#nail abnormalities

Nail abnormalities like discolouration, spots on nails and nail separation. These symptoms can happen due to infections, viral warts, and some medicines also lead to such problems.

The calcium content of the ageing nail is increased and the iron content is decreased.[3] Histologically, the keratinocytes of the nail plate are increased in size and have an increased number of ‘pertinax bodies’ (remnant of keratinocyte nucleus).[4] The nail bed dermis also shows thickening of the blood vessels and elastic tissue, especially beneath the pink part of the nail.[5] Nail growth decreases by approximately 0.5% per year between the ages of 20 and 100 years.[6]

Minerals and Absorption: Health and strength in nails depend on a good balance between calcium and silica in the diet and a system, which can metabolize and make good use of these minerals efficiently. Sometimes there is a deficiency in other minerals like Magnesium, which is also involved, in structural health and this is the reason that a little Dolomite is useful to ensure sufficient Magnesium (and Calcium). We often don't have enough Silica in our Diets and often have far too much Calcium. We are told that we must drink milk to grow strong bones and all the rest, but in fact westerners mostly have too much Calcium and not enough of the other minerals required and are actually worse off than we would have been without milk at all. Internal treatments using Equisetum (also called Horsetail) which is very high in Silica with Yarrow and Comfrey have good nail nutritional value.