Your nail health can unveil a lot about your health. Find out about these signs plus how you can take care of your nails with a multi collagen protein powder.
Nails can reveal so much about one’s health problems ranging from vitamin deficiencies to impaired liver function. That’s why besides taking multi collagen protein powder to improve your nail health, it’s equally important to know a bit about nail health. Have you noticed cracks or discolorations and wondered what caused the problem? What about ridges or nail clubbing?
Many people overlook these signs initially, unknowing that these serve as warning signs of an underlying health problem. So, if you notice nail abnormalities, it’s a good idea to take a step back and determine why you have them. Check out our list of 8 unhealthy nail symptoms and their meaning.
#1. White Nails
Healthy nails come in a shade of pale pink or mauve. The color indicates that you have good blood flow in your nail beds. If you notice a white color instead of a healthy pink, you might have a disease like anemia, heart disease, kidney failure, or hepatitis.
#2. Yellow Discoloration
Yellow nails can look quite off-putting. That’s because it often indicates a fungal infection. According to CDC, fungal nail infections commonly affects the toes, but it can also spread to your fingernails. Besides the yellow discoloration, you might also notice other symptoms such as nail cracking or thickening and foul odor coming from underneath the nails.
If it’s not a fungal infection, the yellow discoloration can also indicate skin cancer, diabetes, lymphatic problems, or psoriasis.
#3. Cracked or Split Nails
Cracked or split nails can stem from various reasons, including a fungal infection or exposure to harsh chemicals like cleaners. It can also serve as a possible indicator for thyroid diseases like hypothyroidism. Some of the other hypothyroidism symptoms you should look out for include sudden weight gain, impaired cognitive function, and frequent muscle cramps. You might also experience constipation, depression, and lethargy.
#4. Ridges or Pits
As your body slowly ages, the quality of your skin, nails, and hair can degrade. If you notice ridges on your fingernails, this could mean that you have weakened nails. For worse cases, it could indicate a zinc deficiency. You can counter the ridging or pitting symptom by taking regular doses of multi collagen protein powder. It can help you boost nail production, strengthen your nails and help you get enough nourishment.
On one hand, if you spot pits or small depressions on the nails, you should look out for other possible signs of psoriasis or eczema. Both skin conditions can cause immense discomfort, so it’s best to seek medical assistance if you think you have any of them.
#5. Black streaks
Black or dark lines on your nails often indicate blood clotting on the nail bed. It commonly occurs after suffering from a hand or finger injury. It can also be a sign of melanoma, a dangerous type of cancer that affects the skin and the rest of your integumentary system.
#6. Nail clubbing or spooning
Typically, nails lay flat on the fingers and have either an oval or almond shape. However, some folks experience nail spooning or clubbing, where the nails appear rounded (like the back of the spoon, hence the name), and the fingertips swell up to twice the average size.
Unless you inherited this trait, it could be your body’s way of telling you that you have a mild to severe lung disease. It often indicates that you have a low supply of oxygen. As a result, you might experience other symptoms of lung problems like coughing and difficulty breathing.
#7. Bluish Nail Color
If your body has meager amounts of oxygen, your fingernails and toenails can turn from healthy pink to bluish or purplish. Medically, we refer to this condition as cyanosis (from the Greek word kuanosis or blueness). Fingers that appear purplish-blue for an extended period requires emergency medical care as it could indicate serious health problems such as:
- Congestive heart failure
- Blood clotting in the lungs
- Chronic bronchitis
- Emphysema
- Raynaud’s Phenomenon
#8. Inflamed Nail Fold
The nail fold or the skin tissue that encloses your nails can sometimes get inflamed due to bacterial, fungal, or viral infections. We call this condition paronychia, and it can last for around 5 to 10 days, depending on the severity of your nail fold infection and your overall nail health.
Besides the nail fold's noticeable soreness, you might also experience other symptoms like fever, joint pain, malaise, and nail discoloration. If you suspect having paronychia, we highly recommend seeking treatment as soon as you can. Doctors might prescribe oral antibiotics to kill the root cause of your infection.
Multi Collagen Protein Powder for Improved Health
The body has unique and fascinating ways to help you fight against illnesses. One of the finest examples of that would be the presence of nail abnormalities. While they’re not exactly pretty to look at, they serve as a powerful and effective warning about possible health problems.
Which of the top 8 nail symptoms we listed above do you have? How long have you been dealing with your nail problem? More importantly, have you reached out to your primary doctor for help?
A timely diagnosis of your nail issue’s underlying cause can make a lot of difference to your healing and recovery. The sooner you have your nail abnormalities checked, the better.
On top of that, it’s also a good idea to maximize the use of your favorite multi collagen protein powder. Collagen powder makes an excellent addition to your diet because it can provide you with a ton of health benefits, including:
- Keeping your nails healthy and long
- Growing shinier and thicker hair
- Helping you reach your weight loss goals
- Improving your skin’s elasticity and giving you a youthful glow
- Revitalizing your immune system
- Minimizing muscle, joint, and bone pain
- Promoting gut healing
With or without nail abnormalities, taking a collagen food supplement can help you stay in tip-top shape. You can conveniently add it to your go-to protein shakes, soups, dips, and other delectable health treats.
Shop for a multi collagen protein powder for your nail and skin here at Warrior Strong Wellness today!
About The Author
Warrior Strong Wellness
Warrior Strong Wellness provides innovative and high quality transformational supplements and raises awareness and funds to fight childhood cancer by giving a portion of our proceeds to childhood cancer research. In our weekly blogs, we share wisdom about wellness and living a Warrior Strong lifestyle.