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Toenails
Sorry to start a topic on such a limited subject. I haven't yet understood how to search this forum, maybe someone can explain.
When I get a detox moment, my nails start curling up at the edges. This is painful, but after a few day they go back to normal. Maybe poisoned by lymph on the sides? My husband gets blood spots there also.
After 6 months on the diet, my toenails are now full of ridges and turning into spoon nails, soft at the center. A bit worrying.
It is supposed to be a sign of iron deficiency, but I am not pale, my oxygen blood saturation is at 98%, I am not short of breath.
Also the nails of my hands are OK.
I don't think it can be a sign of fungus, no idea how I could have caught this (on both feet).
Did it happen to anyone?
And most important, did it go away?
Thanks
@ourania I’m really sorry you’re experiencing this 🙁 I’ve been on the diet for about five months now, and I haven’t experienced what you are talking about. My toenail growth since being on the detox has been different from before. There is a clear demarcation that shows the difference in thickness of the nail. It seems like my toenails are growing in thicker now, and a former accessory nail I had on both pinky toes seems like it is disappearing by combining with the full nail. However, because the new growth is thicker, I think it has created the appearance of ridges right where the new growth runs into the old growth, especially early on in the detox. Could it be that the new growth of your toenails is healthy, and it is the old nail that looks worrisome?
@ourania, On this page, ridges (of the type I think are similar to what you are describing, unless I have it backwards) are blamed on deficient nutrients including: zinc, protein, VITAMIN A, calcium... Also on skin dryness, eczema and slow turnover of cells.
Of course, we often see things like acne being blamed on low vitamin A when really it might be about high vitamin A.
https://www.healthline.com/health/ridges-in-fingernails#pictures
I have heard someone here talking about nail changes, however, I think it was a horizontal line of demarcation after which the nail was healthier.
Thanks @lil-chick. Obviously it can only be "Vitamin A deficiency"!
@ourania I have many more longitudinal ridges on my fingernails since starting vA detox & they split at the end. It is the only symptom that has been consistently worse since detoxing. I’ve wondered about biotin (my diet changes inadvertently removed most of my good sources) & many other things - but never fully got to the bottom of why my nails are worse during detox than when I was unknowingly vA toxic (whereas everything else has got better!). Would love to solve this mystery. My latest idea is evening primrose oil. I was taking lots of this at one time & completely stopped all (non essential) supplements after vA debacle.
Tank you @jaj
Update on toenails:
Before starting the diet, I had about four toenails with problems, one spoon like, two with longitudinal ridges and one with strange thickness.
Six months into the diet, ALL my toenails had gone strange.
Eight and a half months into the diet, Eight toenails are perfect, one still has slight longitudinal ridges, but it is the big toe and takes a long time to grow. The other is perfect at the base, the tip is still thick and ribbed, but will grow out of this soon.
Perhaps it's egg whites.
I got out the magnifier and looked at my nails and toenails... Yes, I can see that I've got subtle longitudinal and occasional horizontal ridges. I've also got one whitish longitudinal line.
I think the biotin idea JAJ has above is interesting because I've read that egg whites contain an enzyme that binds with biotin. I've been noticing that my lips peel more on the weekend when I'm serving reduced yolk omelettes (lots of whites withe 1-2 yolks). Hubs loves eggs and it makes him happy.
Egg whites might be something people do more of while VA-lowering. Yolks provide biotin, so whole eggs are probably not leaving you negative on biotin like egg whites may. So, now when Hubs wants eggs on the weekend, he will be getting one whole egg! Poor hubs. But whole foods FTW.
from various google searches: Summary Biotin deficiency is rare, but consuming biotin through foods or supplements may help strengthen brittle nails and improve their growth.... B vitamin deficiencies (especially biotin) can cause problems for your lips.
in my case, this has nothing to do with egg whites. I have never eaten them separately from the yolks. And for the last 5 months have not eaten eggs at all.
interesting! well, in my case, eggs are always suspect because I've over done them.