What Your fingernails are Telling You

​Wellness comes understanding and listening to what your body is telling you. One of the ways your body can talk to you is through your fingernails.  Please take a moment to observe your nails and see how your body is doing.  Often these self-tests can save you a lot of time and money.  Literally wellness is at the tip of your fingers.
 
Any change in the look, shape, or color of our fingernails can indicate a disorder or a disease somewhere in our body. Look at your nails then read on.  If you see something strange or different with your nails start researching.  This could be a piece of your wellness puzzle.
 
Various issues your fingernails can tell you.
 

1. Clubbing--Is when the nails appear to float instead of being firmly attached.  The last digit of the finger may appear large or bulging thus the name clubbing.  The nails may appear to grow down looking like the shape of a spoon.  Clubbing can develop quickly sometimes within just a few weeks.  The most common cause of clubbing is lung cancer.  It is also occurs in heart and lung diseases that reduce the amount of oxygen in the blood. Other causes include: Congenital Heart defects, chronic lung infections, infections of the lining of the heart chambers and heart valves and lung disorders. [1]
2. White spots-- They can appear as dots or lines.  There are many causes some more severe than others but definitely worth looking into.  White spots can be caused by an injury.  It takes a long time for the spot to appear from an injury and you may not even remember injuring your nail.  A good thing to look at is whether you have white spots on more than one nail.  Other things that can cause white spots are an allergic reaction to nail polish or remover.  The application of acrylic nails can also cause trauma to the nail base there fore creating white spots.  A zinc deficiency can also be the cause and is often found in individuals with Lyme disease and autoimmune disease.  Calcium Deficiency and a Fungal Superficial Onychomycosis could also be the cause of white spots.  There are also serious diseases associated with white spots.  These include: Liver disease, like hepatitis and cirrhosis, is one of the more serious causes of white spotted fingernails, Kidney disease also has symptoms that affect the nails, such as nails that are possibly white and pink. The nails can be turned partially white due to kidney failure, Anemia, which is also a sign of iron deficiency, can produce pale or white nail beds. Fingernails grow about 1/10 of an inch a month and it typically takes about 6 months to completely replace a fingernail.  Therefore you may not see a change for a while if you make corrections. Also do not assume the worst.  This is just one piece of the puzzle.  The more information you have the more puzzle pieces, the more you are apt to move in the right direction. 
3. Horizontal bands that extend across the nail bed--This is a Protein Deficiency.  The nails will show as horizontal bands that extend across the nail bed. These lines are known as Muehrcke's lines. Due to the fact that these lines are on the nail bed and not on the nail plate, they will not simply grow out with your nails. When the protein levels return to normal, these lines will usually just disappear. There are some rare cases in which these lines can be indicative of liver disease. There is a way to test to see if these lines are Muehrcke's lines or not. Just press down on the nail plate, and if the lines disappear then they are Muehrcke's lines. [2]
4. Blue Color--can indicate there is an issue with the oxygen levels in the blood, low body temperature and if you have ingested silver.
5. Slow capillary refill time (CRT) --When you apply pressure to the nail it takes about 3 seconds for your nail color to return to normal.  If it takes longer than this it could mean there is an issue with the amount or flow of blood through the body. [3]
6. Brittle nails-- Many medical conditions can affect the shape or texture of the fingernails. Brittleness of the nails, meaning that the nails easily become cracked, chipped, split, or peeled, can be observed as a sign of aging or in response to the long-term use of nail polish or exposure to moist conditions (including frequent swimming or dishwashing). Some diseases are also associated with changes in the nails, which can include brittleness. Thin and brittle nails can be a sign of hypothyroidism. [4] Brittle nails could also be a side effect from menopause or low in certain minerals or keratin.
7. Onycholysis is when the nail splits from the nail bed.  It can be a cause of thyroid disease or psoriasis. [5]
8. Pale Nails--Very pale nails can sometimes be a sign of serious illness, such as:

            Anemia, Congestive heart failure, Liver disease and Malnutrition [6]

1. White Nails--If the nails are mostly white with darker rims, this can indicate liver problems, such as hepatitis. In this image, you can see the fingers are also jaundiced, another sign of liver trouble. [6]
2. Yellow nails-- One of the most common causes of yellow nails is a fungal infection. As the infection worsens, the nail bed may retract, and nails may thicken and crumble. In rare cases, yellow nails can indicate a more serious condition such as severe thyroid disease, lung disease, diabetes or psoriasis. [6] Often seen on the toenails.  If you have injured your nail and it becomes thick and yellow, you have a fungus infection of the nail.  (castor oil packs at night over several months can heal this.  Also look at tea tree oil and other holistic approaches. Anytime you have an infection in one part of your body it affects the body as a whole.)
3. Rippled Nails--If the nail surface is rippled or pitted, this may be an early sign of psoriasis or inflammatory arthritis. Discoloration of the nail is common; the skin under the nail can seem reddish-brown. [6]
4. Thin curved inward and have raised ridges also known as Koilonychia-- This is symptomatic of iron deficiency anemia. [5]
5. Stripes—is rare. One cause of horizontal stripes on the nail could be an indication of arsenic poisoning.  [5]

 
 
 
References:
[1] National Institutes of Health (2015). Clubbing of the fingers or toes. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003282.htm
[2]  "New Health Guide." White Spots on Nails. (2014) http://www.newhealthguide.org/White-Spots-On-Nails.html
 [3] National Institutes of Health (2015). Capillary nail refill test. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003394.htm
[4] "Brittle Nails: Check Your Symptoms and Signs." Brittle Nails: Check Your Symptoms and Signs. (2015) http://www.medicinenet.com/brittle_nails/symptoms.htm
[5] National Institutes of Health (2015). Nail abnormalities. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003247.htm
[6] "Pictures of What Your Nails Say About Your Health: Ridges, Spots, Lines, Bumps, and More." WebMD. (2014) http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/ss/slideshow-nails-and-health
[7] National Institutes of Health (2015). Fungal nail infection. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001330.htm