Our nails are extremely useful parts of the body - they come handy when there is a troublesome itch!! They help enhance our looks by getting painted in matching shades. And, they also give us a clue about our health!
The eyes are said to be the mirror of the soul. The nails can be called as the mirror of our bodies. The shape and the color of the nails can tell us a lot about the various diseases affecting us. Here are a few examples of diseases that can be identified by looking at our nails.
Anemia makes the nail bed thin and concave. The ridges also appear raised. The nails appear pale and brittle.
When your lungs are not getting enough oxygen due to any reason, the nails get a bluish tinge. The bluer the nail, the severe the disease. Clubbed nails mean that the disease has advanced to a great extent.
If your nails are yellow, it means that your alcohol consumption has gone so out of control that your liver is damaged. It may also mean that your liver has been affected due to other reasons like hepatitis, cirrhosis. Gallbladder affections can also cause yellow nails!
When your body is deficient in zinc and other minerals, it may put up white spots on your nails as an indicator for you to take in more zinc.
Splitting and pitting in the nail bed indicates the onset of psoriasis. It could also mean you are suffering from inflammatory arthritis.
Red nail bed means you suffer from heart disease. Diabetes gives you yellowish nails with a pale base.
Chronic conditions like melanoma show up as dark ridges below the nails.
Horizontal ridges in your nails could point towards gout, circulatory conditions, or heart conditions.
If you have warts around your nails, it would be better to get it checked as it may develop to squamous cell cancer.
These are just a few examples of how nails speak volumes about our health.
Trimmed or manicured, painted or clean, remember that you are only as healthy as your nails!
What your nails speak about your health
Nails as health indicators
Nails, like our hair and skin, speak volumes about the health of our body. Our nails are made of keratin, a protein that is also found in hair. It consists of the nail plate which is the hard, visible outer part, the nail bed which is the soft spot below the nail bed, the crescent shaped lanula at the base, the cuticle which is the skin covering the nail base, and the nail folds which are the skin at the side of the nail.
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