What do your fingernails say about you? Do they say you are a busy person that is not afraid to get your hands dirty? Do they speak of your love of gardening, or working on cars? Do they say you are pampered and spoiled, and never have to lift a finger? Do they say you are a worrier or nervous? Do they tell you and others about your nutritional deficiencies and health problems?
What?
Fingernails can tell you about your health? Yes they can. They are one of the ways we can tell what you need in your diet, or what may be going wrong in your body. Doctor’s used them for centuries before lab tests became available. Let’s look at some of the things they can be saying.
Soft scooped nails
Soft nails that are scooped out and look like small spoons usually indicate anemia or an iron deficiency. If this is what your nails look like you need to look at your diet. Also take a look at my previous article on Anemia. Are you getting the nutrients from your foods? A good way to ensure this is to take Enriching Gifts Plant Enzymes with each meal. A way to improve the nutrients you are getting is to include Enriching Gifts Complete Vitamins Plus in your daily regimen. You also need to eat foods that are known to be high in iron, and get them from good organic sources. Blood tests can confirm if you are anemic.
White spots
White spots on your nails can indicate a zinc deficiency. Naturopaths have access to a product called “Zinc Tally” that can verify if this is your problem. If you are not getting enough zinc you are at more risk for infection, you will heal more slowly, have possible infertility problems, and low hormone levels. It can also cause hair loss, taste and smell difficulties, and night blindness. Foods that contain zinc include oysters, clams, crab, red meat, poultry, fish and beans. Be cautious about supplements because you can get too much. Besides taking zinc supplements you need to ensure you are getting enough antioxidants. This is where Enriching Gifts Metabolic Complete could be helpful. Foods that contain zinc include oysters, clams, crab, red meat, poultry, fish and beans.
One of the books recommended making a dill seed oil for chapped hands and breaking nails. You make it by adding two tablespoons of dill seeds to a half cup of oil such as olive, grapeseed or canola oil that has been warmed. Add a teaspoon of wheat germ oil as a preservative. After it has steeped for a week you can drain out the dill seeds and use it as a hand and nail lotion. Dill is normally thought of as a digestive aid. It may be the oils, or the calcium in the dill that helps your hands.
Discolored
Discolored nails can be a sign of blood sugar problems. This would need to be checked out by a doctor. Home treatment would include things like watching your diet and getting some good exercise every day. See my previous article on Diabetes. Blood sugar, or diabetes is not something to mess around with.
Separated from the nail bed
Nails that separate from the nail bed usually indicate a fungal problem. I would immediately begin spritzing or soaking my hands in a diluted Enriching Gifts Lightning Colloidal Silver. Silver has been shown to kill bacteria, fungus and virus.
Another cause for nails that separate from the nail bed is thyroid problems. One way to check for this at home is with a simple iodine test. Get a bottle of old fashioned iodine and paint a postage stamp patch on your wrist. Then monitor it throughout the day. The faster the iodine disappears the more your body is seeking iodine. This can cause low thyroid symptoms. This can show up even before the tests taken by the doctor indicate a problem. That was the case with me. I started including Thyactinin my daily regimen. I wasn’t showing problems with my nails, just low energy. It really perked me up. Too much can make you feel jittery, so play around with the amount, starting slow and working your way up.
Good nail health
If you aren’t having any particular problems, but just want your nails to look stronger and healthier, and perhaps grow faster you might want to try Essential Source Bonita. This is a soft gel designed to include the nutrients that improve the health of hair and nails. If you have any of the problems above I would look into them first, your body may be trying to tell you of a serious deficiency you need to take care of. If you are just unhappy with the way your hair and nails look Essential Source Bonitamay be the answer for you.
Sources:
Nature’s Medicines by Gale Maleskey and the Editors of Prevention Health Books, copyright 1999 by Rodale Inc.
Blended Medicine Combining Mainstream and Alternative Therapies by Michael Castleman copyrighted 2000 by Michael Castleman.
Common Herbs for Natural Health by Juliette de Bairacli Levy copyrighted 1997 by Ash Tree Publishing
(This information is not intended to serve as a prescription, or to diagnose, treat or replace the advice of your medical doctor. If you have any medical conditions or are taking prescription or non-prescription medications, consult your physician before altering or discounting the use of them.)
