ARTICLE........HEALTHY SKINCARE AND NAILS

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Healthy Skin, Hair, & Nails

 

 

 

This page is being developed because we have received many queries

regarding the use of certain drugs (SSRIs) and peeling

skin on the hands and fingers. A simple answer to the question is

yes, these drugs do cause skin on the palms to crack and

peel. Compounds containing fluoride do interfere with thyroid

function, and skin function as a secondary symptom.

 

Nutrient deficiencies caused by Anti-Thyroid Drugs are thought to be

responsible for most of the skin rashes. Thiouracil

compounds impede conversion of dietary carotene into vitamin A and

exacerbate the vitamin A deficiencies seen in Grave's

Dis-ease. Frequently, vitamin A supplements are needed to correct

skin problems. In the block and replace protocol, thyroid

hormone overcomes the vitamin antagonists, allowing proper dietary

conversion of carotene.

Exfoliative dermatitis with symptoms of cracking and peeling skin

should be reported to your health care provider

immediately, if you are taking any Rx for hyperthyroid, depression,

or cancer, etc.

 

 

 

Russian research shows an association to thyroid hormones very

clearly. The skin is the largest

endocrine organ of the body, as they are finally figuring out. By

applying toxic substances one can

actually cause systemic thyroid hormone alterations - see fluorinated

steroids or the fluoride baths to

treat hyperthyroidism.

 

Likewise, low systemic thyroid hormones influence the skin and the

activity of the skin cells - it's all a

feedback mechanism. PFPC newsletter #9 talks about that quite a bit,

as it applies to topical " benefits "

of fluoride.

 

What happens is the same as with many other fluoride in

pharmaceutical compounds, be it Prozac,

Paxil, fluoroquinolones, Baycol, etc - UV radiation changes the

nature of the fluoride compounds in

circulation which then act on the thyroid hormone receptors in the

skin.

 

 

J Invest Dermatol. 1986 Mar;86(3):244-8. Abnormal lipogenesis in

thyroid

hormone-deficient epidermis. Rosenberg RM, Isseroff RR, Ziboh VA,

Huntley AC.

Striking skin changes can accompany hypothyroidism, among them a

scaly ichthyosis. The

pathogenesis of these disorders is unknown. Since altered sterol

metabolism has been associated with

other scaling dermatoses, we tested the hypothesis that altered

epidermal lipogenesis may accompany

hypothyroidism and induce the observed scaling. Thyroidectomized

(TX) rats were sacrificed 53

days postthyroidectomy, and the rate of incorporation of the

radiolabeled precursor,

[14C]acetate, into epidermal lipids was determined. Approximately 2-

fold decreases in incorporation

of precursor into both polar and neutral lipids were observed in the

TX epidermis; the most

significant decreases, however, were in the neutral lipids,

particularly the sterol and sterol-ester

moieties. Total cholesterol pool size was also reduced in the TX

epidermis. Similar decreases in sterol

biosynthesis were noted in human keratinocytes cultivated in medium

devoid of thyroid hormone.

These findings demonstrate that lipid metabolism, and notably sterol

synthesis, is altered in epidermal

keratinocytes deprived of thyroid hormone, and suggest that, as in

other scaling disorders, this

abnormal sterologenesis may lead to the clinically observed

ichthyosis that can accompany

hypothyroidism.

 

 

 

" In 1953 Leo Spira, MD, Ph.D. published his book " The Drama of

Fluorine - Arch Enemy of

Mankind " . Drawing upon his many articles which had been published in

the Lancet, the British Dental

Journal, and other recognized medical journals, the great British

physician summarized his findings

of over 30 years of pioneering research into various disease states

he ultimately found to be related to

fluoride intake.

 

One of the most frequent symptoms of early fluorosis observed by

Spira were " mottled " and

deformed nails, which would often split or chip.

 

" The commonest feature, however, was the occurrence of raised

longitudinal ridges on the surface of

the finger and toe-nails...In addition, dull, opaque, chalky-white

specks, patches or transverse bands,

such as are familiar to everybody, appeared frequently on several

nails... "

 

Further Spira wrote, " There was a frequent complaint that the hair

was falling out prematurely. "

 

In addition Spira reported of several skin diseases and wrote,

" Patients felt apprehensive and irritable

and were subject to frequent attacks of depression and even

melancholia with loss of energy and

general lassitude " .

 

The symptoms Spira was describing were later referred to in other

European literature as the

" Spira-Syndrome " (Schoehl,1985). It must be clear to any

endocrinologist that the conditions Spira

was describing in the early part of the past century are identical to

those now commonly ascribed to

zinc deficiency and/or hypothyroidism.

 

On a courtesy visit to the US, Spira had asked the PHS if they also

had observed such symptoms, and

was told that this was not quite the case. However, recent documents

obtained show that the opposite

was true. Even Dean himself had noticed such symptoms and wrote about

them already in 1932:

 

" The hair of some of these mottled enamel cases is unusually coarse,

almost like horse hair. Finger

nails are apparently not normal. Two of the three local physicians

state that there is apparently an

unusually large account of skin disorders among those using the city

water supply. Future surveys

will attempt to obtain this additional dermatological data in order

to determine whether it correlates

with the mottled enamel. "

 

[from: T. Dean's monthly report to Surgeon General Hugh S. Cumming,

March 4, 1932, part of the H. Trendley Dean

collection, History of Medicine Section, National Library of

Medicine).]

 

Future surveys were never done. Discussing a study at 8 ppm, we find

even more " white blotches " - 3

to 5 per nail:

 

" Another change noted was in the nails. From 10-20 percent of the

younger individuals examined has

a rather unusual type of nail structure, the most characteristic

aspect being transverse white blotches

often completely across the nail, usually symmetrical and on all the

nails, there very frequently being

from three to five of these per nail. The incidence of these finally

decreased with age, the oldest

patient being 57. In the control area with 139 high school students

examined, none showed transverse

striations. "

 

[Abstracts of the proceedings of the meetings of the Technical

Advisory Committee on the fluoridation of water supplies with

the Departmental Working Committee for the Newburgh-Kingston

Demonstration; Harold C. Hodge, chairman; April 24,

1944; part of the H.Trendley Dean collection, History of Medicine

Section,

National Library of Medicine).] "

 

look for new information on SPF and fluoride in

sunscreen coming soon...

 

 

 

Common Ingredients in health & beauty products

 

Disorders that could show in your nail bed, and some problems below

that may be indicated by your

nails if they are:

 

Blue - problems with asthma, emphysema, or cadiovascular

difficulties.

 

Brittle - iron, calcium or vitamin A deficiency or problem

with kidney function or circulation or thyroid.

 

Breaking, Chipping, Cracking, or Peeling - general

nutritional

deficiency.

 

Dark, Flat - anemia or B12 deficiency.

 

Dry - vitamin A deficiency

 

Hanging - protein deficiency, low in vitamin C and folic acid

 

No moon - nervous system stress or overactive thyroid

 

Soft - overactive thyroid

 

Splitting - shortage of hydrochloric acid in your system

 

Spoon - iron deficiency

 

Thick - circulatory or thyroid problem

 

Vertical ridges - iron deficiency

 

White bands - protein deficiency

 

White lines - heart disease, high fever, and liver problems

 

White spots - often zinc deficiency, but the infamous White

Spots on someone's nails are not caused by zinc

deficiency, as they are just as common in people with

excessively high zinc levels.

 

Please note: the problems and manifestations listed above are only

supplied for interest and general information, as nails could

have markings with totally different medical reasons, and diseases do

not always show in this manner. Please see your medical

practitioner if you have a medical query and do not use the

information above for use as diagnosis of any medical condition.

It is meant as information only.

 

Supplements for nails

 

Unflavored gelatin can improve the quality of your nails, if

taken regularly over an extended

period of time (6 weeks minimum). Dissolve 1 oz (25 g) of

unflavored gelatin in some juice

and take daily.

B Complex, and especially Nutritional Yeast, B12, B6, Folic

Acid.

Vitamin A, also increase Beta Carotene for 2 weeks. Too little

or too much Cod liver oil may

interfere with thyroid function.

Vitamin C.

Vitamin E or wheat germ oil (EFAs and for some GLAs as from

Evening Primrose oil).

Probiotics.

Protein must be available in sufficient quantities.

Zinc when in short supply would also be required by the body

either in diet or a supplement.

Avoid taking more than 50 mg. daily from all sources.

Horsetail herb.

Liver supporting herbs if a rash is present.