Gardening and Garden Crafts: What Your Fingernails are Trying to Tell You About Your Health

What Your Fingernails are Trying to Tell You About Your Health

What Nails Reveal About Your Overall Health

1. Clubbing

If you have enlarged and downward-curved nails it might mean that you are suffering from lung disease and low level of oxygen in your blood. Also, it might indicate AIDS, inflammatory bowel disease, heart disease and liver disease.

2. White Spots

White spots are not actually a very serious problem, therefore, they will either grow or fade. Nail trauma contributes to this. However, sometimes, if they do not disappear it might mean that you have a fungal infection.

3. Horizontal Ridges

These ridges can be caused by nail trauma or a serious health problem with a high fever, like scarlet fever and pneumonia. Actually, these ridges are directly caused by trauma to the nail. They can be also caused by a serious health issue. In this case, they are noticed on more than one nail at a time. Moreover, they can also be caused by severe zinc deficiency, circulatory disease, uncontrolled diabetes or psoriasis. Some discolorations can be associated with carbon monoxide poisoning, arsenic poisoning, leprosy, malaria, or Hodgkin’s disease.

4. Vertical Ridges

What might lead to vertical ridges is aging. These can become more prominent as you get older. They could be caused by magnesium or B12 deficiency. This means that they are not that dangerous.

5. Spoon Nails

You may suffer from hypothyroidism, heart disease, excess iron absorption or iron-deficiency anemia if your nails curve upward at the edges.

6. Pitting

You might suffer from psoriasis if your nails have multiple dents or pits. This can be also triggered by alopecia areata, which is an autoimmune disorder which contributes to hair loss, or connective tissue disorders like Reiter’s syndrome.

7. Dark Discolorations

If you have painful growths or black streaks on your nails it may mean that you suffer from melanoma. This is the deadliest type of skin cancer. Thus, if you experience this, please visit a dermatologist.

8. White Nails with a Strip of Pink

If your nails are white with a pink strip at the top it might mean that you suffer from congestive heart failure, diabetes, kidney failure, or liver disease. Even though these nails can happen due to aging, you should consult a dermatologist to be safe.

9. Yellow Nails

A lot of things can influence your nails to become yellow, like usage of nail polish. It can happen with age or perhaps if you are a smoker. However, if they are yellow, thick and crumbly, it might mean that you have a fungal infection. Sometimes they can be associated also with a respiratory condition- bronchitis, psoriasis, diabetes or a thyroid disorder.

10. Brittle, Dry or Cracked Nails

It is normal to have these types of nails if you wash dishes, swim, or use nail polish remover often. However, if you live somewhere with low humidity and your nails are exposed to toxic chemicals a lot, you might have some of these nail abnormalities. What leads to these may be a fungal infection or a thyroid disorder, especially hypothyroidism. You can also have them due to vitamin A, B and C deficiency. Source: www.thebestremedies.com