white spots on nails

Nikki Young · 08-11-2007, 08:52 PM

Hey!

I'm wondering if anyone has any ideas on how i can get rid of these white spots i have on the majority of my finger nails (non on my toe nails). They have been there for years now and from what i have read they can be caused from trauma/brusing, which i don't believe is the case, considering i've had them for so long and they grow out and come back again in different spots. Also a few years ago (before i started to change up my diet into a paleo approach) i took synthetic zinc tablets for months as i was told they could be caused from a zinc deficiency, and that didn't help either so i stopped taking them. For about the last month, i've been taking grainfields probiotics regularly and generally more then the recomended dose of 1tbs or so, just to help boost me up from not having any probiotics for.. well, ever really. As i've read these spots could be a cause from a fungal like infection or something, i'm thinking maybe the probiotics should help relieve that? Maybe it will take longer to find out if it is a fungal problem and probiotics will eventually help.

I believe my diet is fairly good, i know it's not optimal, but i have a diet rich in F&V, good fats (lots of nuts, olive oil, meat, coconut oil and fish oil), i eat a paleo diet, although my only real down-fall to that is having the weekly chocolate hit. I have been getting vitmains and minerals from my diet as well as from a whole food suppliment i take, so i would presume that from nearly 2years of having a solid diet in that sence would have stopped any vitmain or mineral deficiency i might have. Although then again, it could be something like a copper deficiency, i know my mum has a copper deficiency which was (if i remember correctly) brought on by our plumbing system for our tap water (which sometimes takes like chlorine it's really bad..).

Anyway, would love some suggestions on how to get rid of them, mainly i'm concerned because they have been there so long and i want to have good health, and if by these white dots some area of my health is letting me down, i want to cover it.

Thanks

Robb Wolf · 08-12-2007, 10:35 AM

Hey Amiga!
This is a reach but i seem to remember this being and issue with zinc deficiency...do some google searches along that line.

Only found this on pubmed:
1: JAMA. 1974 Apr 8;228(2):157.Links
Letter: Fingernail white spots: possible zinc deficiency.

Pfeiffer CC, Jenney EH.
PMID: 4406041 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
more in google....

Nikki Young · 08-12-2007, 06:32 PM

Thanks Robb!
How should i go about getting enough zinc if it is a sign i am deficient?
As i said above, i've taken syntetic zinc sups for months and had no results in the nails clearing up.

Have you had a chance to check out my book yet??

Steve Liberati · 08-12-2007, 06:52 PM

I always heard white spots on your nails was from a calcium defiency. Could be wrong though...

Nikki Young · 08-12-2007, 07:27 PM

That was what i first heard it was Steve.
It could be that too.. when i was younger i was the biggest milk nazi, i would have 1ltr or more of milk a day.. maybe it's messed with my calcium absorption or something... that can't be good

Nikki Young · 08-16-2007, 06:20 PM

Anyone have any suggestions on how i can get my zinc boosted up?
Apart from the syntetic sups which i've tried and have had no benefit.

Yael Grauer · 08-16-2007, 06:46 PM

What kind of zinc are you taking? I know Robb doesn't believe in metabolic typing, but in my experience and anecdotal research

each metabolic type needs different proportions of nutrients which come in different compounds. Zinc picolinate and zinc oxide for example are totally different and if you're taking the wrong one for your type it may not work as well.

Other than that, make sure you are not drinking tea or anything with tannins when taking your zinc. Oxalic acid (like in spinach) and phytic acid (grains) makes it harder to absorb, I think I recall too much calcium as hindering absorption as well... protein increases absorption--so more meat, less grains.

Jonas Lind · 08-17-2007, 10:30 AM

Didnt have anything of value....

Garrett Smith · 08-18-2007, 04:55 PM

Nikki,
I have recently increased my zinc intake to 75mg/day, and my white spots seem to be gone for good.

I'm using a liquid zinc sulfate (5mg/drop) and I'm testing my zinc sufficiency (with an oral zinc tally liquid) every week or two. Still not near sufficiency, however, I judge that my testosterone levels are significantly elevated from before (along with the disappearance of the white spots).

I have the drops from the same company as the SSKI we discussed. Let me know if you'd like some. It's not listed in my store.

For anyone reading, don't just go taking 75mg zinc willy-nilly, please.

Tony Ferous · 08-24-2007, 12:37 AM

Garrett,

How did you 'judge that your testosterone levels were elevated'?

I was marginally zinc deficient(according to zinc tally) despite years of supps, i currently used ZMA(zinc aspartate), i previously used picolinate, supposedly good absorption too.

Grazie...