Guest guest Posted April 16, 2002 Report Share Posted April 16, 2002 Sonja- >Does anyone here know anything about this condition? I have heard that it >is due to poor mineral absorption. If this is true, how can I reverse >this? They are quite ridged...almost every finger. Mine are still pretty ridged, and yes, it apparently has to do with gut health and digestion. I'd highly recommend reading _Breaking The Vicious Cycle_, but if you do, keep in mind that there are a few foods allowed on that diet because they don't directly pose digestive problems (like corn and soy oil) which WAP/NT rightly warns against. You kind of have to make a list of the foods in the intersection of the two diets and eat those. <g> - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 16, 2002 Report Share Posted April 16, 2002 >>>>Does anyone here know anything about this condition? I have heard that it >is due to poor mineral absorption. If this is true, how can I reverse >this? They are quite ridged...almost every finger. >>>>>Mine are still pretty ridged, and yes, it apparently has to do with gut health and digestion. *****Can either of you describe what you mean by 'ridged' please? Suze Fisher Web Design & Development http://members.bellatlantic.net/~vze3shjg/ mailto:s.fisher22@... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 16, 2002 Report Share Posted April 16, 2002 Suze- >Can either of you describe what you mean by 'ridged' please? Look at your fingernails sideways (i.e. with the finger sticking out parallel to your shoulders) and see if your fingernail is smooth or if the curve is ridged or furrowed. If you have them, the ridges -- perhaps better described as furrows or striations -- will be straight, from the bottom of the nail to the top, not from side to side, and can be slight or very pronounced. I've read that they're principally due to inadequate silica absorption, but I've also that it's due to insufficient absorption of a wider range of minerals, but any problem with absorption very likely has a gut problem at its root in addition to malnutrition (as malnutrition will generally come from consumption of devitalized or inappropriate foods which are not only low in available nutrients but which harm the gut and thus impair absorption even of otherwise-available nutrients). - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 16, 2002 Report Share Posted April 16, 2002 At 12:05 PM 4/16/2002 -0400, you wrote: > >Does anyone here know anything about this condition? I have heard that it > >is due to poor mineral absorption. If this is true, how can I reverse > >this? They are quite ridged...almost every finger. I've been on an all raw (animal and vegetable) diet for about 2.5 years (see " Live-Food " or " Primaldiet " ). My fingernails used to be typically ridged for an Ayurvedic " Vata " constitution. Now they are mostly pink and smooth. The raw fats and the extra minerals are the key IMHO. -=mark=- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 16, 2002 Report Share Posted April 16, 2002 > Does anyone here know anything about this condition? I have heard that it is due to poor mineral absorption. If this is true, how can I reverse this? They are quite ridged...almost every finger. > They should be ridged. The idea that fingernails should be smooth is big myth. Think about the engineering of a fingernail - its a flat surface. That means it can be easily bent. Having ridges prevents fingernails them from bending backwards on you. We do this when we make flat things. Tin roofs have ridges to keep them from folding. Corrugated carboard has ridges to keep it from folding. Fingernails have ridges to keep them from folding. If you don't have fingernail ridges, then maybe you should change your diet because the remodelling process has gone awry! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 17, 2002 Report Share Posted April 17, 2002 I never knew this was a " problem " until you described it here! I used to have rigid fingernails, especially my thumbnails. I just thought it was the way they grew. My only diet change in the past year and a half is towards NT slowly and my ridges are about gone I am noticing! Grace, a Augustine I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright. I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more. I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive. I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger. I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting. I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess. I wish you enough ''Hello's " to get you through the final goodbye. --anonymous ----- Original Message ----- From: Idol Sent: Tuesday, April 16, 2002 1:47 PM Subject: RE: ridged fingernails Suze- >Can either of you describe what you mean by 'ridged' please? Look at your fingernails sideways (i.e. with the finger sticking out parallel to your shoulders) and see if your fingernail is smooth or if the curve is ridged or furrowed. If you have them, the ridges -- perhaps better described as furrows or striations -- will be straight, from the bottom of the nail to the top, not from side to side, and can be slight or very pronounced. I've read that they're principally due to inadequate silica absorption, but I've also that it's due to insufficient absorption of a wider range of minerals, but any problem with absorption very likely has a gut problem at its root in addition to malnutrition (as malnutrition will generally come from consumption of devitalized or inappropriate foods which are not only low in available nutrients but which harm the gut and thus impair absorption even of otherwise-available nutrients). - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 17, 2002 Report Share Posted April 17, 2002 >>>Look at your fingernails sideways (i.e. with the finger sticking out parallel to your shoulders) and see if your fingernail is smooth or if the curve is ridged or furrowed. If you have them, the ridges -- perhaps better described as furrows or striations -- will be straight, from the bottom of the nail to the top, not from side to side, and can be slight or very pronounced. ***Oh, OK, I understand. I can't see striations when I look at them sideways, but when I slowly turn them in the light (and the light refracts off them at about a 45 degree angle) I can see they are striated, as if a miniature glacier slid down from the cuticle toward the ends. There are a few striations that look deeper than the rest, which are mostly very shallow. I thought this was normal. Perhaps it's normal for someone who's been on a fairly SAD diet for years..? So, does someone who has excellent mineral levels, have absolutely zero noticeable striation in their nails? Suze Fisher Web Design & Development http://members.bellatlantic.net/~vze3shjg/ mailto:s.fisher22@... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 17, 2002 Report Share Posted April 17, 2002 Trying to remember which book of mine had fingernail deficiencies in it. I do remember white spots under nail is zinc. Wanita Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 17, 2002 Report Share Posted April 17, 2002 >>>>Trying to remember which book of mine had fingernail deficiencies in it. I do remember white spots under nail is zinc. ***Oh no! I'm a wreck! I have one of those too. I'm starting to feel like a walking time bomb of deficencies and imbalances... Suze Fisher Web Design & Development http://members.bellatlantic.net/~vze3shjg/ mailto:s.fisher22@... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 17, 2002 Report Share Posted April 17, 2002 Suze- >So, does someone who has excellent mineral levels, have absolutely zero >noticeable striation in their nails? This isn't something I know a great deal about, but AFAIK, yeah, adequate mineral absorption (primarily silica) is the main factor. - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 17, 2002 Report Share Posted April 17, 2002 >*****Can either of you describe what you mean by 'ridged' please? Ahhh Suze, You are blessed not to even know! It is when you have raised ridges that go the length of the nail....sort of like a USC(?) code that the checker swipes at the grocery store...some are wider some are thinner, going from the " moon " to the tip of the nail. Sonja Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 18, 2002 Report Share Posted April 18, 2002 At 11:30 PM 4/17/2002 -0500, you wrote: > >Fingernails should have ridges. > >Well, I just know that I have never seen a child with ridged >fingernails. And, these are pretty deep ridges, BTW. Esp on the thumbs. >Sonja I did a web search and it seems to be about nutrition (biotin, iron, B vites, depends who you read) and aging. Thin, breakable nails with ridges are seen to be the most problematic: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003247.htm And, I'd guess, genes. All my nails are smooth except one thumb, which has a very thick, healthy nail with lots of ridges. So maybe that thumb is missing the biotin! In my case I'd say it's age: the ridges have gotten worse lately though my nails are generally healthier and stronger. In a kid I'd worry more: http://dermatology.cdlib.org/DOJvol5num1/case_reports/zabawski.html Heidi Schuppenhauer Trillium Custom Software Inc. heidis@... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 18, 2002 Report Share Posted April 18, 2002 >Well, I just know that I have never seen a child with ridged fingernails. >And, these are pretty deep ridges, BTW. Esp on the thumbs. On the subject of fingernail ridges and their causes; I have an anecdote to contribute. When I was 6 yrs old, I smashed my right thumb in a door (hinge side of a bathroom door!! yeoww!). I lost the fingernail. When the fingernail grew back in it was ridged and perhaps slightly thicker than the other thumbnail. My left thumbnail now has some very very minor ridging on it too, but my right one has always been much more ridged. So, I wonder if there isn't something going on other than just diet or even that they're supposed to be there. I specifically wonder if it isn't also the body's reaction to stress on the nails (perhaps to strengthen them, perhaps not). Hmmmm... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 18, 2002 Report Share Posted April 18, 2002 > I would assume that someone with a healthy nutrition would have > stronger and more supple nails than someone who has nutritional > deficiencies. But the basic fact of engineering remains: all else > being equal, flat surfaces with ridges are sturdier. Fold a piece of > paper so it looks like /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ when lying on its side and try > to bend it compared to a regular peice of paper. Thanks for the visual. I knew what you were talking about before, but the visual aid got me thinking. You're right, of course, about the engineering principle that you're talking about. I'm not convinced, however, that fingernail " ridging " involves the same structural principle. The ridges I've seen in pictures and on my own right thumb, seem more like mini-cracks than a natural occurrence of the engineering principles behind arches or triangles. In fact, it almost seems to me like a side-angle view of plywood that was made with too little glue so that the individual layers aren't fully bonded to one another. Does anyone know for sure how the keratin is biologically formed into a fingernail? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 18, 2002 Report Share Posted April 18, 2002 >But the basic fact of engineering remains: all else >being equal, flat surfaces with ridges are sturdier. Fold a piece of >paper so it looks like /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ when lying on its side and try >to bend it compared to a regular peice of paper. True, but there are other means of strengthening than visible ridging. For example, sword smiths used to make swords stronger (and, IIRC, more supple) by folding the metal and then hammering it out and folding it again and hammering it out over and over and over again. The better the sword the more the folds, so that it had a sort of laminated interior structure (just an analogy, really) to strengthen it. (I suppose sword smiths may still do this, but there's not much of a market for swords anymore. <g>) Since visible fingernail ridging seems to diminish and even disappear and nail strength increases as diet improves, it seems likely that fingernail ridging is undesirable. - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 18, 2002 Report Share Posted April 18, 2002 - >Does anyone know for sure how the keratin is >biologically formed into a fingernail? I don't remember what the process is, but I was taught that it's essentially many thin layers laminated together. If you have a lot of patience and a big-enough chunk of nail, you can probably peel apart some of the layers to see for yourself. - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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