European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 13, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Fingernails As windows to health by Jane Brody new York times our eyes May or May not be windows to your soul but your fingernails can reveal a lot about your habits and your health. A Wise physician will examine them along with your blood and urine because their condition can reflect a number of serious underlying health problems As Well As various ailments that attack nails directly. Although Well manicured nails Are the height of fashion Many people Are careless about Nail care. I look at women with Long Well shaped perfectly polished natural nails and wonder How they get through the Day of course. I am far from the Only person to use my nails in place of knives and scissors screwdrivers digging tools scrub brushes and Staple removers sadly my Nail abuse does not end Here. I also immerse them in water chlorinated or soapy dozens of times a Day i break them against the Wall of the Pool and the handle of my Tennis Racquet. I accidentally slice them often below the Quick while cutting food i catch them in doors and drawers and under hammers i tear the cuticles ferreting through files and putting on gloves and i pick at he rough skin surrounding them when i am nervous Little wonder that my nails and fingertips usually look like they have been through a Jungle War my new year s Resolution was to iry to Lake better care of these Handy appendages and not us Lor vanity s Sake like half. Your nails Are composed of a Tough protein called keratin that is formed by the Nail matrix a specialized group of cells ust under the base of the at your fingertips the Nail plate emerges from the matrix or growing area to cover the Nail bed. Part of the matrix May show As a Moon or Lanula. Folds of skin surround the plate on three sides. A Flap of dead skin the cuticle Shields the  i Sis Sharon Kilday source the american medical association encyclopedia of Medicine random House Nail part of the matrix is usually visible As the Lanula or Hall Moon at the base of the thumb Nail the matrix and the Nail bed Are living tissues situated underneath the Nail plate As the Nail itself is called. The Nail plate is dead tissue and cannot be nourished directly by anything you consume although it can be enhanced or harmed by what is smeared on it. The Nail plate is surrounded on three sides by the Nail folds. The cuticle also dead tissue is an Extension of the skin of the linger that helps to protect the Nail matrix from infection and injury. The typical healthy Fingernail grows about one eighth of an Inch each month toenails grow Only a third to a half As fast. Thus it can take three to six months to grow a new Fingernail and a year or longer to form a new Toenail. Nails grow faster in warm weather and slower As you get older nails on the most used hand also grow faster while illness and malnutrition retard and May even Stop Nail growth hormones can also ailed growth of nails meaning that they May grow faster during pregnancy or in people with a hyperactive thyroid gland. White severe malnutrition or Vitamin Mineral deficiencies can impair Nail growth no supplements taken by Mouth have been shown to improve the nails of Well nourished people. Popular advice to the contrary the incomplete protein in Gelatin is of no proved Benefit to nails a Normal Nail bed appears Pink through the Nail plate a reflection of a healthy underlying blood Supply. Or Herbert a Luscombe. Chief of dermatology Al Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia Points out that a while Nail bed May be a sign of anaemia and a Blue one May indicate heart or lung disease both conditions reflect an insufficient Supply of oxygen to the Nail bed by looking Al nails doctors can also select these signs of illness. Spoon nails. Ii the Nail plates become depressed or spoon like. It May be a sign of anaemia or thyroid disease Beau s lines horizontal furrows across the Nail plate May result from any severe illness malnutrition or carpal Tunnel syndrome pitting. Various patterns May reflect psoriasis or eczema among other conditions. Clubbing an upwardly raised curve and the Curling of the nails around the fingertips May signal a disease of the liver lungs heart or Colon. Yellow nails chronic respiratory disease. Long term use of tetracycline and diseases of the thyroid and Lymph system can cause nails to become thick Lough and yellow. Blue color if the Lanula or the Nail bed appears Blue it could indicate circulatory problems caused by diabetes heart disease or Raynaud s disease which involves spasms of the arteries in she fingers in response to cold. Splinter Haemorrhages red streaks Down the length of the Nail Beds could be a sign of High blood pressure ulcers rheumatoid arthritis psoriasis or endocarditis. Mee s lines. White streaks Down the length of the Nail May result from heart attack kidney failure Hodgkin s disease sickle cell anaemia or treatment with cancer drugs if the Nail matrix is damaged by physical trauma or some underlying illness like an ailment that impairs circulation to the fingertips the Nail plate will lorm abnormally even after the condition is corrected it will take six months for the nails to appear Normal again while disease can impair nails they Are More often damaged by Ordinary activities most of which can be modified for the Good of your nails probably the most frequent cause of Brittle nails that Chip or break easily is overexposure to water with or without harsh detergents or chemicals. Water causes the nails to swell then shrink when they dry out repeated Loo often the swelling and shrinking ultimately damages the Structure of the nails causing them to break easily various Nail products from polish removers to the glue used to secure artificial nails can also be troublesome some people Are allergic to one or More ingredients in Nail products and the allergy symptoms can affect not Only the nails themselves but also other parts of the body touched by them Overly aggressive manicures particularly the cutting of cuticles can damage the nails and result in unsightly infections. Cuticles Are meant to protect the Nail matrix from attack by infectious organisms or damaging chemicals and thus it is important for them to remain attached to the Nail plate the nails and their surrounding tissue can be invaded by bacteria and fungi Hal May cause lie nails to thicken or grow irregularly Long Lerm Anli Fiolic treatment sometimes Tor up to a year May be needed to Clear up such Inte Lions Small Haemorrhages can develop under toenails that Suller undue pressures on the Nail plate dermatologists see such problems in people who pm play Tennis basketball or racquetball Wear gloves whenever possible during activities Hal can damage your nails or fingertips or overexposed them to the elements such activities include washing dishes clothes or the car gardening hauling Wood hiking or biking. After your hands Are in water however briefly apply a moisturizing lotion preferably one thai contains Al least 10 percent urea and rub the lotion on the Nail plate As Well As into the surrounding soft tissue ii you polish your nails this can temporarily strengthen weak nails avoid removing the polish More than once every two weeks instead touch up chips. Polish remover is extremely drying and can result in split and weak nails if overused if your nails develop an abnormality while you Are using one or More Nail products Stop using Allol them and see of the condition corrects Itsell. Even after years of use you can develop a sensitivity to a Nail product instead of using polish consider buffing your nails to make them smooth and shiny but be careful not to overuse buffing compounds and cause your nails to become too thin. Take care. Too. In trimming and filing nails toenails should be Cut straight across with a Clipper and no Shorter than the end of the toe to prevent ingrown toenails. Shoes should not be too Short or too tight fingernails Are Best manicured with a flexible Emery Board leaving at least a Small amount of White Nail visible even at the Corners. If a cuticle tears trim it immediately with a Sharp cuticle scissors taking care not to pull away parts that Are firmly attached. Druary 13,1990 stars and stripes Page 15