What Our Finger Nails Show
94Unhealthy Nails
Our Fingernails
Doctors often tell us “open your mouth and say’Ah”. But many astute medical practitioners will also ask us to show our nails. They know that these evolutionary descendents of claws can help them to diagnose a disease.
Analysis of fingernails first developed in ancient Greece and was first advocated by Hippocrates as a means of diagnosis.The practice has remained, but most of us are unaware of the abundance of health information at our fingertips.
Fingernails protect the delicate nerve rich finger tips from injury, enhance the sense of touch and assist in the manipulation of small objects. Chemically our nails are similar to hair; the nails are composed largely of the protein keratin, which is rich in sulphur.
Nails begin as soft gel like cells that die, harden and become tightly packed as they emerge. The cuticle, the skin over the base of the nail, keeps dirts, irritants and microorganisms from working their way into sensitive cells at the base of the nail. The skin under the nail has a rich blood supply and a wealth of capillaries near the surface that give the nails a pink appearance.
Along with bones and teeth, nails are among the toughest tissue in the body, partly because their water content is only about ten percent. Nails gro an average of 0.5 to 1.2 millimetres a week, faster than toe nails.Nails grow faster in summer, faster in warm climates and faster during the day than at night. The nails of the right hand grow faster in those who are right handed, and left hand nails grow faster for lefties.
Good nutrition is required for normal nail growth. In cases of malnutrition or anorexia nervosa, nail growth slows and transverse furrows may appear across the nails. Poor nutrition may also contribute to brittleness and chipping.
Contrary to popular belief, gelatin has never been scientifically shown to speed up nail growth or increase nail strength.The same is true for vitamins. Vitanin deficiencies might slow nail growth, but vitamin supplement won’t help nails to grow more rapidly.
Nail polish enamels harden nails, but nail polish removers can dry them out, causing brittleness.
Poor circulation slows growth and can produce thicker rougher, yellow tinted nails. This may be found in people suffering from diabates and heart disease. In extreme cases, lack of oxygen makes the nail bed appear blue.
Here are some of the common nail abnormalities;
Clubbing: the nail has an exaggerated upward curve and curls around the finger tips.
Blue moons: A blue tint to the lunula or moon at the base of the nail.
Spoon nails: The nail is depressed and appears flat or scooplike.
Lindsay nails: The half near the nail tip appears pink or brown while the half near the cuticle looks white.
Beau’s lines: Depressed horizontal furrows across the nail.
Terry’s nail: Most of the skin under the nail appears white with the normal pink area reduced to a band near the nail tip.
Yellow- nail syndrome: Nail growth slows; the nail becomes thickened and very hard and appears yellow or yellow green.
Splinter haemorrhages: These longitudinal red streaks signify bleeding of the capillaries.
Irregular Pitting: Pitting on the nail surface.
Brown or black discolouration: Such dark marking from the nail to the surrounding finger tissue may definitely signify some disease.
Take a good long look at your nails. They may be trying to tell you something.
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Comments
Thanks for your feedback. Yes , may be different health problems also show different indications on the nails.
What happens when you bite your nails?
Why shouldn't you bite them?
I saw your page and decided to read. Interesting.
If you have any information to my question, I will be interested in hearing your answers.
Funny I ran into this article because I have really deformed thumbs with the rough ridges going accross and bent dowward. May be from years of nail-biting, but it sounds like an abnormality. Interesting.
I had a lot of problems with nail biting as a child, now that I am older, and aware of the germs on my hands, I don't do it. However I wonder about nutrition aspect of nail biting as well as obesity and the rise in the number of women that get false nails.
When I think of all the Jell-O my girlfriends drank in high school!
I heard when the moon part of your nails is blue , this is a loss of oxygen usually due to medications. Is this true?
patricia
I heard when the moon part of your nails is blue , this is a loss of oxygen usually due to medications. Is this true?
patricia
Interesting and useful information. Thanks. Please elaborate how to diagnose a disease from inspection of nails?
I myself ise to bite my nails constantly, however, when i say a television program it discussed the cons of nail biting; germs, discomfort, etc. i quit (cold turkey) without any problem. Now my nails are so thick I can't bite them..lol
Very interesting and well written, I'd like to hear more about what various nail conditions mean! Please tell us! Either way, a nice piece of writing. Well done.
I have the Vertical ridging in my nails, the article didn't specify what the cause of that is which the picture showes. Could you explain please?
Ridges can appear vertically or horizontally. Vertical ridges indicate somewhat poor nutrient absorption and/or iron deficiency.
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I have spooning of some of the nails on both hands. Not all of the nails, and I noticed when I was pregnant all the spooning went away. Years ago I sprained my thumb and the docs at the hospital could not figure out why my nails did that. Hope you let us know what each condition means. I am very interested.
Interesting, I did not know you could tell so much from a nail.
Great article. Had heard the same about nail condition and general health but thought it was a bit of an old wives tale, guess I was wrong.
It would be interesting to know what the medical implications are and which body organ they relate to.
Well presented hub, thanks.
Great info here... thanks for the hub
Very interesting, thank you. I've always wondered why some people always had problem nails.
wow, i had no idea. Good stuff keep it up!
Interesting and thought provoking.Would love to see this topic expanded.
Fascinating hub! Only now I've been staring at my nails for the last few minutes, trying to determine if there are any abnormalities. There's an indentation in my right thumb nail, but I've had that since I was a child so I think it's more of a finger abnormality than a nail abnormality.
Interesting. Wish you had put more info on what these symptoms can mean; now that we're all curious maybe you could do an update? Pretty please!
I have been diagnosed with "pinched nail syndrome" by a dermatologist but really did not get a straight answer about what causes this. He did say no cure exists. I have it on my right thumbnail and a couple of toes. Weird! Hurts, too. Do you know anything about this?
I am really grateful for my healthy nails after reading this hub. I guess I dont pay attention to them since they do not give problems
Interesting article. Thanks for the information.
I asked my Doctor about my nails once and he didn't even want to look at them. Just ignored me.
I never really thought about my nails at all.
I love this hub,what a great subject.I am Echo/Vascular tech and I have clubbing of the fingers.With thicken finger tips and nails.Not to mention Dark lines in the nails. I've had tons of doctors look at my hands. What they have come up with it this. They all start with the same question..Howz your heart.Clubbing is related to a hole in the heart.The nails club do to lack of enough oxygen rich blood getting to distal extremity's. The deoxygenated blood sneaks over from the right side of the heart.Over to the left oxygenated pumping side of the heart.Which drops the oxygen levels.Thus causing the clubbing.The most common cause is a VSD or ASD in the heart.But more rare, and what I have is a small shunt in my lungs.Which I not interested in having surgery on.I run 3 to 5 miles a week and do everything everyone else does. Besides women love them..lol
My nails are always of great importance to me. I always want to see them clean and well-trimmed. Its' a good thing to know how cuticles protect them. I get to have a manicure every week, but i refuse to have my cuticles removed totally. Thanks for the great info!
very good
it would be nice to put sample pictures for all nail abnormalities. its an informative hub... nice work
Great article, I heard a lot bits and pieces about nails and diseases but I never really looked it up. Thanks! I was wondering what the causes of the types of nail abnormalities are.
Very informative.
i usually look at finger nails of people when i talk to them. some how it helps me predicting the type of personality to which he belongs but this hub has enhanced my knowledge and now i can figure out if anyone is suffering from some kinda health problems.
thank u for such an informative hub.
Very good hub! I think personally you can tell alot about someone by their nails, not just illnesses. You can also tell if they work alot with their hands. Example mine are short and broken alot from the work I do and from working in the garden or yard.
I am a nail technician and I understand that all of us don't want those strange looking colors appearing on us. Doesn't this look familiar?
Great Info, Thanks for taking the time to post this.
Interesting information. Thank you. I seem to have the fastest growing nails out of anybody I know. It is embarrassing at times.
Hey! nice info regarding nails.. cool keep it up.. :)
Very interesting article. My nails look pretty good, I think. This does make one think, though.
This is such an interesting hub! Thanks for sharing.
Great hub and very interesting, would love to hear more!!
great knowledge about finger nails.. amazing.. keep up the good work :)
That's fascinating. Like iridology and other "non traditional" methods of health diagnosis. There is something to take away from it all. Great hub.
Huh. I've never noticed my right hand nails growing faster than my left. I'll going to watch them as they grow this time to see if you are right
Absolutely amazing. Romasn 1... beginning with verse 18, reminds us of the amazing creation of the Lord! Thank you.
lewgard says:
2 months ago
Several years ago a friend of mine, who worked in the Human Resource field for many years, told me she was taught to look at applicant's fingernails during the interview. She would make mental note of any obvious "conditions".
Now that my husband has been off chemotherapy for a few months his nails have a horizontal delineation line separating the chemical-riddled tissue and the healthy tissue - more prominantely on his toenails than fingernails. It's pretty interesting..