What Your Nails Are Saying About Your Health
Most
people don’t think about their nails having a direct correlation to
their your health, but our fingernails can alert us of the presence of
disease and state of health.
Take a closer look at your nails, examine each one very carefully.
Analyze
the curves, wrinkles, dips and ridges. See if they are incomplete or
cracked, how thick and thin they are. Notice the skin under the nail and
around the nail, and its color.
Remind
yourself to assess your fingernail health frequently. Changes in our
nails should be taken seriously, because this can be a warning for many
diseases. Take a look at the list of 8 potential health warnings, and
compare it with the current state of your nails.
Discolored nails
If
you have healthy fingernails, they will have pink color with a touch of
pinkish white moons at the base. Otherwise, if they are streaked with
other colors, you may have hidden health issues.
Green nails can be linked with bacterial infection
Red streaks in the nail bed can be linked with heart valve infection
Matt nails can be a sign of a vitamin weakness
Bluish nails can indicate low oxygen levels in your blood
White nails can be a sign of liver disease, like hepatitis
Dark stripes at the top can be linked with aging and congestive heart failure
Give your nails a good scrub and take a good look at them to assess appearance and thickness.
Thick Nails
You may want your nails to be strong, but thick nails are not natural. If they look like paws or claws you should know this:
Thick nails can be related with lung disease
Thick nails with bumpy texture can be related with fungal infection
Thick and divided nails can signal thyroid disease and psoriasis
Thickness can be sign of a circulation problems
Thickening nails can implicate other health symptoms, such as allergic reactions to some medications.
Split Nails
These nails seem to flake away in layers. Don’t blame numerous washes or nail polishing. You should know that:
Split nails can be related with vitamin C, folic acid and protein deficiency
Combined with pitted nails, split nails can be related with psoriasis,
which according to WebMD begins in nails in 10% of the cases
Split nails can signal chronic malnutrition
Concave (Spoon) Nails
This
type of nail can be a warning for many internal problems. When in this
state, nails are soft and curved up, forming a dip large enough to hold
water. You should know that:
Can be caused by lack of iron
Can be linked with hemochromatosis (liver disarray caused from too much iron)
Can be sign of heart disease
Can be sign for hypothyroidism
When the issues are gone, the nails will return in their normal shape.
Pitted Nails
Small
gouges and dips can be caused by banging up your hands. They can also
alert you to look closely at your health state. They can be related to
psoriasis, connective tissue disorder, alopecia areata which is
autoimmune disorder that results with hair loss and lack of zinc. Look
at your nails carefully; divide the natural holes from the real, lasting
pits. The natural ones will be disappear quickly, but the pits can be
linked with some disease.
Ridges
If
your nails are smooth with latent lines, they are healthy. But if you
have noticeable ridge lines, this can be a sign of problems. Heavy
ridged lines can be related with: lack of iron, inflammatory arthritis
and lupus (for red lines at the base of the nails).
Dry and Brittle Nails
You
may not necessarily require lotion or cuticle oil for this problem. You
should know that dry and brittle nails are related with hormone levels
and bacterial health.
Dry and brittle fingernails are caused by thyroid disease
Fungus makes nails dry and breakable. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, 12% of Americans are affected.
You may not notice and differences until after a full nail growth cycle since thyroid and fungal problems require time to treat.
Clubbed Nails
You will know if you have clubbed nails if your skin around them that is swollen, oval or bloated. It is related to:
Lung disease, particularly if you have breathing issues
Inflammatory bowel disease
AIDS
Liver disease
Your
fingernails are not be the only warning signs for these diseases,
however you should never ignore them, so examine them frequently.
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