Skin, Nails and Hair
Skip
to Nails Article
on Hair and Nails
Online Catalog of Hair, Skin and Nail
Products
Hair, skin and nails provide a look at the inner
health of the body. These outward "signs" can tell you a lot about the
condition of your inward health.
Skin
Often
we may have problems with our skin
such
as dull skin, skin likely to break
out in blotches or skin that dehydrates
easily. All of these
problems and many more indicate the lack
of proper nutrition.
Poor diet, drugs, alcohol, excessive sun exposure, environmental
toxins and tobacco smoke increase free radical damage and decrease enzyme activity.
Both free radical damage and the reduction in enzyme activity can hasten the appearance
of the following problems; wrinkles, age spots, sagging skin and ultimately to serious
skin problmes.
Free radicals oxidize cells, making normal cell metabolism
impossible. Enzymes can help prevent or treat skin damage by fighting these free
radicals and reducing stress on bodily systems.
The skin reflects our
overall health and acts as a barrier
against the outside world, is the largest
organ and is composed primarily of collagen.
Collagen fibers
form an elastin network that makes up
connective tissues. The skins elasticity,
strength and smoothness come from the
makeup of the collagen fibers.
The
Skin's Vitality Can be Measured
- To measure
the amount of free radical damage you must
perform the skin elasticity test. Grasp the
skin on the back of the hand between the
thumb and index finger. Raise the skin and
release it. The skin fold should immediately
flatten. If a ridge remains, the skin is
aging and damaged by connective tissues and
muscles binding together. Enzymes battle
both by improving blood supply and then the
nutrient supply by the skin's dermal layer.
Skin Functions
Protects internal organs and tissues from
injury
Preserves valuable moisture and helps maintain
normal body temperature
Protects the body
from toxins, viruses and bacteria
Enzymes and Skin
- The skin is loaded with
natural enzymes that serve a vital purpose
in running cellular machinery. They are
the catalysts of virtually all biochemical
activities in the
body. Their vast responsibilities include
food digestion; brain stimulation; and
tissue, organ and cell repair. The body's
enzymes
are often divided into two groups-digestive
enzymes and metabolic (or systemic) enzymes. Digestive
enzymes
are secreted along the gastrointestinal
tract and break down foods, enabling nutrients
to be absorbed. Their three main categories
are protease enzymes, the protein digesters;
amylase enzymes,
the carbohydrate digesters; and lipase
enzymes, the fat digesters.
Digestive enzymes are not active inside cells but are produced
in the pancreas and released into the small intestine where they chemically break
down proteins, carbohydrates and fats. The body's ability to produce digestive
enzymes decreases with age, and the enzymes produced are not as active. This enzyme
deficit leads to poor digestion and therefore poor absorption of vitamins, minerals,
antioxidants and
other nutrients necessary for healthy
skin. For example, without sufficient
enzymes, the body can't extract
beta-carotene from foods and convert it to
vitamin
A, which is critical to skin health.
Cancer is probably
the most serious skin damage caused by
free radicals. In fact, one out of every
three
cancer cases diagnosed this year will be
skin cancer, and one out of every five
Americans will develop skin cancer sometime
during his or her life time.
There are many kinds of skin cancer, including
basal cell carcinoma, the most common type, which affects nearly
1 million Americans each year. Squamous cell carcinoma, the second
most common skin cancer, affects 100,000 Americans yearly. Although
not diagnosed as frequently as other skin cancers, malignant
melanoma is the most dangerous skin cancer and affected 41,600
people in 1998. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation of New
York, the incidence of malignant melanoma is increasing at an
alarming rate.
The Enzyme Deficit - Free
radicals are not the only culprits destroying
enzymes
and damaging skin. Many people develop
an enzyme deficiency
because of the foods they eat. Although
raw foods contain the enzymes necessary
for their digestion most people eat
foods that
have been cooked and processed and are,
therefore, "enzyme
dead." A diet lacking in enzymes puts
an additional burden on the pancreas.
Steps to Healthy Skin
- Drink lots of water to keep the skin hydrated
and minimize wrinkling.
- Eat plenty of raw fruits and vegetables
- Get sufficient rest
- Quit
smoking,
stop alcoholic
beverages
and excessive sun exposure
- Get sufficient exercise to improve circulation
and enzymatic activity
- Eat more whole foods avoiding processed and
artificial ingredients
- Avoid coffee and tea (tea has the substance
used to tan leather)
- Eat foods rich in enzymes (avocados, papayas,
pineapples, bananas, mangos and the richest food: sprouts
- Use only skin
products with natural and healthful
ingredients, like Natria
Nails
"Fingernails
are made of protein," Adelle Davis
stated in her book, Let's Get Well. "Fingernails
that split, break off, are extremely
thin, or fail to grow, indicate a a lack
of protein or Vitamin A, and the rate
of nail growth has been used as a measure
of protein adequacy."
Possibly, our diet lacks adequate protein.
Dairy products, fish, poultry, beans, tofu and eggs provide high
quality protein. Egg yolk which contains sulfur helps nail growth
the most. Other excellent protein sourcess containing sulfur
are beans, nuts, seeds, grains, and vegetables such as asparagus.
Sulfur is an essential mineral and our body
needs 850 mg. of all kinds of sulfur per day, most of which is
supplied by food protein. Vegetarians can be lacking in sulfur,
particularly if they do not consume eggs. Sulfur is present in
every cell of our body and an absolute necessity to normal growth.
It has been estimated that an adult's daily consumption of sulfur
totals less than 140 mgs., less than 16 percent of an adult's
daily requirement.
Foods high in sulfur are onion, garlic and the sulfur-containing
protein sources mentioned above. Natural herbs and nutrients
high in sulfur are garlic, horsetail
and MSM.
Nails are an extension of both the hair and
skin. They've long been an indicator of health-related problems.
Sometimes they don't grow fast enough, they may split or contain
ridges or even white spots. Healthy nails should be pink, smooth
and shiny. Changes in their color, shape and texture may signal
the presence of disease.
Disorders affecting the
blood, such as thyroid conditions, poor
circulation
and heart, liver and kidney
disease, can contribute to a change in nail conditon.
- Bluish Fingernails
- circulatory problems
- Vertical ridges - May indicate
an iron deficiency
- Spoon-shaped nails - Those that
curve upward, can be a natural sign of aging or a sign of anemia. This can be
caused by deficiencies or iron
and/or B12.
- Thickening of the Nails -
insufficient oxygen reaching the nail,
a sign of lung disease.
- Holes or sharp pits
- may be a sign of psoriasis (a skin disease that causes redness
and scaling)
- Yellowish discoloration (of
the nail or the skin under it) - If nicotine use is not applicable or either nail
polish or hair dyes, it can be a sign of fungal
or yeast infection, psoriasis, lymph disorder or even liver
disease.
- Disappearance of the lunula (the light colored "moon" at the base of
the nail. Lung disease is possible.
- Broadening of the nail - a sign of possible lung disease. It's called a
watch glass deformity because of the way the nail's convexity
is accentuated.
- Brittleness
- Usually caused by detergents, chlorinated water, nail polish
remover, or aging. Vitamin A and calcium
deficiencies cause dryness and brittleness of the nails. Andrew
Weil, M.D. in "Natural Health, Natural Medicine", says
try black currant oil, 500 mg.
twice daily for this situation.
- Ridging or buckling
- which may be accompanied by inflammation of the skin around
the nail. It's a sign of possible fungal infection. The condition
can be particularly dangerous when it occurs in the toenails.
- White spots on nails (medical
term: leukonychia) - injuries frequently bring on such spots, the primary
cause seems to be a zinc
defeciency. According to Dr. Carl Preiffer, research scientist and director
of Princeton's Brain Bio Center, the entire world population is probably deficient
in zinc, and he recommends 20 mg. of zinc
gluconate be taken twice daily.
- Spots or furrows
- caused by virus infections, colds, high fever or other severe
stresses
- Nail abnormalities
- often seen in people with hypertension who are know to have
high serum copper - the nail will be constricted in from where
the nail normally is located.
- White nails
- may signal poor circulation
or anemia (when circulation is poor, the nail bed - skin under
the nail doesn't receive enough blood - this causes the color
to change from healthy pink to pale or white
- Green nails
- indicate a bacterial infection which usually occurs when the
nail is slightly seperated from the skin, leaving an open space
where bacteria can thrive
- Red splinters - tiny hemorrhages
in the capillaries in the nail bed - they may be caused by minor injury to the
nail or in rare cases by liver
trouble or psoriasis
- Dark horizontal streaks - may indicate an underactive
adrenal gland - the streaks usually fade after the adrenal
gland begins to get stronger
- Hangnails - lack of protein,
folic acid
and Vitamin
C can cause this nail problem.
- Splitting nails - lack of Hydrochloric
Acid (HCL) contributes to splitting nails.
- Fungus in and around the nails
- can be caused by lack of friendly
bacteria in the intestinal system.
Andrew Weil, M.D. in "Natural Health, Natural Medicine", says Tea
Tree oil will clear up fungal infections of both toenails and fingernails
even if they are resistant to strong systemic antibiotics.
Article
on Hair and Nails
References:
"Health Store News" - October 1986, page 14
"Bestways" - June 1979, page 97
"Better Nutrition for Today's Living" - May 1992,
page 34
"Nutrition Science News" - April 1998, page 210-214
Online
Catalog of Hair, Skin and Nail Products
|
