Nutrition and the Finger Nails (Part 1/2) - Western Nutritional Paradigm

Many of my patients wonder why I look at their nails. The reason is that the finger nail can point to many different patterns of disharmony in the body. This blog post will be the first of a two part series. The first article in this series comes from a "Western"/Naturopathic paradigm. The other is the "Traditional Chinese Medicine" or "Eastern" paradigm. As with all posts on AcuMemphis.com, do not use this to diagnose yourself. Please see a physician,acupuncturist, or other qualified medical practitioner before starting any new supplements.

Here are a list of nail issues with corresponding vitamin/mineral solutions:

Flat angle and or spooning of the nail - Fe deficiency

Soft poor growth - multiple mineral deficiencies, hypochlorhydria

Cuticle Inflammation - Zinc Deficiency

Brittle Nails - hypothroid issue, decreased HCL in body, Protein or Mineral deficiency

Acrodynia (red tips with abnormal nail growth) - Hg toxicity

Ridging - consider decreased mineral absorption, or decreased HCL

Stunted growth with nail deteriorating and thinned out - look for yeast or fungal infection, avoid caffeine, simple carbohydrates, apply topical ointment

 Source: Medical Nutrition from Marz

Please be sure to check back soon for Part 2.

Nutrition Reading List

For those who want to read more about diet from the Traditional Chinese Medicine point of view, here is a list of books.

Healing With Whole Foods
Tao of Nutrition
The Okinawa Plan
Nutrition from Marz (hard to find, based on Naturopathic Principals)

Diet and Nutrition - Recommended Book

When taking your medical history during the initial interview we often talk about diet and nutrition. Patients will ask me about which diet to follow. There is no single right diet. All diets out there have merits and will work for some people. However, one reasonable diet book out there based on quality scientific research is called the Okinawan diet. This combined with principals of Chinese Herbal Medicine is a very good path to follow. Three scientists visited the island of Okinawa to research the seniors that were living very active lives well into old age. They found that old people in Okinawa not only lived longer but had a better quality of life well into old age. Americans typically experience a 10 decline before death where mobility, appetite, mental facilties decline over about a 10 year period. The people of Okinawa only experienced about 3 or so years of end of live decline.