8 Health Warnings Your Fingernails May Be Sending Changes to your fingernails and disease onset are linked, so note any new developments. 1. Discolored nails A healthy fingernail should be pink with a touch of pinkish white (moons) near the base. If your nails are a dull color or streaked with other colors, you may have a serious hidden health problem. • Green nails are a sign of bacterial infection • Red streaks in your nail bed are a warning of a heart valve infection • Blueish nails signal low oxygen levels in your blood • Dull nails mean a vitamin deficiency • White nails may signal liver disease, such as hepatitis • Dark stripes at the top are associated with aging and congestive heart failure Scrub those nails clean and really look at your nail color! 2. Thick nails Thick nails are not natural. You want your nails to be strong, but not to resemble talons or claws • Thickened nails that are otherwise normal can signal lung disease • Thick and rough-textured nails can signal a fungal infection • Thick and separated nails may mean thyroid disease or psoriasis • Unusual thickness may also be a symptom of a circulation problem Thickening nails are a change that should tune you in to other health symptoms you may be ignoring. Also allergic reactions to new medications can show up as suddenly thick nails! 3. Split nails Split nails aren’t just occasionally chipped or shut in doors. Instead, these nails seem to flake away in layers. Don’t blame frequent handwashing or nail polish for everything, especially since: • Split nails result from folic acid, Vitamin C, and protein deficiencies • Split nails combined with a pitted nail bed (base) can signal psoriasis, which begins in nails 10% of the time according to WebMD • Split nails may result from chronic malnutrition Watch what you eat and check the psoriasis connection to fight back. 4.Concave (Spoon) nails To be considered full spoons, nails will be soft and curve up, forming a dip that is often big enough to hold water. Spoon nails signal: • Iron deficiency (usually from anemia) • Hemachromatosis, a liver disorder where your body absorbs too much iron • Heart disease • Hypothyroidism Your fingernail and health challenges go hand in hand – for many people, clearing up their health issue results in their spoon nails returning back to normal. 5. Pitted nails Small dips or holes in your nails can be a result of banging up your nails – or Nail pitting can signal: • Psoriasis • Connective tissue disorder • Alopecia areata, an autoimmune disorder that causes hair loss • Zinc deficiency (when the pit seems to form a line across the middle of your nail) Watch your nails to separate natural dents and dings -- pits linked to disease linger. 6. Ridges Nails should have smooth surfaces with almost imperceptible lines. Obvious ridge lines are a signal of these common conditions: • Iron deficiency • Inflammatory arthritis • Lupus (for red lines at the base of your nails) Don’t just buff away your ridges – see their warning! 7. Dry, brittle nails If your nails are dry and brittle, you should check your hormone levels and bacterial health. • Thyroid disease leads to brittle, dry fingernails that crack and split easily • Fungus can make nails dry or even crumbly, affecting 12% of all Americans according to the American Academy of Dermatology Both thyroid and fungal issues take time to treat, give of your fingernails a full growth cycle for repair. 8. Clubbed nails If you have plump skin that seems to swell around the nail fingernails, they are said to be “clubbed” this can mean: • Lung disease, especially if you already have trouble breathing • Inflammatory bowel disease • Liver disease • AIDS Your fingernails won’t be the only signs of these diseases. Adapted from article By admin Healthy Back Institute| Published: January 11, 2012 See the Blog page at healthywater-healthyyou for full article with references.
Posted on: Mon, 15 Jul 2013 21:12:36 +0000
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