Be Observant: 5 Important Things Your Nails are Saying About Your Health

Do you know your nails can provide a lot of insight into your health? In fact, they can reveal to you how other parts of your body are functioning. In the real sense, we all love to have healthy nails. Most times, it’s due to the satisfaction we get when we stare at them or the pride that stems from having a complete stranger pay them a compliment. Whichever it is, beautiful, healthy nails are the delight of every gender, especially women, and achieving them is a dream come true.

However, While changes to the appearance of one nail is often a result of injury and can be considered relatively harmless, changes that affect several of your nails or occur over a longer period of time can signal illness, ridges, brittleness and discolorations. As much as the changes in your nails say a lot about your health, sometimes they are harmless and shouldn’t be the only indicator. Some of the ways to know if you have healthy nails are; Through the uniformity in color, its smoothness without ridges or discoloration, and they are properly attached to the skin and do not grow out of shape.

Below are 5 Important health indicators for the overall health state of your nails.

Red-Brown Spots - Small, reddish-brown spots on your nails can be a sign of folic acid, protein, or vitamin C deficiency. Folic acid is a B vitamin found in leafy greens, fruits, legumes, and nuts as well as enriched grain products; you can get plenty of vitamin C from vegetables like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, bell peppers, and spinach.

Cracked Nails - Brittle or split nails have been linked to thyroid dysfunction but sometimes it could simply be due to frequent wetting and drying of the nails. To care for this, you can start off by applying hand creams that contain Lanolin. If it persists, it is important you consult your doctor.

Peeling Nails - This could be an underlying health issue, however, if you regularly wear nail extensions without giving your natural nails time to breathe, you just might be familiar with peeling nails. One way to fix this is to let your weak nails breathe and recuperate. Accordingly, if your toenails do the same and you’ve not had nail extensions on, then it might be due to something more serious like a calcium deficiency. Before you run around self-medicating, try eating healthier and also see a doctor to be sure what you’re up against.

Yellow Nails - Your nails could just be yellow from all that palm oil in your favorite soup but on a more serious note, it could also be caused by diabetes, lung diseases, and any other illness. Try taking Vitamin E for a while, but if it persists, go to the hospital to overrule any serious ailment.

Clubbing - If your nails are excessively curved, they are termed "clubbed nails." Clubbed nails can be a sign of low oxygen levels, which may result from any number of serious pulmonary or cardiovascular diseases such as lung cancer or heart disease. In more rare cases, they may also signal inflammatory bowel disease. It is advisable to visit your doctor if you notice that your nails have taken a more curved shape or any of the above symptoms.