Fingernail Fortune Telling and Thyroid

nobimbo · 08-15-2003, 11:48 PM

Did you know that the half moons under your fingernails can be an indication of thyroid problems? Too large=hyper, less than 8 (pinkies don't count) = hypo.

I just got through reading this on several different sites. I saw it on one, did a search and came up with many more. Here's a list of "fingernail fortunetelling":

http://www.findarticles.com/cf_dls/m.../article.jhtml

Also, I've read that horizontal lines on your neck can indicate low thyroid.

Linda

Sarmay · 08-16-2003, 12:20 AM

That's interesting . . . I'm hypo and I have only 6 half-moons and 4 of them are tiny. I also have horizontal lines on my neck.

shenacat · 08-16-2003, 04:34 AM

Yeah heard about that long time ago. It isn't always true of course. The moons are made by the pressure of the growth of your fingernails. If they grow fast you have larger moons, if they grow slow you have smaller ones. I of course have absolutely none, except on my thumbs, and those are very small.

bananasmom · 08-25-2003, 03:15 AM

I have 3, well maybe 5. There are 2 that are barely noticable.

Quote:

If they grow fast you have larger moons, if they grow slow you have smaller ones.

Actually, that would make sense for me. When my thyroid is off, my nails hardly grow at all (and what does grow peels off in layers). When it's good, they grow fast, and I am guessing the moons are more apparent.

Hmmm, I'll have to check next time I'm symptomatic.

~X~ · 08-28-2003, 01:27 AM

Half-moons??? What? Where?

I mean....I'm LOOKING....at my fingernails.....and you say there is something resembling a half-moon (crescent) shape at the BASE of the fingernail??

Is this right? Because I don't see anything like this on ANY of my nails (and yes I am hypothyroid like it says on that page).

This is wild!

I'm kind of freaking out trying to picture other people's fingernails....I will have to surf the net looking for hand models, LOL.

But seriously, sisters, I don't know if there's anything to this but I've been hypothyroid for years and I don't see a SINGLE half-moon-like thingy on ANY of my fingernails.......

For what it's worth.......

X, who is now fascinated by her fingernails, hehehehe

Daracha · 08-30-2003, 03:16 PM

I find out next week the results of my thyroid tests...but I have a lot of the symptoms...and I dont' have a single solitary half moon! lol

~X~ · 08-30-2003, 06:18 PM

Because of course at the end of the nail....the difference in color over the nailbed or not makes the whitish endtip of the nail kinda look like a half-moon.......

I've been thinking and I can't even PICTURE this "half-moon" that you guys are talking about!!

Does anyone want to post pictures of their fingernails? LOL

X

bananasmom · 09-02-2003, 07:26 PM

LOL X.

I don't even know if we can post pics directly here or not, I've never tried. If not, at least the link should work. Sorry it's blurry. This is my best half-moon, at the bottom of my nail.

~X~ · 09-02-2003, 10:15 PM

Now could you try a flow chart or diagram illustrating the half-moon parts? hehehehehehe Just kidding!

That's so cool that you did that, thanks.

I wish I could tell if your picture was really clear or not. I SORTA see a vaguely half-moon coloration at the base of the nail......and I guess now that I see it, it does look "normal".....in that I see lots of nails like that on people.

Is that it? I thought it would be something more pronounced than that, you know?

I still don't even have that, though. Not on any of my nails.

Thanks again for the picture....

Anybody else?

X....who is thinking about getting out the ole digital camera herself......

snowbunny · 09-04-2003, 05:31 PM

This is BIZARRE! I'm hypo too, and I only have 5 (2 of which I have to REALLY LOOK HARD to see!) Interestingly enough - I rarely need to trim my nails!

Thanks for the info!

nobimbo · 09-04-2003, 08:55 PM

It is strange how our fingernails can tell us something about something that is going on with us sytemically, isn't it?

Just to clarify...the pinkies don't count with this. The idea is that you could be hypo if you have less than 8 half moons. The half moons get progressively smaller in everyone starting with the thumb, which is the largest. The ring finger will have the smallest half moon, if one is present there at all. Also, genetics play a part in this, so it is not a foolproof diagnosis, lol

I have also read that horizontal lines on the neck can be indicative of thyroid problems, but I'm not really sure what that means. I've been looking at people's necks and fingernails a lot lately, though!

Linda