That’s why filigree everyday work is becoming increasingly difficult for us: shirt buttons are too small, keys don’t want to go in the hole, small change don’t want to get out of the wallet. A central question in aging research: Are the many impairments really the result of signs of degeneration and wear and tear? It is often a sensory problem. Sensor technology can be trained with targeted training. Studies at the Ruhr University in Bochum showed that significant success was achieved after only three hours of stimulation (the fingertips were gently stimulated using a vibrating membrane). The ability to distinguish stimuli in terms of temporal and spatial distance improved by around 30 years in test subjects (65-89 years).
Yoga for the fingers
Stimulate reflex zones
The founder of reflexology, the American doctor Dr. William Fitzgerald (1872-1942) associated each area of the hand with a reflex zone for a corresponding part of the body. Chinese medicine explains the therapeutic effect based on the meridian system, the energy channels that run through the whole body. In the western world there is the scientific definition that the genetic code for all our physical traits, as well as certain character traits, is laid out in each cell nucleus – in eastern philosophy and medicine there is an equivalent in the idea that body, mind and soul in every fingertip, in the finger joints and also in the whole hand.You can easily stimulate the hand reflex zones yourself. It’s even more effective with small hot and cold stones, which are a bit more pointed than those used for body massages .
Stimulate lymphatic flow: rub hands until they are warm. Use your index finger and thumb to gently massage the cuticles between the fingers of your other hand.
Relax your eyes: massage the two balls under your middle and index fingers.
IncreaseTolfioowity: The pressure point “palace of work” is in the middle of the palm of the hand. Use a finger of the other hand (possibly with a stone) to massage vigorously and in a circular motion.
Three exercises
“Mudras” are yoga exercises for fingers and hands. Translated from Sanskrit, mudra means “that which brings joy”. Mud means joy – also a gesture to please the gods. Ra is “that which gives”.
To promote general health:
On both hands: Bring thumb, ring and little finger together. The other fingers remain stretched. 10 minutes 3 times a day.
In case of restlessness:
On both hands: index finger on the ball of the thumb, middle and ring finger on the thumb, the little finger remains extended. For acute restlessness 10 minutes; otherwise 3 minutes 7 times a day.
To improve concentration:
Place thumb and little finger of left hand together. Right hand: Bring the tip of the thumb to the left side of the 2nd joint of the index finger. 3 minutes 5 times a day .
What our hands are used for
Hand reading
“Every cosmetic treatment should begin with a warm hand compress, followed by a salt peeling that should be tailored to individual needs. Is the skinsensitive, for example, smaller grains are used. For example, if a customer suffers from psoriasis, we use Dead Sea salt with soft grains, followed by a hand bath. In order not to wash out the nourishing oils of the peeling, use pure water. The fourth step is the hand massage, which reaches up to the elbow. Hands and forearms can be treated with pressure point massage and stroking, and the knuckles are also gently rotated. The joints must be fixed by the masseur. If customers suffer from arthrosis or rheumatism, there should be a pack before the massage. It is best to use a thermal glove or a mud pack for this.”
Wrinkles for the gentle spirit
The traditional Buddhist bow with the palms together is called “Namaste” (I bow to the divine within you). In Zen, the gesture is called “Gassho”. The practice of doing such gestures can have a profound influence on the mind. Zen masters say, “If you close your fist, you automatically have a warlike, fighting spirit. But if you feel that a warlike, combative spirit is arising in you and you do Gassho at that moment, you completely change your spirit and the spirit of respect, of compassion appears.” The western world’s folding of hands when praying comes from the Germanic cultural area and has its origin in the feudal oath that the vassals promised their lord:
What our hands tell us
Hand profile in the laboratory
With the Zurich Musician’s Hand Center (ZZM), the Zurich University of the Arts offers students and musicians unique hand diagnostics and systematic functional prevention, training and therapy. Only non-invasive methods are used in the biomechanical hand measurement of the hand and arm: Mechanical distance and angle measurements, free active and mechanically guided movements, passive mobility and strength measurements result in an objective picture of the instrument-specific possibilities of the musician’s hand. A hand profile can contain between 20 and 100 measurements, depending on the instrument.
Not a trace
Unpleasant smells disappear in no time at all without soap, for example if you rub your hands on the stainless steel pot, the faucet or the sink while cold water runs over your hand. In contact with water and air, steel breaks down the sulphur-ammonia compounds responsible for the smell. No more trace of the stench.
Goldfinger
Gemma Howorth, 30, hand model from London, who lends her beautiful hands to Kate Moss and Kylie Minogue, among others, applies cream up to 30 times a day (including almond oil) including a cuticle massage. Her hands are insured for around £5million – and she never goes to bed without cream and special gloves. She has never been to a manicure. But her husband also does the daily washing up…
color change
Pigment shifts, uncharmingly called “lentigines seniles” or age spots, are a delayed reaction (lasts up to 20 years) to UV rays. Since our hands are the most exposed to UV light, it is only logical that the brownish color changes show up most clearly here. The anti-spot strategy: Gently rub your hands once a week with fruit acid peeling pads (e.g. “Brighter By Nature” from Origins), then apply special cream (e.g. “Anti-Age Concentrate against pigment spots” from Nivea Tolfioow) , pull on cotton gloves and go to sleep like this – works like a regeneration cure. Use creams with a sun protection factor every day (e.g. Dermasence “Soft Touch”, “Fluide Anti-Taches Jeunesse des Mains SPF 15” from Clarins). And:
The protecting hand
top feeling
The sense of touch is an additional communication channel that has been rather neglected up to now – in our age a large playground. 17,000 feelers sit in the palms of the hands and ensure that we feel the finest stimuli. Research laboratories around the world are working on signals for our everyday lives (e.g. to relieve visual and auditory nerves), which are “read” with fingertips – similar to the vibration alarms in our mobile phones or cars. Surgeons are already controlling robotic arms equipped with phantom simulation that are located thousands of kilometers away from the operating table. If the surgeon encounters bones or punctures a bloodstream, he feels “real” resistance. With a tactile sensor for determining the tissue properties, the functionality of an endoscope can be expanded and thus the diagnosis can be improved even with very small tumors. In the long term, the haptic Internet will also revolutionize online shopping. In the near future we will be able to preview the fabric of our new t-shirt.
pad up
Hands reveal our age: because the consequences of collagen degradation are particularly evident where there are no fat deposits under the skin and strong tendons and ligaments are under a lot of strain. They become less elastic and harder, and then veins become more visible. If you don’t want to put up with it: The “HydraFacial”, which was originally developed for the face, also works perfectly for the hands. Using gentle dermabrasion, the skin is freed from dead skin cells and impurities so that serums (including hyaluron, vitamins, antioxidants) can be better channeled into the skin. Effect: visibly plumps up for about a month! Costs: from about 150 euros (e.g. in the “Nivea Haus” in Hamburg and Berlin).
protection symbol
Why is the Hand of Fatima so popular? It is seen as a gesture of distance (eg against the evil eye), on the other hand as a blessing-giving hand symbol for strength and luck. The name (Fatima, youngest daughter of the Prophet Mohammed, also Hamsa or Khamsa = five) comes from Arabic. However, the symbol has nothing to do directly with Islam. Originating from the folk beliefs of North Africa and the Middle East, it is more of a superstitious symbol. And hugely trendy: at Thomas Sabo, for example, it became a bestseller – in five designs.
All-rounder: hand
Links, rechts – Yin, Yang
Our right hand represents the ego, the I. It is connected to the left side of the brain (the masculine principle: yang), which represents language, duality, logic, arithmetic, facts, rules and analytical ability. It creates the separation “I and the others”. The right hand is also the one that manipulates; takes the tools; the one through which man realizes his access to the world.The left hand, on the other hand, corresponds to the right hemisphere (Yin), it perceives things directly and holistically, without separation, intuitively and immediately. It is the brain of art, imagination, emotion and touch! The left hand is thus seen as a spiritual hand. Mental processes usually only take place when both poles work together. This is one of the reasons why they are brought together as a unit in religious or traditional gestures.
Tip: If you are right-handed and often too intellectual, you can try writing a sentence with your left hand. That activates the “neglected” intuitive and more creative hemisphere, say psychologists.
SENSITIVE & FAST
The information associated with haptic perceptions (pressure, pain, touch, etc.) enables the brain to locate and evaluate them. The recorded “data” goes to the brain with a recording capacity of up to one million bits per second.
LIQUID GLOVE
It would be better to only wash the dishes with latex gloves! Dishwashing liquid acts as a degreaser – and also removes protective fats from the protective acid mantle of the skin, ie it gets out of balance: the skin becomes rough and more permeable! If you can’t get used to it and spend a lot of time in the water: use protective creams that leave a water-repellent film on the skin (eg “Excipial Protect” from Galderma).
Healthy and well-groomed hands
At the height
“There is hardly any other job where the focus is so much on the hands and so much stress is placed on them as they are with flight attendants. Each of us always has hand care in our pockets on board. Constant creaming. Mainly because we have to wash our hands countless times. We come into contact with so many things on board. Especially in winter, when viruses and germs are at their peak, frequent hand washing is important to avoid transmission and infection. For this, the hands must be well cared for. I myself place a lot of value on effective medical creams from the pharmacy, but high-quality anti-aging creams are also used; and there are fans of the good old ‘Kamill hand cream’. Nevertheless, I still have my private prescription. As a Lomi Lomi therapist, I know how well plant oils work. My massage oil is also a super cure for hands and nails! It consists of 88% almond oil. There are also coconut, macadamia and walnut oils. Also essential oils of orange, lemon, ylang-ylang tree. It is just as important to think holistically and to do gymnastics for fingers and hands. I copied my favorite exercise from my kumu, my teacher, on Kauai: put the fingertips of both hands together, thumb on thumb, index finger on index finger, etc. – and rub something together. If you do this more often during the day, you get a bes Thumb on thumb, index finger on index finger, etc. – and rub something together. If you do this more often during the day, you get a bes Thumb on thumb, index finger on index finger, etc. – and rub something together. If you do this more often during the day, you get a besgreat feeling for yourself. It not only relaxes your hands, but also your mind and soul.”
GLYCERIN OR OIL?
You should avoid creams with a high proportion of synthetic glycerine (more than 5%, high up in the INCI list) as daily care. Although glycerine is a top moisturizer, it draws water up from the lower layers of the skin: drying out in the long run. It is better to use hand creams with purely vegetable glycerine or vegetable oils with vitamin E – eg with squalane from olive, avocado or wheat germ oil (eg “Handcreme Goji & Olive” from Sante). It is similar to the lipids in our skin, is absorbed immediately and can be ideally utilized by cells.
TRAINING TOY
The hands contain about a quarter of the bones in the human body, to be precise per hand: 27 bones. Plus 3 nerves, 33 muscles. They are particularly receptive to strengthening and relaxing rituals on the side. You don’t need to buy any special toys for this. A discarded tennis ball that you clench while sitting at your desk, a thick pencil that you roll with your palms on the table top, relieves constantly stressed tendons and muscles, eases tension and sends anti-stress signals to the brain.
