What your fingernails say about your health

The way your nails look tells you a lot about your health and what changes you need to make in your day to day lifestyle.

ever looked at your nails and found out they looked a little chipped, brittle, or black-lined? Well its a sign that you need to make some changes in your life, as nail health is closely associated with how well your body is functioning in other areas.

“For the general population, nail health is most often an indicator of poor nutritional intake or poor digestion,” explains Dr. Sara Norris, a naturopathic doctor based in Los Angeles.

“Brittle, weak, and peeling nails are the most common concerns I see in my practice and these symptoms are more often the result of a poor diet than of systemic disease.”

Healthy nails are considered to be smooth with no discoloration, but if there’s something amiss with the texture and color of yours,this guide will help you to keep your nail-related queries in check.

Weak or brittle Nails:

Rough, splitting nails that may also crack easily are one of the most commonly reported nail problems. They’re also more often seen in women. Officially called onychoschizia, brittle nails are usually caused by repeated wetting and drying of your fingernails, so you should use gloves when getting your hands wet, such as when doing dishes.

Peeling:

This is likely caused by external trauma to the nail itself, by using your nail as a tool, pressing into the nail too firmly or removing acrylic nail polish. Nails can also peel if you soak your hands too long in sudsy water.

Ridges:

Ridges appear as horizontal or vertical waves on your fingernails. Vertical ridges generally appear later in life and run from the tip of your fingernail to the cuticle.On the other hand, horizontal ridges, also called Beau’s lines, are a sign of a more serious symptom.

Vertical ridges could be indicative of iron deficiency anemia while horizontal lines could point to an underlying condition such as kidney disease

Yellow Nails:

Yellow nails are, believe it or not, relatively common, and usually caused by one of two factors: an infection or a reaction from a product you’ve been using, such as nail polish.

Black lines:

Also called a splinter hemorrhage, black lines (which can appear brown or dark red) look like splinters. The most likely cause is a trauma to your nail, such as accidentally slamming a door on your finger.

No half-moons

 

The little rounded white curves at the base of your fingernail are called fingernail moons. If they seem to have disappeared, it could be a sign of, malnutrition,depression or anemia.