Nails reflect your health

The color and shape of your nails provide important clues to your health. This important diagnostic tool was recognized as early as the 5th century B.C. when the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates, known as "the Father of Medicine", first described clubbing as a symptom of disease.

Like a tongue or eye examination, a nail inspection is a reflection of the inner workings of the body and gives us a great deal of information about a person’s condition. That’s why you should look at your nails regularly and be wary of any changes you find there.

What are some of the conditions associated with certain nail changes? To give you an idea of what your nails can tell you, here’s a list of signs and symptoms and their possible causes courtesy of Somasin AFS, the safe, natural, and affordable alternative to traditional oral antifungal drugs. Somasin’s special herbal formula strengthens the immune system and penetrates the nail to stop stubborn fungal infections in just seven days. For more information, visit http://www.somasin.com.

Changes in pliability:
Brittleness – can mean an iron deficiency, thyroid problems, kidney disease, circulation problems or biotin deficiency.

Splitting – indicates psoriasis or a folic acid, protein or vitamin C deficiency.
Unusual thickness – is associated with circulation problems.

Thinning nails and itchy skin – can result from lichen planus, an inflammatory skin disease characterized by rows of itchy lesions on the arms and legs.

Changes in shape and texture:
Clubbing (nails that curve down around the fingertips with nail beds that bulge) – means lack of oxygen or lung, heart or liver disease.

Spooning or koilonychias (nails that grow upwards) - is caused by iron or vitamin B12 deficiency. Other possible causes are trauma, constant exposure to petroleum-based solvents, glaucoma, and lupus erythematosus, an inflammatory disease that leads to swollen, painful joints, skin rash, extreme fatigue, and kidney damage.

Flatness – is a sign of a vitamin B12 deficiency or Raynaud's disease (a disorder of the blood vessels that causes your fingers, toes, and ears to feel numb and cool in response to cold temperatures or stress).

Pitting – may be due to psoriasis, Reiter’s syndrome(a venereal disease that leads to arthritis and the inflammation of the urinary tract) or sarcoidosis (an inflammatory disease that starts in the lungs and can affect any organ in the body).

Changes in the color of the nail bed:
White lines across the nail - indicate heart or liver disease or a history of a recent high fever.

Opaque white nails with a dark band at the fingertip – may be due to cancer, cirrhosis, congestive heart failure, diabetes, and aging.

Paleness or whitening – may be caused by liver or kidney disease and anemia.
Brown or copper nail beds – may result from arsenic or copper poisoning, and a fungal infection.

Grey nail beds - are associated with arthritis, edema, malnutrition, glaucoma and cardio-pulmonary disease

Redness - is a sign of heart disease.

Janet Martin is an avid health and fitness enthusiast and published author. Many of her insightful articles can be found at the premier online news magazine http://www.thearticleinsiders.com.