The simple hand test that could reveal if you have a hidden brain tumour – and it takes just 30 seconds
A SIMPLE hand test could spot serious brain problems, a doctor has suggested.
The British medic who calls himself 'Medifectious' on TikTok showed how to do the test in a video with nearly 200,000 views.
2
A Tiktok doctor demonstrates hand test could spot serious brain problems
Credit: TikTok/@medifectious
2
The test could reveal you have issues with your cerebellum
Credit: TikTok/@medifectious
It involves packing one palm on the other, both facing upwards.
Then, flip the top palm up and down as fast as you can for a few seconds. Switch hands, then repeat.
The test checks for something called dysdiadochokinesia, the impaired ability to perform rapid alternating movements.
If you struggle, you could have issues with your cerebellum - part of the brain which sits at the back and is responsible for balance and coordination.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, damage to the cerebellum can be caused by a number of serious conditions.
This including stroke, traumatic brain injury, and multiple sclerosis.
It can also be a sign of a brain tumour pressing on surrounding tissue, or a problem with the nerves themselves.
The NHS does not list this hand test as a formal diagnostic tool.
It's used by neurologists as part of broader assessments, but struggling with it isn't enough to diagnose a condition on its own.
Brain Tumour facts: 10 things you should know about brain tumours
In his clip demonstrating the motion, Medifectious said: "Everyone should be able to do it.'
"If you can't do this you might want to get yourself checked."
He added that some patients are able to do the motion perfectly with one hand but have problems with the other, depending on the underlying cause.
Cancerous brain tumours are the deadliest form of cancer for children and adults under 40 in the UK.
They kill around 5,300 people each year - about 15 a day.
But even non-cancerous (benign) tumours can be dangerous if they grow in sensitive areas of the brain.
More than 12,000 people in Britain are diagnosed with a brain tumour each year. Around half of those are cancerous.
Common symptoms include headaches, drowsiness, vomiting and blurred vision - all caused by pressure building up inside the skull.
Other warning signs are mood changes, weakness on one side of the body, confusion, and problems with speech or sight.
Symptoms vary depending on where the tumour is in the brain.
Anyone who develops new or worsening headaches should see their GP. It's unlikely to be a tumour - but it's worth checking.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Teen, 19, dies after viral TikTok ‘dusting' challenge went wrong leaving family ‘utterly devastated'
A TEEN, 19, has died after taking part in the viral TikTok "dusting" challenge that went wrong, leaving her family "utterly devastated". Renna O'Rourke, from Arizona, tragically passed on Sunday after being in an intensive care unit for a week. 4 4 4 Dusting involves young people inhaling aerosols like spray deodorant, paint thinner or keyboard cleaners. Renna went into cardiac arrest before later being declared brain dead after using a cleaning product to take part in the deadly challenge. The teen's heartbroken dad Aaron O'Rouke described how his daughter dreamed of fame. He told AZFamily:"She always said, 'I'm gonna be famous, Dad. Just you watch. I'm gonna be famous', and unfortunately this is not under the most optimal of circumstances." Aaron and his wife Dana shared their daughter's tragic story to raise awareness of the social media challenge. Dana said: "There's no ID required. It's odorless. It's everything kids look for. "They can afford it, they can get it, and it doesn't show in mom and dad's drug test." The mom explained how Renna and her boyfriend used an app delivery service to have the cleaning agent delivered to their door. She told 12news:"[Renna] and her boyfriend had Door Dashed product to my house and I didn't know. It's keyboard cleaner. I didn't know what they were doing with it. "We want to make sure that we use our tragedy so that no other parent has to experience looking at their child on life support and a ventilator and not breathing on her own all because she huffed out of a can." Pheobe Bishop cops arrest 34-year-old flatmate who was last to see missing Aussie teen on explosive journey to airport Dr. Randy Weisman, from the HonorHealth Scottsdale Osborn Medical Center, explained how inhaling aerosols can make users feel drunk or euphoric for a few minutes. But such use can result in liver failure, heart failure and lung disease among other irreversible issues - or death. He told AZFamily: "This is extremely concerning. "When they inhale these chemicals in the gas it will actually replace the oxygen within their lungs and within the rest of their body." Renna's parents said that the only light to come from her passing is that her organs have gone on to save at least six other people. Mom Dana said: "Through that we're finding strength and purpose. "She will be unbelievably missed, leaving the most aching hole in our lives, but if her life is to mean anything, we are going to do what we can to prevent somebody else's child from being where ours is right now. "She will be unbelievably missed, leaving the most aching hole in our lives, but if her life is to mean anything, we are going to do what we can to prevent somebody else's child from being where ours is right now." A post on the GoFundMe set up for Renna read: "On Sunday, June 1st at 1:30pm, our wonderful daughter, after 4 days in the ICU, was pronounced brain dead. "She was the light in every room she walked into, and the pain that her family and friends feel is simply immeasurable. "We want to use the proceeds of this fundraiser to cover the extensive medical bills, burial costs, therapy costs, and to spread awareness about the dangers of Huffing/Dusting, the practice of inhaling keyboard cleaner or similar."
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
NHS ‘to rely on migrants' as Government cuts British nurse training
The Government has cut funding for nursing courses in a move that risks undermining its pledge to end the NHS's reliance on foreign workers. Ministers have quietly frozen grants that are paid to universities to help them cover the higher costs of training medical workers. Critics reacted by warning that the move, which represents a real-terms cut, would ' worsen an already difficult situatio n' in the sector and 'leave us more reliant' on imported labour. It will also prompt fears of further cuts down the line, with education set to be one of the losers in Rachel Reeves's spending review this week. Universities are already struggling to keep nursing courses afloat, with research showing that many are cutting lecturer jobs to save cash. In last year's manifesto, Labour pledged to 'end the long-term reliance on overseas workers' with a 'workforce and training plan' for the NHS. However, Bridget Phillipson, the Education Secretary, has now frozen grants which are paid to universities to cover the extra costs of running medical courses. Those include courses for nursing, midwifery and 'allied health professionals' such as paramedics, radiographers and occupational therapists. In a letter to the Office for Students, she said the per-student funding levels should be kept the same as last year, representing a real-terms cut. That is part of an overall reduction of £108 million in the cash that has been made available for the Strategic Priorities Grant this year. Patricia Marquis, the executive director for the Royal College of Nursing in England, said nursing courses were already under threat from the 'financial crisis' at universities. 'A freeze in per student funding, effectively a real-terms cut, could make a bad situation worse, resulting in not only more job losses, but impacting the very financial viability of nursing courses,' she warned. 'University courses are the single biggest route into the profession, and this would be a disaster. Additional funding should be released to protect nursing courses in response to rising costs.' 'A detrimental impact' on training Vivienne Stern, the chief executive of Universities UK, also warned that the cuts to the grant risked 'worsening an already difficult situation'. She said that the move, combined with a recent decision to slash cash for apprenticeships, would have a 'detrimental impact on training our healthcare workforce'. 'Universities are committed to delivering what this country needs, including a strong and sustainable NHS workforce, and are crucial to training talent,' she said. 'We can't create a future-proof NHS workforce without long-term, sustained investment from the government.' Ms Phillipson said in her letter to the OfS that universities should prioritise funding for nursing courses as 'a strategically important subject'. She targeted grants for other courses and in particular media studies and journalism, which have been derided by some as 'Mickey Mouse' degrees. But despite that, it appears there was still only enough money in the pot for her to restrict the hit to medical courses to a real-terms cut. Laura Trott, the shadow education secretary, said the move was 'yet more evidence that Labour aren't serious about cutting immigration'. 'At a time when we should be training more British people to become nurses, they've cut teaching grants for universities and scrapped almost all higher-level apprenticeships, leaving an 11,000 shortfall in the NHS workforce plan,' she said. 'These decisions will leave us more reliant on foreign labour, when we should be training British people for British jobs.' The Department for Education is facing steep real-terms cuts to its budget when the Chancellor unveils her spending review on Wednesday. She will set out the annual funding totals that all Whitehall departments receive from next year until almost the end of the decade. Most are expecting to see their budgets squeezed to free up more cash for health and defence, which will be the two big winners. Within education, the schools budget is ring-fenced, meaning it cannot be cut. Early years provision, meanwhile, is a flagship Labour policy with the party pledging to fund the creation of 100,000 new nursery places. A Government spokesman said: 'We hugely value the work of talented nurses and midwives which is why we have prioritised Strategic Priorities Grant funding for important, high-cost courses, including nursing and midwifery, that are vital for economic growth and our Plan for Change. 'The dire situation we inherited has meant this Government must take tough decisions to put universities on a firmer financial footing and we're continuing to support them, including by increasing the amount they can charge in tuition fees. 'We are rebuilding the NHS for the benefit of patient and staff, and ensuring nursing remains an attractive career choice, including by unveiling a refreshed workforce plan to ensure we have the right staff in the right place so the NHS can be there for everyone.'
The Independent
3 hours ago
- The Independent
Girl told lumps in breasts were likely hormonal dies after cancer diagnosis
Isla Sneddon, a 17-year-old, died of breast cancer after an urgent referral was downgraded due to her age, despite initial concerns and painful lumps. In 2022, at age 14, Isla was told her breast lumps were likely hormonal; when she returned in 2024 at age 16, an urgent referral was downgraded in line with national guidelines that treat patients under 30 with suspected cancer as routine. Her family is advocating for a review of urgent cancer referrals, arguing that earlier, more aggressive treatment, similar to that of adults, might have saved her life. After the downgraded referral, a biopsy revealed a likely benign tumor, but Isla's condition deteriorated, leading to a diagnosis of sarcoma, which had spread from her breast to her heart, lungs, and lymph nodes. Isla's family is calling on the Scottish government and NHS Scotland to ensure paediatric referrals have the same maximum wait times as adults, with follow-ups for downgraded or delayed referrals, and clearer guidelines for recognising cancer signs in young adults and children.
