Abstract

Background The past three decades have seen palmistry as an interface to human health. There have been no previously organized attempts in utilizing this knowledge to predict the state of disease. Objective Due to unavailability of any biological marker for diagnosing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) till date, we attempt to examine whether palmistry could be used for detecting the onset and survival of patient suffering from ALS. Methods Patients suffering from ALS attending the neurology outpatient department at Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, India were selected for study. Palm photographs were obtained from all patients including controls after their consent. Patients suffering from other comorbidities such as diabetes, hypertension, migraine, as well as smokers and nonsmokers were included in the study. Twenty-six ALS patients, 30 neurological controls, and 34 healthy age matched controls were recruited in the study. Retrospective analysis of the palm pictures based on blinding method was performed by academically qualified palmists. Results The results demonstrated the need for further studies in the subject even though the observations made were independent by both the palmists. Conclusion This study opens new vistas for cheiromancy to be further explored for analysis in larger samples.