Brittle Nail

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Brittle Nails

You inherited your father’s dazzling green eyes, your mother’s perfect nose and your grandmother’s gentle disposition. Unfortunately, your nails look like you picked up your grandpa’s bad habit of whacking his fingers with a hammer.

As with the color of your hair, the thickness and strength of your nails can be strongly influenced by your genes. Of course, you may not be helping matters. Do you use your nails as staple removers? Do you pick or bite at them constantly? Maybe you’re exposing your nails to harsh chemicals or using too much nail polish remover, both of which deprive your nails of moisture. The natural remedies in this chapter, used with the approval of your doctor, may help improve the strength and appearance of your nails, according to some health professionals.

See Your Medical Doctor When... You notice long-lasting and unexplained changes in the color or shape of your nails that are unrelated to an injury.

Aromatherapy

Brittle nails benefit from a warm fragrant oil soak, according to Greenwich, Connecticut, aromatherapist Judith Jackson, author of Scentual Touch: A Personal Guide to Aromatherapy. Add six drops of lavender, six drops of bay and six drops of sandalwood essential oils to six ounces of warm sesame oil or soy oil, suggests Jackson. (Both sesame oil and soy oil are available in most health food stores.) She says to soak for 15 minutes once or twice a week.

For information on preparing and administering essential oils, including cautions about their use, see page 19. For information on purchasing essential oils, refer to the resource list on page 633.

Ayurveda

Toxins in the colon may prevent the absorption of minerals that are essential to nourish bones and nails, says Vasant Lad, B.A.M.S., M.A.Sc., director of the Ayurvedic Institute in Albuquerque, New Mexico. To restore brittle nails to health, Dr. Lad recommends cleansing the colon with triphala, a traditional Ayurvedic remedy that combines the fruits of three trees native to India. You can find triphala in some health food stores, often in capsule form, according to Dr. Lad. He says to follow the label directions for daily use. Dr. Lad says you can also obtain triphala powder in Indian pharmacies or by mail order (refer to the resource list on page 634).

Food Therapy

Eat more cold water fish such as salmon, mackerel and herring, advises Julian Whitaker, M.D., founder and president of the Whitaker Wellness Center in Newport Beach, California. “It’s rich in omega-6 fatty acids, which can strengthen nails.” Dr. Whitaker also recommends cauliflower, soybeans, peanuts, wal nuts and lentils, which are all rich in biotin, a B vitamin that he says can prevent the splitting and cracking that are associated with brittle nails. (For other food sources of biotin, see “Getting What You Need” on page 142.)

Homeopathy

Take one of the following remedies in a 6C dose three times a day until improvement is noted, says Chris Meletis, N.D., a naturopathic physician and medicinary director at the National College of Naturopathic Medicine in Portland, Oregon. To strengthen brittle nails that are accompanied by dry, rough hair, especially if you dread cold air and drafts and feel better in the summer and with heat, try Psorinum, says Dr. Meletis. He adds that Graphites may be helpful if you have brittle nails along with dry, hard, rough skin, numerous cracks in your skin and a tendency for even small wounds to become infected.

Psorinum and Graphites are available in many health food stores. To purchase homeopathic remedies by mail, refer to the resource list on page 637.

Vitamin and Mineral Therapy

Get the essential fatty acids that strengthen nails by taking flaxseed oil, says Julian Whitaker, M.D., founder and president of the Whitaker Wellness Center in Newport Beach, California. It comes in capsule or liquid form, and Dr. Whitaker says to follow the dosage recommendations on the label. Flaxseed oil is available in most health food stores.

Yoga

Brittle nails are sometimes the result of bad digestion and may be helped with a daily exercise called the stomach lift, says Stephen A. Nezezon, M.D., yoga teacher and staff physician at the Himalayan International Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy in Honesdale, Pennsylvania.

Here’s how Dr. Nezezon says to perform the exercise: Start by standing with your feet about two feet apart. Keep your back straight and bend forward slightly at the waist. Place your left palm on your left thigh, just above the knee, and your right palm in the same place on your right thigh. Breathe out all the way, then bend your neck forward so that your chin tucks into your throat.

Now, says Dr. Nezezon, you’re ready for the stomach lift itself. Without breathing, suck in your stomach muscles as if you were trying to touch your belly button to your backbone. Hold this as long as possible, then relax and breathe. Stand up straight. Repeat this three times.

Because of its impact on the circulatory system, Dr. Nezezon says not to do this exercise during menstruation or pregnancy, after surgery, if you are bleeding or if you have heart disease or high blood pressure.