Health And Fitness News 

Should You Take Nail Changes Seriously

I was doing some research on curved nails, and I came across a startling range of material suggesting, at one end of the spectrum, serious diseases, and at the other end, simple nutritional difficulties. There was also the absurd - one palmistry site suggested that men with long, curved nails were 'not of good character', and tended to have lots of affairs with women - getting a bad name for themselves along the way (perhaps they wouldn't take out the garbage :-))

What surprised me was how different nail abnormalities were given such a range of possible causes. Reading this, two things could happen. You might get overly anxious, convinced that you had anything from Aids, melanoma, heart disease, or rheumatoid arthritis, to liver or kidney disease.

Or, you could overlook a potentially serious disease, going instead for the nutritional or vitamin recommendations that accompany specific issues.

The problem is that both are valid points of view. Changes in nails, in texture, color, or shape, can occur when serious illnesses are in the early stage. Nail changes often show up before other symptoms appear. Medications can also affect nails. For example, some cancer medications can make nails streaky or cause different color bands to appear.

Yet the fact remains that for many, specific vitamins and minerals, or a lack of protein or other nutrients, can show in the nails. Although it sounds like a caliche, the best thing to do, if there are changes you are concerned about, is to check in with your doctor, to eliminate more serious possibilities.