Self-Care Strategies Symptoms Skincare, Femcare, Beauty

What Your NAILS Reveal About Your Health

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Did you know that your nails are a mirror of your health?

In some countries your doctor will actually look at your nails to get an overall picture of your health. All of our nails can have different shapes, textures and colors and I’ll show you what each of these tells you about your health. Here’s what you should look out for.

Soft spoon shaped nails that curve upward point to an iron deficiency anemia. Anemia is a condition in which you lack enough healthy red cells to carry adequate oxygen to your body’s tissues.

Rounded club shaped nails indicate impaired circulation or serious lung disorder. Maybe it’s time to get moving to improve your circulation, especially if you’re leading a sedentary lifestyle.

Any discoloration may be due to a fungal infection. Nail fungus is a common condition. Begins as a white or yellow spot under the tip of your fingernail or toenail, as the fungal infection goes deeper, nail fungus may cause your nails to discolor, thicken and crumble at the edge. It can affect several nails.

As well, toenail fungus can be tough to get rid of because it gets into and in between these layers. It may also sit on top of the nail or grow underneath it. In some cases, fungus can get into the cells that make the nail called the nail matrix.

Green nails are a sign of a bacterial infection under your nails. Green Nail syndrome is caused by bacteria called Pseudomonas aeruginosa. It’s known as an opportunistic bacterial strain.

Green Nail syndrome can be responsible for: your nails turning green, pneumonia, if it enters the lungs, wound infections, even leading to septic shock and tissue damage, and necrotizing enterocolitis in the gut, which again damages tissue.

So keep your green nails out of your mouth. This bacterium flourishes in wet environments such as Jacuzzis, contact lens solution sinks, and bath sponges. When it grows, it produces hallmark green pigments called pyocyanin and pyoverdin. It often affects older people. It can attack anybody whose hands and feet are regularly submerged in water.

Dark splinter like bits under the nails (known as Splinter Hemorrhages because they look like splinters) may indicate infectious endocarditis, which is an inflammation of your heart’s inner lining, called the endocardium. These splinters may also indicate a bleeding disorder.

Brittle soft shiny nails without a moon visible at the bottom may indicate an overactive thyroid known as hyperthyroidism. Your thyroid gland produces too much of the hormone thyroxine. Hyperthyroidism can accelerate your body’s metabolism, causing unintentional weight loss and even a rapid or irregular heartbeat. Several treatments are available for hyperthyroidism.

Bumps on the nail indicate that a person may have rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder. It occurs when your immune system mistakenly attacks your own body’s tissues. This can affect more than your joints damaging your body systems, including skin, eyes, lungs, hearts, and blood vessels.

Deep blue nail beds indicate possible pulmonary health problems such as asthma or emphysema. Asthma is a condition in which your airways narrow and swell and may produce extra mucus. Emphysema is a condition that involves damage to the walls of the air sacs of the lungs.

Flat nails can indicate a person has Raynaud’s disease. Raynaud’s disease is a rare disorder of the blood vessels, usually in the finger and toes. It causes the blood vessels to narrow when you’re cold or feeling stressed. When this happens, blood can’t get to the surface of the skin and fingers and toes, and they’ll turn white and blue.

Nails that break easily (chip, peel, or crack) indicate poor nutrition or insufficient hydrochloric acid, or a lack of protein in the diet. Hydrochloric acid helps your body to break down, digest and absorb nutrients such as protein. It also eliminates bacteria and viruses in the stomach, protecting your body from infection.

Red skin around the cuticles can indicate poor metabolism of essential fatty acids or may indicate the person has lupus. Lupus is another autoimmune disease in which the body’s immune system becomes hyperactive and attacks normal healthy tissue. Symptoms include inflammation, swelling, and damage to the joints, skin, kidneys, blood, heart and lungs.

Thick nails indicate that a person’s cardiovascular system is weakening and the blood is not circulating well. It may also indicate a thyroid disease.

Yellow nails indicate internal health problems such as lymphatic system, respiratory disorders, diabetes, and liver disease.

Wow, it’s pretty amazing, isn’t it? What your nails indicate about your health, don’t you think? Bottom line: if you really want to have healthy nails, you need to take care of your health. Stay tuned for our top nail tips!