Nails of hands and legs enhance your beauty. But, they can also guide you about the possible illness in the body. Do you know your nail conditions can tell you a lot about your health? If well examined, you can even know about your sickness before falling sick. Let us Know how your nail problems and health are related and how you can detect diseases through nails.

Know-How your Nail Problems and Health are related

The history of medical science associated with nail analysis is quite old. In ancient times, there was no modern facility to check the disease. So, Vaidya (practitioner of Ayurveda) would first analyze your nails. He would do that to know more about the disease. Even today, the practitioner of Ayurveda and Homeopathy still looks at the color of nails before examining their health. As per the experts when a person has any disease, his nail color or structure changes. The effects of infection, skin diseases, and lack of nutrition can also be easily known by nails.

Usually, people forget to look after their nails. While nails are a vital part of your beauty and body, they’re also responsible to keep you healthy. Nails are mainly composed of hard layers of proteins called Keratin. It’s an essential nutrient that is present in your hair and skin. When your body lacks nutrients or is falling ill, the surface of keratin gets affected. Likewise, the color of the nails also changes. If it changes rapidly then, it can be a sign of any disease that has hit your body. The changing color of the nails doesn’t need to be a sign of the same type of disease in every individual.

So let’s know how nail problems and health are related and also, what are those warning signs and symptoms our toenails and fingernails warn us about.

8. Nail Problem and what they indicate for Health

1. Yellow Nails

• There’re many reasons why your nails turn yellow. Yellow nails are caused due to the excessive use of nail polish and aging.
• Smoking habits also cause nails to fade.
• Apart from that fade, yellow, blackish-yellow, and weak nails are also a sign of anemia and, malnutrition.
• They also indicate heart problems and liver diseases.
• Sometimes, due to a fungal infection, your entire nail turns yellow.
• Hand and foot nails are likely to be yellow and weak. This can also happen in diseases like jaundice, cirrhosis, thyroid, and diabetes.
• If you’ve yellow and thick nails but, they’re not growing, then it states lungs related diseases.

2. White Nails

• Some people have straight parallel vertical or horizontal white lines on their nails.
• It indicates the deficiency of protein in the body and problems related to the kidney.
• Sometimes, these signs are also seen in diseases like cancer.
• White spots on the nails, also indicate heart, liver, arthritis, and intestinal diseases.
• White spots on nails are caused because of nail trauma.
• Diabetes patients also have white color nails.

3. Blue or Purple nail beds

• Blue or purple nails are the result of a lack of proper blood circulation in the body.
• Nails turn purple or blue due to the reduced amount of oxygen in the body.
• It also indicates heart diseases, infections of the lungs, respiratory disorders, or pneumonia.
• The deep purple color of the nails indicates problems related to blood pressure.

4. Weak or Cracked Nails

• While washing and cleaning your hands remain in touch with water for a longer period which may also cause weak and cracked nails. So, lifestyle also plays a major role here.
• Nails that break easily indicate thyroid problems.
• They also state your body lacks calcium.
• Besides, if your nails are brittle and dry, then it is due to the deficiency of folic acid, Vitamin C, vitamin B12 deficiency, and protein.
• Besides cracks, pits are also found on such nails. This is due to the lack of a subtle amount of zinc in the body.

5. Spoon Nails

Image courtesy: www.nailsmag.com

• Spoon-like nails are also known as concave nails or Koilonychia.
• In this condition, nails turn outwards become concave and appear like a spoon.
• They indicate genetic disorders and a lack of blood in the body.
• It also indicates an iron deficiency or heart disease.

6. Nail Lifting

Image Courtesy: www.nairaland.com

• Raised or lifted nails are also termed onycholysis.
• They’re the signs of lungs and intestinal health disorders.
• They appear lifted upwards around the sides of the finger or toe.
• Such nails are signs of kidney-related disorders.
• They also state deficiencies of vitamin A and protein.

7. Dark Spots on Nails

Image courtesy: www.nailsmag.com

• A dark spot on nails is either brown or black. They spread around the skin near the nails. It sometimes appears to be a small scar or a big blot-like structure.
• Such spots on the fingernails and toenails state fungal infection or melanoma skin cancer.

8. Dry and Rough Nails

• Dry nails, raised above and thick show the signs of cirrhosis and fungal infections. The nails become dull and colorless.
• Apart from this, such nails also have white stripes on them that states kidney disorders.

By keeping these symptoms in mind, you can be aware of the problem and disorders your nails are warning you about. You can also save yourself from the effects of the disease developing inside your body. If your nails are giving such signs, then get your tests done soon. However, these conditions are not necessarily the same in every case whenever you see such symptoms on your nails for a long time, consult a doctor about it.

Simple Steps to Keep Your Nails Healthy

• Always wash your hands and feet to protect your nails from fungal infections. Don’t forget to dry your nails along with your hands and feet.
• Regularly moisturize your skin around the nails. Massage your nails with yogurt or almond oil/coconut oil/ olive oil.
• Minimize the use of chemical products on nails. And when you do, don’t forget to take precautionary measures to protect your nails from possible harm.
• Take extra care of cuticles. Nail cuticles become a shield and defend against fungal and bacterial infections.
• Eat a healthy diet to keep your whole body nourished. Also, keep in mind your eating habits too. Include food rich in vitamin A, Vitamin B, Vitamin C, Zinc, potassium, phosphorus in your diet.
• Eat a legumes and beans rich diet as they reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer. They also nourish the skin and improve the appearance of your nails.

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