Healthy Nail Care Basics

I feel like a little kid, but I know that on a couple of these I had questions, Cutee. 

I know I've always read to cut the nail straight across but what works best for me is to follow the shape of the finger or toe.  What's the reasoning for the straight across?

Why keep filing in the same direction and not back and forth?

Another reason not to bite your nails is it's hard on your teeth.  And yes, I know this from the dentist who looked at the chip on my tooth and then looked at my fingers.  I don't might my nails but I do hangnails.. those are my biggest problem.  Turns out my chirporactor finally .. FINALLY someone knew... told me I needed more fish oil.  That helped but then I think my blood was getting thin, which has been a problem for me since having fibromygia.  I guess the hangnail thing is a symptom of FMS, per 'the Green Book' (I need to find it and then I can put in the reference to that, as it's the only place I've ever seen that as a symptom).

I decided last year that chemicals for coloring my hair and nails were just not a good thing for the environment, the people working around them, making them, the wastewater, etc.  And the world has still spun! 

My favorite trick is to keep nitrile gloves (medical exam gloves) at the sink and then throw some good cooking oil like coconut or olive (not that you cook with olive, but I mean oil that is in the kitchen that is good for you) in my hands and into the gloves.  So I'm glad to see your tip on that.  Those are smell-free gloves, and if you get the right size they aren't bulky.  I like the purple kind.  Not just because that is the Lumigrate color but because they fit my long, thin fingers the best.  Wish I had short thicker ones as the ones from Sams are cheaper!  (Walgreens has the purple ones for a decent price.)

I'm hoping that a doctor will come into this section and write about what they look for in nails, and things along those lines.  (No pun intended). 

Thanks Ilene, you're a Cutee-cle Lady alright!  

Mardy

Hi Mardy...Thanks for your questions.

The reason for clipping straight across the nail is so that there are no jagged edges to catch on clothing to rip your nail off...and it also helps to avoid hangnails.

Filing your nails from corner to middle, one way, also helps to eliminate jagged edges and hangnails.

You CAN clip your fingernails following the shape of your finger...BUT, you SHOULD clip your toenails straight across...and DON'T dig into the corners.  Let a professional do that...preferably your Podiatrist...You can cause a major problem if you clip to close to the cuticle...you might clip the skin and then a bacteria or a fungus can get in there and you might get an infection or possibly lose the nail.  And toenails take 9-12 months to grow back out.  They are slow growing.

All the best...'Cutee'

That's wonderful that you joined us, RamyB, because of this information!  Thanks for stopping by to write and give feedback.  We have access to several doctors who we can cue to come look at this stuff as well.  Deirdra Rawlings is a naturopathic doctor who is going to be dropping into Lumigrate 1-2x/week generally, and Wm Marcus Spurlock, MD and Jerry Rand, MD are joining the ranks of doctors who will be participating with Lumigrate, and in the past we've seen Scott Rollins, MD (who has the two videos on Lumigrate.com already) stop by. 

They all have busy practices, so having several to ask is a good thing!  Again, anyone can write in the Forum areas by starting a new Topic within a Forum and then I can select out things that warrant their own Forum and set those up.  So if you know of people who you think would have good information to contribute, please tell them about it!  That's how we grow... ~~ Mardy

RamyB...Welcome!  I am glad that Mardy read your post before I did so that she could say that she will contact a doc to get your answers...since I am not a doc, I do not know.

Nails are made out of Keratin...and Biotin and some of the B vitamins DO help...I just don't know, or rather, cannot remember (thanks FibroFog) exactly how.

Sometime this week I will be posting about different ways different illness can affect the nails.  Most of the pictures show the fingernails...but toenails can be involved too. 

Our poor little piggy's...they get forgotten so quickly when we talk about nails...and because they are covered up a lot, mostly in winter...outta sight, outta mind.  But in this case...absense does NOT make the heart grow fonder...if our toenails get negelected...it can cause some serious problems...

'Til later ...remember...Knowledge is POWER!

Dear Ladies,

Thanks so much for your work in this area.  One of the most common problems I see with fingernails is the longitudinal ridges present there.  They start very shallow and over time become deeper and deeper.  This sign is indicative of low thyroid or growth hormones.  It should improve slowly with appropriate therapies.  

Usually you will also notice with low thyroid that the hands (and feet) are cold.  This sign is not "normal for them", it is low thyroid hormone and their metabolism is too slow, therefore, not enough warmth, a classic sign.  The other problem with fingernails in people with low thyroid is that their nails barely grow at all.  All of this changes with appropriate thyroid treatment.

It is more common with toenails, but also seen in fingernails,......the fungal infection problems.  These are very resistant to treatment, and may take a long time to treat.  There are many treatments including prescription drugs, tea tree oil, colloidal silver preparations, etc.  The real trick is to be consistent with treatment for several months of therapy.  If you quit too soon, the infection can grow right back.

Wm. Marcus Spurlock, MD

Hi Everyone!

Fingernails are an interesting way to analyze a person's health and can indicate deficiencies, weaknesses and toxins all within the body.  Traditional Chinese medicine uses fingernail analysis as well as physiognomy, which is the study of the facial features, as a way to diagnose inner health and pathology.

Here are a few specifics I have observed with fingernails as they relate to the health and nutritional status of an individual.  

* Hangnails often indicates a lack of protein and vitamin C.  Since Vitamin C builds collagen and connective tissue within the body, this seems to be connected and make sense somehow.

* Verticle ridges can mean possible iron deficiencies while horizontal ridges can mean calcium, vitamin A or B-complex deficiencies.

* White dots usually indicates a possible zinc deficiency. Supplementation will help with this.

* Deep split in the nail usually is a lack of hydrochloric acid (found in the stomach).  Hydrochloric acid is necessary for digesting proteins and as we age we produce less and less of it.  Impaired digestion of proteins will easily lead to split nails.  Supplementing with some hydrochloric acid during meals containing protein will definitely help with this.

* A whitish coloring between the moon and tip of the nail indicates a possible yeast or fungal issue.  Supplementing the diet with probiotics usually helps with this.

* Thick nails means possible poor circulation; brittle nails possible lack of vitamin A or calcium, waxy or weak nails is a possible lack of silicon.

The shape of your nails also provide some telltale signs to your health, for example, a rounded nail can be an indication of a possible lack of vitamin B-12 deficiency while spoon shaped nails may indicate possible anemia or insufficient oxygen.  Exercise can help with this and perhaps a supplemental iron tablet (but its always best to check your ferritin and iron levels with a blood test to determine if this is the case as supplements can be dangerous if not needed).

For healthy strong nails, the best is to eat sufficient amounts of protein throughout the day which can be in the form of vegetable or animal proteins.  Juicing is a wonderful way to take in more calcium: try juicing some spinach, kale, and mix in the blender with some almond nut milk (which is high in calcium iron, and plant protein).  Juicing is particularly beneficial for weak digestive systems and people who are having challenges with absorption and assimilation.

Good to see this and you all here, glad to be asked to participate! 

Deirdre

So in all that was just written, above, is there a term I'm maybe not so familiar with that you guys are using that I don't interpret as what my nails do?  They are very thin and come apart in layers if they bend, like mica, if you know what mica is.  (Do you have that in your part of the country?  We have a lot of it here and I think it formed in areas near where something valuable was mined.  Learned that on the hike I went on where my toenails got destroyed that made me start realizing how much YOU know, 'Cutee', about nails, and gave me the idea to ask if you'd write for Lumigrate. BUT I forget what I learned.... will have to go again next year and take geologists again.  They were fun geologists too!)  Lots of them around here in Western Colorado due to the uranium, gas and now the cleanup of the uranium and now MORE NEW uranium development about to start up again.  ~~ Mardy

Ok Mardy.....

I will be posting pictures of different nail problems along with descriptions of what it could all possibly mean.

It is going to take me a while to prepare this piece, so please be patient -

Pretty neat cycle I just witnessed, Cutee!  You wrote it, the doctors embelished, you learned and the whole way I learned as well as the other 99 reads, as there just now were 100 reads (on 2/2/2010 about noon your time).  Pretty neat!  And as of 10/25/10, when I was transferring this over into the general aesthetics forum to consolidate things so that when Mariluz has people coming to read what she writes people will be more likely to see this, and vice versa, there were almost 600 reads!  THANK YOU FOR CONTRIBUTING SO MUCH IN OUR FORMATIVE YEAR, Cuttie! This served as an excellent example of teamwork and of everyone have a place in the Grate Group on Lumigrate!

~~ Mardy

I was fortunate enough to be able to see Dr Wm. Marcus Spurlock 'in person' and have him chip in his opinion about what to do with his area of expertise: hormones (thyroid and others), supplemental nutrition, anti-aging/better aging as I'd like to call it), as it relates fibromyalgia in particular.  From the minute he walked in and shook hands he was assessing things ... probably looking to see what he sees in your eyes and energy as well.  But he did look at the nails of my hands and also at my feet, to look at the dryness of heels and color of skin (dry heels, yellow skin boded validation of the amount of thyroid dysfunction is going on).  I'm happy to say that though from Dallas, TX, he told me of a compounding pharmacy in Castle Rock, Colorado (between Denver and Colorado Springs) which has a particular forte with compounding and treating thyroid dysfunction and patient who have been diagnosed/identified as having fibromyalgia.  (They even have Iodoral and other iodine supplements at a VERY good price!). When discussing other supplements/minerals they'll even get into having you look at your toes and discuss 'Morton's Toe'.

I know that Frank Gresham, CTPT has quite a lot of emphasis on at his website, routing people to a website that sells an inexpensive, easy to fit orthotic for underfoot. They have a fascinating website as they make the connection in a biomechanical way of the foot and Morton's toe changing things up the 'chain' to the cranium and TMJ. However, what I learned about nutrition and the development of the cranium leads me to believe that if a person's toes indicate certain nutritional deficiencies, as I learned from ITC, then it's nutritional AND biomechanical stressors that can contribute or be alleviated related to TMJ dysfunction from foot orthotics. You can find Frank Gresham on YouTube directly (Pain in Virginia), but I suggest you route through his topics in the chronic pain forum as he has a great story about his history with chronic pain, treatment, addiction, recovery and a new career due to being 'sold' on trigger point therapy as a treatment approach. Plus, I've typed up a summary with details from a presentation he gave in Washington, DC area to a Federal worker's health program (and provide the link to YouTube).  

Note: ITC Pharmacy's contributions to the forums are numerous and can be found in the supplementing what you eat and drink forum, the gut forum (as one co-founder was very focused on wellness coming from the gut), the thyroid forum (as the other co-founder was very focused on the 'symphony of the hormones' and endocrine system), and podcasts. However, in 2012 their organization underwent a lot of changes, and additionally, cofounder Gary King (the hormone guy), passed on 12/21/12 due to cancer of the pancrease. We were pleased to have picked his brain, and to my knowledge Lumigrate may be the primary place any written or recorded information from Gary resides.  We all benefitted from what we were able to learn, thanks to all who were involved in making it happen. ~ Mardy