I read your body language

“A patient’s gaze tells more than any exam. A patient who is modifying his history — because of anxiety or concern about what I might say — makes poor eye contact, squints, and looks slightly distracted. If he is trying to control me, he may stare without blinking, ignoring things I say, and tend to give short answers. You can spot pain from the distant, glazed nonfocus of a patient’s gaze.” —James C. Salwitz, MD