14 DAY TRIAL // Just like the eyes, a closer look at our nails can easily tell us a lot about our overall state of health. If we know how to read them, our nails can easily resemble an open book of minute details: a bluish tint, minuscule white spots, some ripples and bumps or a more pronounced rosy tinge can point to anything from heart disease to the fact that our bodies are not getting enough oxygen. "Changes in the nails can be a sign of a local disease like a fungus infection or a sign of a systemic disease like lupus or anemia", explains Dr. Joshua Fox, a spokesman for the American Academy of Dermatology. Here are a few more details about how our nails reflect the presence of a physical condition, and with a little extra attention, your nails could easily turn into your best friends.
One of the most common conditions that can be observed by looking at our nails is anemia, signaled by the appearance of pale, whitish nail beds that point to a low red blood cell count. An iron deficiency on the other hand causes the nail bed to become thin and take a concave form with raised ridges. "The nails offer many little clues to what's going on inside you. Lupus patients get quirky, angular blood vessels in their nail folds. Psoriasis starts in the nails up to 10% of the time and causes splitting and pitting of the nail bed", Fox tells medical site WEB MD. Unlike anemia, which turns your fingernails white, heart disease can turn the nail beds bright red, while nail-biting or picking can point to obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Thyroid disease, which is a pretty common condition, can cause our nails to become dry and brittle, thus cracking and splitting easily. Here is a list of 10 nail changes we should all look out for, as listed by Dr. Fox and presented on WebMD - with the mention that we should always examine our nails objectively and calmly, without running the risk of falling into the other extreme and becoming slightly paranoid or obsessed over nothing. Have a look.
White nails - Liver diseases, such as hepatitis
Yellowish, thickened, slow-growing nails - Lung diseases, such as emphysema
Yellowish nails with a slight blush at the base - Diabetes
Half-white, half-pink nails - Kidney disease
Red nail beds - Heart disease
Pale or white nail beds - Anemia
Pitting or rippling of the nail surface - Psoriasis or inflammatory arthritis
"Clubbing" (painless increase in tissue around the ends of the fingers) - Lung diseases
Irregular red lines at the base of the nail fold - Lupus or connective tissue disease
Dark lines beneath the nail - Melanoma