Categories
Foot health

The Nails as a Health Assessment Tool

Nail assessments are used in several health care practices, including Ayurveda, Chinese, integrative, and orthodox medicine.
A smooth, pinkish nail with a white crescent (the lunula) at the base generally indicates good health.

TCM & ELEMENTS / MERIDIANS

The general Traditional Chinese medicine point of view concludes that nails can signify an imbalance in different ‘elements’ and organs in the body. The two main elements the nails represent are wood (liver and gall bladder) and water(bladder and kidney). This can indicate that any nail manifestations reflect the wood element, meaning that the body lacks adequate nourishment.

For example, Vertical ridges on the nails signify excessive acid levels.
Horizontal grooves in the nails are caused by major/sudden lifestyle changes or when one is ill and given strong medication.
White spots on the nails that gather together are from excessive sugar intake.

The general condition of the nails: Brittle, split, soft, or peeling nails indicate an imbalance in the sodium and potassium balance (kidney and bladder meridians).

Each finger and toe represents a specific meridian; we must note that to assess the source of the malnourishment or imbalance.

Here are a couple of nail conditions, their explanations and solutions:

nail conditions

  1. LUNULA ON NAILS

Lunula on the nails are a sign of good health. The absence of these Lunula/moons could be a sign of:

  • Low immune system
  • Weak digestive ‘fire’
  • Poor circulation
  • (Low yang energy)

Solutions:

  • Avoid cold beverages. Best to drink warming herbal teas like ginger
  • Eat a piece of ginger and some lemon juice before each meal to increase digestive fire.
  • Spices which aid digestion include
  1. WHITE SPOTS

Mineral deficiency – usually magnesium and zinc. This can be from pollution, diet, heavy metal toxins, stress,  poor digestion, low stomach acid, inflammation, consumption of allergen promoting foods and Parasites in the intestines

Solutions:

  • Eat more zinc-rich foods. Supplementation may be needed
  • Adjust lifestyle to deal with stress and pollutants
  • Repair the gut
  • Natural parasite cleanse, such as wormwood tea.
  1. PALE NAILS

Pale and brittle nails are usually a sign of anemia. Anaemia can be caused by an iron, folate, or vitamin B12 deficiency. It can also be due to ulcers, parasitic or viral infection, certain medications, chronic illness, or malabsorption.

Solutions:

  • Wheatgrass juice – because the chlorophyll closely resembles haemoglobin.
  1. VERTICAL LINES

Vertical lines/ridges are usually a sign of malabsorption of nutrients.

It also indicates that minerals are not getting to the nails, which can be caused by poor circulation, thyroid problems, candida, parasitic or viral infections, or heavy metals.

Solutions:

  • Cut out main allergenic foods: gluten, dairy and sugar
  • Identify the root cause of malabsorption, which can be from a current illness, gut microbiome imbalance,or  heavy metal toxicity
  • Ginger tea/ginger to help the stomach
  • Liquorice tea (unless you have hypertension)
  • Healthy healing fats
  1. HORIZONTAL LINES / GROOVES

Generally, deep horizontal lines are a sign of serious illness, infection, or depletion during the nail’s growth period.

It usually appears after heart attacks, viral infections and severe fevers.

You may have a chronic condition if the horizontal lines are a constant issue.

  1. NAIL BED INFLAMMATION

Signs of nail bed inflammation include puffy redness on the skin at the base of the nail bed.

This is a sign of a parasite or viral infection. Usually, these infections develop because the immune system is already compromised by a chronic viral infection.

Solutions:

  • Cleanse your system and gut
  • Herbal anti-viral supplements such as wormwood, cat’s claw, lemon balm, liquorice root, and colloidal silver
  • Zinc
  • Cut out processed foods, dairy, excess animal fat, gluten and sugar

INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE

Integrative and orthodox medicine have similarities in their thinking about causes for nail conditions. A standard assessment in integrative medicine includes assessment of:

* Shape – clubbing or curling nails
* Colour – yellow, blue, pale
* Lunula – missing = lack of protein or absorption thereof
* Strength – weak nails are also a lack of protein
* Texture – vertical ridging –zinc deficiency
* Temperature & circulation

More serious conditions

If you haven’t already, seek medical attention. The root cause must be addressed before the nail symptoms go away.

Beau’s line (horizontal depression/dent) – a sign of malnourishment, and can also indicate signs of other conditions :
beaus lines
Beau’s lines
  • Diseases that cause high fevers, such as measles, mumps and scarlet fever
  • Peripheral vascular disease
  • Pneumonia
  • Uncontrolled diabetes
  • Zinc deficiency
Clubbing nails (thickening and curving around the fingertips) – a sign of low oxygen in the blood, and can also indicate signs of:
newnailclubbing-56a5c4ca5f9b58b7d0de68f0
Clubbing nails
  •  Cardiovascular disease
  •  IBS (inflammatory bowel disease)
  • Liver disease
  • Pulmonary disease
  • AID’s
Spooning nails (Koilonychia)
  • Iron deficiency anaemia
  • Heart disease
  • Hemochromatosis (a liver disorder that causes too much iron to be absorbed from food)
  • Lupus erythematosus (an autoimmune disease that causes pain and inflammation)
  • Hypothyroidism
  • Raynaud’s disease (limits blood circulation)
    Spoon-Shaped-Nails
    Spooning nails
Mee’s Lines (transverse white lines across the nails)
  • This is a sign of arsenic poisoning
Onycholysis (when the nail plate separates from the nail bed, causing a white/yellow discolouration) can result from infection, trauma, or products used on the nails.
onycholysis
Onycholysis
  • Psoriasis
  • Thyroid disease
Pitting nails (small depressions in the nails)
  • Systemic disease
  • Psoriasispitted nails
Terry’s nails (tip of each nail has a dark band). Often due to aging, but can also be a sign of:
  • Congestive heart failure
  • Diabetes
  • Liver disease
  • Terry's nails
Yellow nail syndrome (nails get thicker and grow slower and may pull away from the nail bed)
  • Internal malignancies
  • Lymphedema
  • Pleural effusions (fluid build up between the lungs and chest cavity)
  • Respiratory illness
  • Rheumatoid arthritis
Dark spots on the nails – bleeding and poor coagulation
Blurry or dark lunulas – you should seek medical attention.

In summary, most of these nail conditions have common factors – mineral deficiencies (especially zinc), infections and poor circulation or blood deficiency. In orthodox medicine and nutrition, zinc is known to be essential for skin and nails. However, it is also vital for the immune system, and poor-quality nails are a symptom of poor immunity. Most medical sciences are starting to convey that gut health issues (gut dysbiosis) seem to be a starting factor for all disease, so perhaps if we repair the gut, we can heal most of our illnesses.


Sources:

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iH527j4vb0U

Categories
Foot health Uncategorized

Do your feet need exercise?

We focus on our core, legs, arms, and back but rarely consider exercising and strengthening our feet. Good foot strength, structure, and mobility play a considerable role in keeping us mentally and physically healthy. We often take for granted that we can walk and move around relatively freely. If you cannot walk or move due to some foot injury or condition, you may become reliant on others for help, and your movement and abilities are limited. Just walking alone is great for your mental health and wellness. Movement is an essential element in health and wellness.

The feet deserve more credit than we usually give them. They have over 7,000 nerves, 26 bones, 33 joints, and 20 muscles, of which four layers contribute to movement and stability. The fascia must remain flexible enough to prevent inflammation and tightening of the muscles and tendons.

If our feet are not balanced, this can contribute to ankle, knee, hip, back, and even shoulder pain and issues.

Studies have found that we need at least 5,000 steps daily to maintain good mental health and wellness [1] and 7,500 steps daily to prevent Alzheimer’s disease [2].

Building a strong foundation in your feet is important for not only day-to-day living but also for other exercises, sports, running, lifting weights, hiking, etc.

Include foot strength and stretch into your weekly routine.

You will need:

  • Toes spacers/separators
  • A resistance band
  • Toe strengtheners (if possible or available in your area)
  • 1 or 2 balls – spikey ball, golf ball or softer ball the size of a golf ball
  • A step
  1. Toe separation and strength

1.1. Can you separate all the toes from each other by widening the foot?

If you cannot separate your toes, use toe strengtheners to help ‘pull’ your toes apart. If you cannot find toe strengtheners, use your toe strength to try to spread the toes apart.

1.2. Can you lift the big toe while the other four toes are on the ground?

Place a resistance band under the big toe and pull it up while keeping the 4th toes on the ground.

1.3. Can you lift the other four toes while the big toe stays on the ground?

Place a resistance band under all four toes and pull them up while keeping the big toe on the ground.

        2. Rolling a ball underneath your foot

2.1. Use either a spikey ball or a golf ball (or the size of a golf ball) and roll it underneath your foot to help loosen the fascia (and stimulate some reflex points too).

        3.  Stretching out the calf 

This will also help keep the fascia flexible.

3.1. Simple lunge calf stretch with your hands against the wall. Stretching one calf at a time with one foot in front of the other.

3.2. Place your toes on the edge of a step and pulse your foot down (support yourself on a rail or the wall to help with balance)

3.3. Sit up straight on the floor with your legs outstretched. Loop the resistance band around the ball of your foot, holding one end with each hand and pull towards you with a flexed foot and then a pointed foot.

Other factors to consider:
  • Walk barefoot or wear barefoot shoes – shoes with a wide toe box
  • Key components of a barefoot shoe include wide toe boxes and a thin and flexible sole.
  • If you suffer from bunions or neuromas, wearing toe spacers can assist.

According to Dr Courtney Conly, a chiropractor specialising in foot health, training in barefoot shoes will help strengthen your feet. She recommends wearing barefoot shoes to train and go about daily life, and on race day, your feet will feel stronger and less prone to injury[3].

If your favourite shoes have pointy toes, cushioned soles, and are fashionable but not functional, it’s fine to wear them for a few hours on a special occasion or if you’re going out. But ideally, you should prioritise wearing or walking barefoot.

Chronic foot pain is not something that you should ignore. Unfortunately, I often have patients come to me for the first time after suffering months with chronic foot pain with little help from other professionals. Along with reflexology treatments, I would also recommend seeing a chiropractor who specialises in or is familiar with foot mobilisation and/or a podiatrist with more holistic thinking who would rather assist by recommending exercises and support instead of orthotics and surgery.

Sources:

[1]  Psychology Today

[2] Healthline