What Your Fingernails are Trying to Tell You About Your Health

Oh, the human body! Sometimes I sit back in amazement at how cleverly we are designed (and how well we can adapt to almost anything that comes our way). While studying the body through an ‘alternative’ or traditional lens, I have learned (and seen in myself) that there are many external ‘clues’ that can serve as a guide to our internal health. According to one of the classic Chinese medical texts, “If something happens in the interior of the body, it must be reflected in the exterior of the body.” Traditional Chinese Medicine can tell you a lot about your organs/meridians by looking at your tongue, which you can learn all about here. Ayurvedic Medicine on the other hand, which originated even earlier in Ancient India, is very well known for nail assessments. Areas of imbalance that Ayurveda looks for in the nails include bone health, malabsorption, inflammation, parasites, digestive issues, and more. I give the same disclaimer here that I give in my tongue posts: this does not mean anything is “wrong” with you and is not meant to diagnose disease. It’s simply giving you a picture of where you may be prone to imbalance, and at the same time allows you to make tailored changes to your daily health regimen (such as drinking specific teas or avoiding certain food allergens that encourage inflammation).


In Ayurveda, it is said that the lunula (moon) of the nail represents one’s “Agni,” or ‘fire’ in the body. If you look at your nails and notice there are no moons or extremely small moons, you may want to incorporate foods that support your digestive fire and circulation such as ginger tea.


Weak digestive fire can lead to a potential build-up of toxins in the system that are created when food is poorly digested, called “ama.” This buildup, which often centers in the lower bowel and colon is a common root cause for many disorders and should be the first thing you look at when treating the body as a whole. If you haven’t already, check out my article on how to clean/strengthen the bowels and digestion!

On the other hand, if you have nice large moons on your thumb to pinky, this represents a strong, healthy fire that is capable of breaking down and absorbing the nutrients from food. Chinese Medicine believes that clearly defined lunula should take up around one-fifth of each nail for the best sign of health, although they feel that the pinky lunula is not as important as the others and can be absent. TCM agrees with Ayurveda otherwise, teaching that people with small/absent lunulae are often bothered by “pathogenic cold” (yang deficiency) and weak immunity. Again, it is wonderful to drink ginger tea in the mornings, especially if you have symptoms of yang deficiency which can include menstrual cramps, aversion to cold, lack of circulation, poor appetite, fatigue, achy joints, cold hands and feet, poor digestion, depression, etc.

Several other abnormalities may show up in your nails, which can be found in the following chart. I’ll elaborate on each individually below!

1. Absence of moons

I explained this in detail above, but in summary, this can be related to the low immune system, poor circulation, “cold” invading the body (lack of heat and vigor), and weak digestive fire. A great way to build your ‘yang’ energy and defenses back up would be drinking hot ginger tea every morning and all throughout the day if possible (bring a thermos to work with extra from the morning batch!) You can also try out my cinnamon weight-loss elixir recipe if you’re looking to add in some slimming benefits to your daily warming drinks. It’s important to never drink beverages on ice – in fact, try to keep your liquids at a warm room temperature or above! Add more soups to your diet, and use warming spices such as turmeric, garlic, ginger, and cayenne. Never eat meals while watching TV or browsing your phone. If you’re looking for even more ways to improve your digestive fire, check out the rest of my 11 unconventional tips for improved digestion here.

Ayurveda’s traditional solution to weak internal fire is to consume a small piece of fresh ginger with a few drops of lemon juice before eating a meal (similar to TCM’s ginger tea prescription!) This slowly and gradually awakens the flames of Agni, preparing it to digest the main course. In addition to ginger, other aromatic spices that assist digestion include black and cayenne pepper; cardamom; and licorice. They are believed to make foods more digestible by “predigesting” the food during cooking


These spices also stimulate the secretion of saliva and digestive enzymes in the stomach and intestines, doing some of the work for us. The less work ‘Agni’ needs to do while digesting food, the less fatigue one will experience after eating. It’s equally important to only eat when you are hungry – eating out of boredom will result in undigested food, diluted fire and “ama” due to poor digestion.

2. White Spots

White spots on the nails are very common, mainly because more and more people are becoming deficient in minerals such as magnesium and zinc. An example of why I believe this is occurring is increased pollution, which contains heavy metals. Heavy metals (like cadmium) and beneficial minerals (like zinc) bind to the same receptors in the body, which means the metals can ‘kick-off’ the good guys by binding in their place. You can read my article here on the widespread epidemic of magnesium deficiency – it is one of the most important articles I’ve written on this site. I don’t go a day (well, night!) without my magnesium oil, especially on days that I work out and stress my muscles.


Although magnesium deficiency is indeed a huge issue, I do feel that spots on the nails are more often a sign of missing zinc. This may be due to a poor diet, stress (which depletes both zinc and magnesium) or could also be the result of the body not being able to absorb the zinc you’re already eating. This is often because of poor digestion, low stomach acid, inflammation in the GI tract, intake of allergenic foods, chronic loose stools, etc. Although I now take a maintenance dose of zinc that is included in my multivitamin, when I was first replenishing my levels (while working on acne/digestive issues) I consumed zinc supplements in the highly absorbable form of zinc picolinate. If you have other symptoms of mineral deficiency that go farther than zinc alone, it may be wise to check out a broad spectrum liquid mineral supplement like “Concentrace” that you can add to your water. I use Concentrace sometimes when I have a headache since I find that headaches are often triggered for me by dehydration and low electrolytes/minerals.
MM

3. Vertical Lines/Ridges

These lines are all too common for many individuals and may indicate malabsorption of nutrients in the body. Many websites say they are normal and occur naturally with aging, however, my theory here is that aging prompts them to arise is because the efficiency of blood circulation decreases with age. This means nails get less and less nutrition and may become pale and ridged. Young or old, you want your circulation to be strong so that your blood can bring nutrients to every nook and cranny of your body. The reason why circulation is decreased can be a very complex topic and is usually different for everyone. Thyroid issues, gut dysbiosis, and heavy metals can all create an internal environment where nutrients are not processed properly.


Mild lines that are difficult to see without the best possible light demonstrates an exceptionally mellow case. The more profound the lines, in any case, the more grounded the lack. The absolute initial step expected to address this unevenness (regardless of the individual reason) is the day by day admission of ginger tea. Eating or drinking ginger improves the ingestion and digestion of ALL basic supplements in the body. Numerous individuals experience the ill effects of supplement lacks in spite of eating the most beneficial of weight control plans as a result of an undesirable stomach related tract – particularly a harmed gut that can't appropriately ingest supplements. Ginger improves gut wellbeing and equalization gut microorganisms, which are expected to separate your nourishment. It likewise murders parasites and infections (particularly in tea structure), which as I referenced can be a motivation behind why we aren't engrossing our supplements appropriately – the bugs are getting to the first and utilizing our nourishment to get more grounded. Drinking ginger tea reliably and a parasite convention on the off chance that you have a background marked by gut dysbiosis can do ponders for expanding your nutrient/mineral levels.

Different strategies I would take with vertical edges incorporate removing fiery/allergenic substances from the eating regimen, including cheddar and gluten. Search for the main driver of your specific malabsorption: do you have low thyroid indications? Do you have any indications of broken gut, appearing as nourishment hypersensitivities or uneasiness during absorption and undigested nourishment in stool? Regarding the body in general and searching for approaches to fortify your resistant framework (and subsequently your whole life form) is the best wagered.

UPDATE 2018: If you are somebody who runs amazingly hot and gets fomented/warmed when drinking ginger tea, attempt licorice root tea as a similarly recuperating substitute. Licorice root is an adhesive herb that can mitigate, recuperate, and 'seal' the gut by giving dampness, supplements and irritation control. If your nails are flagging malabsorption, this may just come from your digestive organs being bothered, dry, or aroused. Licorice root tea can alleviate and quiet your stomach related tract with the goal that you can retain the supplements from your nourishment. (Try not to utilize licorice root, be that as it may, on the off chance that you have hypertension! It is contraindicated for this condition). I would likewise incorporate a lot of solid, mending fats in your eating regimen, for example, ghee to sustain and grease up.

4. Even Line/Transverse Groove 

As indicated by Ayurveda, a profound line that runs even to the nail means that a solid disease, contamination or exhaustion that happened during the time that particular piece of the nail was developing. It's basic for this line to happen after a viral disease, respiratory failure, serious fever, and so on. On the off chance that there are numerous even lines on the nail, this demonstrates a reoccurring issue and in all probability is demonstrating an incessant condition, so you should see an integrative or naturopathic doctor just certainly.

5. Pale Nails 

Pale nails commonly demonstrate an inclination towards paleness (low red platelets/iron lack) in the framework. This can be because of over the top blood misfortune (overwhelming feminine cycle or damage); an iron, folate or B12 lack; an ulcer, a parasitic/viral disease, certain meds (counting NSAIDS), malabsorption, and so forth.


In TCM, pale nails are said to be brought about by "blood lack," which isn't constantly indistinguishable from iron deficiency yet surely can be.

Iron deficiency can cause weariness, shortcoming, poor course, visit wounding, the brevity of breath, unpredictable heartbeat and intellectual issues. If pallor is suspected, one can hope to check whether different indications are included (or not); just as the tongue and the pink under the eye (when extended down) to check whether these territories are likewise pale.

If paleness is suspected, look at my posts here on iron lack and balding, and the best 3 iron-rich herbs.

6. Nail Bed Inflammation/Red Cuticles 

On the off chance that you see a red, puffy fringe along the nail crease, this is said to be an indication of parasites or potentially popular disease in the framework. Parasites are not only an underdeveloped nation issue and have various causes, which you can find out about in my article here. A couple of basic causes are voyaging, low stomach corrosive, uncooked meats, not washing hands appropriately after end, unwashed crude nourishment, and so forth. We treat parasites in our pets a few times each year, however, some way or another don't do likewise for ourselves! You can peruse my free digital book about parasite purifying here, and why I made my own one of a kind wash down after a parasite convention was fundamental to my recuperating procedure from IBS and cystic skin inflammation.

Parasites frequently come into our frameworks when we are undermined with a type of viral contamination, particularly mono or Epstein Barr Virus. The most perfectly awesome approaches to treat ceaseless viral issues are through a) diet, b) against viral herbs/enhancements, for example, feline's hook, lemon ointment, colloidal silver, licorice root, and zinc and c) removing nourishments that feed infections, prepared/refined sugar, gluten, sugar, production line cultivated dairy/cheddar, and so on.

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