10 Signs Your Nails Give You About Underlying Health Problems
Your fingernails and toenails are made up of dead cells that have
become hardened and pushed to the surface of your fingers and toes.
This murky coloured nail material is a protein called keratin which is very
hard and tough to protect your skin against damage.
When there is something wrong in your body the nails often
begin to change in shape, colour and texture.
This can give us clues as to what is happening inside our bodies.
For example if your nails are strong and smooth, this is a good indicator
that you are healthy and getting lots of minerals and vitamins into your diet.
Likewise if there a consistent pink tone beneath your nails,
this means that the cells underneath your nails (nail bed) are also healthy.
However, if the nails begin to change in appearance such as cracking, paleness,
thickening, becoming duller or forming ridges then this can
indicate that there is an underlying health problem.
Causes Of Nail Problems
Such as a nutritional deficiency in vitamins and minerals that you aren't getting into your diet
It could indicate you have digestive problems and aren't absorbing proteins,
iron and other minerals which is weakening blood flow to the nail.
Nerve damage from physically injuring the nail
bed or biting the nails too hard or wearing tight shoes.
High levels of a stress hormone called cortisol can also cause
nerve damage which affects how the nails grow.
Thyroid problems can also cause changes to the nails and the skin cells around the nails
And another cause is simply not having enough oxygen in your blood due to poor circulation.
In this video we are going to identify 10 common
signs that your nails give you about potential underlying health problems.
This video is not designed to diagnose your health problem, and is for educational
purposes only, so always consult your doctor if you have any medical concerns.
1. Vertical Ridges (Onychorrhexis)
It’s normal to have small, fine lines that run from the top of the nail to the base,
however if these begin to develop into larger, deeper ridges this is usually
caused by a deficiency in Vitamin B12 and Heme-iron from animal based proteins,
which causes poor oxygen flow to the nail matrix and the nerves surrounding it.
Vertical ridges can also occur in people who have thyroid problems,
because this gland controls nail growth.
2. Brittle/Splitting (Onychoschizia)
If your nails are very soft, bendy and thin, or they are brittle and split very
easily this is commonly associated with a lack of folate, iron, biotin or calcium.
This usually happens not because you're not eating enough of these nutrients, but because
you aren't absorbing these nutrients from your food because of digestive problems (low HCL).
There are ways to strengthen your nails back to normal, which I'll talk about later in the video.
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3. Clubbed Nails (Osteoacropachy)
Clubbed nails is a term to describe when your nails gradually become enlarged,
thickened and take on a rounded, bulbous appearance.
The fingertips or tips of the toes will bulge outward, as the nail gets
wider and as the nail grows, it can curve downward over the edge of your finger/toe.
This is usually a sign that there not enough oxygen in your blood,
causing swelling and problems with the nail matrix.
Underlying causes often include liver damage, heart problems, lung disease, AIDS or IBD.
4. White Spot (Leukonychia Partialis)
If you notice a little speck or spot on your nail, this is commonly caused
by a zinc deficiency that you had whilst that part of the nail was being formed.
So if it's half way down your nail, this could have been around 3 months ago.
Zinc is important for building nail proteins and cell multiplication.
Zinc deficiencies are often caused by eating large amount of sugar,
cakes, sweets and junk foods in one sitting, which depletes it.
5. Fungus (Onychomycosis) A very common nail condition
is where a fungus/mould that infects the nail bed and causes the nail to start thickening up,
becoming yellow and eventually turning black.
Sometimes the nails can break away from the nail bed and fall off in some cases.
Fungal infections usually occur when you have a weakened immune
system and are low in nutrients like zinc, retinol and Vitamin D.
You can treat a fungal nails by applying petroleum jelly mixed with baking soda and
lavender oil each morning until the fungus is dead and the nail grows back healthily.
6. All White (Leukonychia Totalis)
If all of your nails become whitened all over,
this can be a serious sign that you have low levels of albumin, a protein in your blood.
This could be caused by liver disease, heart problems,
or low protein absorption because you have digestive problems such as low stomach acid.
This can happen to people who have taken antibiotic drugs,
or those who have a genetic mutation in the PLCD1 gene.
7. Blue/Purple Nails (Cyanosis)
If the skin underneath your nails begins to change to a blue/purple colour,
this tells us that not enough oxygen is reaching your nails from your blood.
This happens when the arteries and veins are not circulating blood properly,
causing blue unoxygenated blood to pool underneath your nails.
This can be triggered by too much cold, frostbite, high estrogen levels,
overuse of power tools or chronic stress which all damage the nerves in your hands and feet.
Vitamin B1, B3, and inositol can help to restore these nerves.
8. Spooned Nails (Koilonychia)
Spooned nail is a situation where your nails start bending backwards,
with an indentation that forms a reservoir in the middle, like a small scoop/spoon.
This is usually caused by low levels of heme-iron in your blood, a type of anaemia.
Because you aren't eating enough animal protein based heme-iron,
or you're not absorbing it due to low stomach acid or some type
of digestive problem (IBS, IBD, collitis etc…)
9. Horizontal Ridges (Beau's Lines)
If you start to get horizontal ridges, and you notice that your nail is no
longer perfectly flat, and there are little ledges/grooves forming from left to right,
This usually indicates that you are deficient in B-vitamins, especially Vitamin B7 (Biotin).
Biotin is involved with building up the proteins in your nails and promoting cell
growth, so without enough the nails become distorted in this fashion.
10. Vertical Discoloured Line (Longitudinal erythronychia)
A single discoloured black/brown line from the top of the nail to the bottom is a situation
where there is an overgrowth of a pigment (melanin) building up underneath the nail plate.
This can lead to cancer (melanoma),
so it is important to have this checked out by a medical professional.
It is usually caused by a lack of heme-iron, Vitamin B12,
Or too much elemental iron that is building up inside the body (Hemochromatosis)
Now that you have discovered some of the different signs your nails give you about your health,
let's explore 5 lifestyle tips that you can use to strengthen and fix your nail problems.
How To Strengthen/Fix Your Nails
1. Start consuming at least 2 tablespoons of unfortified nutritional yeast on a daily
basis to supply your body with a complex of B-Vitamins, such as thiamine, biotin,
niacin etc.. These essential Vitamins help your body to build (synthesize) new proteins,
such as keratin, the material your nails are made out of.
2. Eat a mixture of shellfish soaked in apple cider vinegar 2x per week,
such as clams, shrimp, mussels , oysters, crab meat.
These are loaded with Vitamin B12 and Iron, the two key nutrients that support
your red blood cells in transporting oxygen and nutrients to your nail bed.
3. Eat high quality grass fed beef, liver, red meats,
pasture raised eggs and wild salmon. These proteins are rich in Retinol, the active form
of Vitamin A which supports Keratinization, and the building of new stronger nail cells.
4. Consume 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar in a glass of water before each meal. This
helps your stomach to break down and digest vitamins and minerals we have discussed here
today. This is more important the older you get, as we tend to absorb less nutrients as we age.
5. Many of the soils we grow our food in have been over farmed, and are now depleted of trace
minerals like zinc, silica, boron and molybdenum. This can weaken our bodies, as we need these
trace minerals to help us grow proteins like nail tissue, collagen and haemoglobin.
Simply start taking 20 drops of liquid trace minerals in a glass of water every day. Over
time this improves the health of your skin, your eyes, nails, immune system and much more.
Alternatively you can eat sea vegetables to get your minerals like sea kelp, nori,
dulse, Irish moss or kombu, because the sea is still rich in minerals.
If you'd like to learn more about the top vitamins and minerals to strengthen your nails,
go ahead and tap on this video on the screen now.
Thank you so much for watching my video today,
and as always I wish you great health, wealth and happiness.