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Handy Health Barometer!

Our fingernails are one of the most convenient indicators of our health, yet they are subjected to a great deal of abuse. After all, many people use their nails in the place of pliers. They dunk them in harsh soaps and detergents. They repeatedly overexpose them to the elements.

Fingernails' original purpose seems to be protecting the fingertips' multiple nerve endings with a layer of protein called keratin. This protective shield grows slowly, taking up to three months to grow a new one.

But when it's grown, the fingernail truly offers a handy health barometer. If it indicates perfect health, the healthy nail will be smooth, the bed underneath pink, revealing a rich blood supply. On the other hand, a very pale or blue nail bed, or nails streaked with either white or red may reveal that you suffer from poor circulation, disease or even malnourishment. If you're in overall good health but your nails keep breaking and splintering, your nails are trying to tell you something.

The most common environmental cause for problem fingernails is overexposure to the elements and harsh chemicals. Every time your nails get wet they swell, then shrink again when they dry. This swell-shrink cycle can eventually leave your nails brittle and fragile. Not drinking enough water and dry, heated rooms cause everything from brittle nails to dry skin and cuticles. Caustic products like nail polish remover and nail glue can also harm them.

To keep your fingernails healthy, remember to wear rubber or vinyl gloves when using water, soap or chemicals, never use your nails as tools, bite or pick your cuticles, and protect your nails by moisturizing them regularly.