Long before CT scans, blood tests and ultrasounds were used by doctors to assess your well-being, they relied on more obvious methods to diagnose human health concerns. Even today, many practitioners continue looking to the hands, and specifically your fingernails, for indicators for concern.
The shape, condition and color of fingernails often give the trained eye a suggestion of health problems. Like the lunalas, or cresent-shaped area at the base of the nail, most visible on the thumb, commonly believed to show wellness when they are white in color. If they are a purple color, it could be an indication of poor blood circulation and place you in a higher risk for stroke.
Some doctors suggest adding Omega 3, or fish oil, to your diet, along with small amounts of red wine to help counter the problem. Such an indicator could help a doctor find a diagnosis earlier, helping you take measures against developing more chronic disorders.
While many environmental factors can cause yellowing of the nails, the syndrome which makes nail discolored, thick and slow-growing may signal a respiratory condition.
Nail clubbing, which occurs when your fingertips enlarge and the nail begins to curve around the end of your finger, is also a potential indicator of respiratory distress, signifying low levels of oxygen in your blood. This is also thought to be a possible, external sign of inflammatory bowel disease (IBS), cardiovascular or liver disease.
If your nails are rough, pitted and rippled, an examiner may begin looking for other symptoms of inflammatory arthritis or psoriasis. If your nails are very white in color, you could be afflicted by ailments of the liver like hepatitis or possibly a low red blood count consistent with anemia.
Are your nails pale in color and concave, curling up with raised ridges? A doctor may spot that and suggest tips to combat an iron deficiency.
Persisting dark lines beneath the nail are often noticed and aid in discovering melanoma, the most dangerous type of skin cancer.
Brittle nails that crack and split easily are sometimes a symptom in more common disorders like thyroid disease, while bitten and picked nails often signal anxiety or obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Though many doctors agree that there is often a correlation between the health of your fingertips and your overall wellness, often by the time these changes in the nails become apparent, other symptoms are already present. It is, however, a routine tool for practitioners treating patients without consistent or recent medical attention and can point out threatening conditions that have gone undiagnosed or untreated.
Not all people show the same signs or symptoms of disease and sometimes discoloration or breakage can simply be an allergic reaction. Polish, glues or other chemicals can be the culprit of your nails’ changing appearance. It is still a good practice, health advocates say, to maintain clean and healthy nails, bringing any noticeable changes to your doctor’s attention.
