Fingernail Color and Clues to Your Health
Did you know the color of your nails can reveal much regarding health, anxiety, and habits? Small white patches, a rosy tinge, or bumps can indicate health issues. Problems with liver, lungs, and heart can be seen through your fingernails.
Here are some observations that can help you quickly scrutinize your health:
1. Pale Nails
If your fingernail beds are pale you may have anemia, a blood disorder with low red blood cells. It’s usually caused by lack of iron in your blood. Increase green leafy vegetables and beans to increase iron levels. Severely pale nails can be indicator of early diabetes or liver disease which can lead to impaired blood flow. If diagnosed early, diabetes can often be controlled with diet changes. Pale nails are also one sign of congestive heart failure and malnutrition. Avoid processed food and refined sugars; choose whole grains, more fiber, and vegetables.
2. Yellowish Nails
Yellow nails usually occur with serious pulmonary disease and lymphedema, or swelling of the extremities. Another cause of yellow nails is fungal infections that traverse the entire nail bed. As the infection worsens, your nails may thicken and crumble. Other health issues that yellow nails indicate involve severe thyroid, lung disease, psoriasis, and diabetes.
3. White Nails
If your nails are white with darker rims they may be warning you about your liver’s health. This is a good sign of hepatitis. Fingers can also become jaundiced, another sign of liver stress. If you have white nails since birth it can be hereditary. White nails are also a sign of chronic renal failure, congestive heart failure, diabetes mellitus, chronic hypoalbuminemia, and Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
4. Bluish Nails
A blue color in your nails means your body is not getting sufficient oxygen. This color can also indicate lung problems like emphysema. Some heart problems are associated with bluish nails. Usually the color of the nail is normal, just the area that lies beneath the nail-bed is tinted bluish. This shows poorly oxygenated blood, or more accurately unoxygenated hemoglobin, which is the oxygen carrying protein in red blood cells.
5. Dark Lines Beneath the Nails
There are numerous reasons for dark or black lines to appear from the cuticle to tip. They should be taken seriously by seeing a healthcare professional immediately. They are usually caused by melanoma, a type of skin cancer. A biopsy can be done for diagnosis.
6. White Lines
Sometimes horizontal white lines appear across our nails and we ignore them. They can be a sign of kidney disease, liver abnormalities, or a lack of protein and other nutrients. They are caused by a disruption in blood supply to the nail bed from the underlying disease. Shorter lines may be an indicator of past trauma and usually disappear on their own after a few weeks or months.
Note: It is important to see your nails bare to notice their color and texture. This can tell you something is wrong with your body that should be checked as soon as possible.
