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Health Check
Craving ice? Discoloured nails?
What your body may be telling you
Our bodies can produce strange symptoms, but how do we know when it’s
time for a check up?
 NBC
News medical contributor Dr. Natalie Azar highlights five symptoms and
explains what they could mean and when to get them checked out.
Nail discoloration
“Any dramatic change in your nail, whether it’s a change in the
colour, a change in the quality or consistency, suddenly you have new
pits, new ridges, it’s probably a good idea to see your health care
provider,” Azar says, explainingm “You can learn a lot about nail
changes in terms of your underlying health.”
For example, nail pitting could be associated with psoriasis, pale
nails can be associated with anaemia and blue nails could mean you’re
not getting enough oxygen, she said.
Cracks on the side of the mouth
This could occasionally happen if you lick your lips a lot and they
get dry. But a really cracked, red and inflamed condition could be more
serious - a sign of infection like a fungus or a sign of nutritional
deficiency, says Azar.
“One of the most common ones would be B12 deficiency,” she says,
adding. “We see that a lot in people who are vegan because B12 sources
really come from animal products. But a lot of different nutritional
deficiencies such as iron and zinc and other B vitamins can also cause
this.”
Unusual urine odour
Sometimes, just being dehydrated can give your urine a little bit of
a stronger smell. “But if it’s a very pungent odour, more like
ammonia-like, it could be an indicator of an underlying bladder
infection or inflammation,” she says.A fruity smell is sometimes found
in people with diabetes, she adds.
Tingling in the hand and feet
If you suffer from sciatica or a herniated disk and you feel numbness
or tingling in say your big toe or in one foot, it’s probably not an
immediate medical emergency. “If you suddenly have tingling and numbness
and pins and needles in both hands and both feet, it could be a cause of
concern,” Azar says, mentioning underlying infections, inflammatory and
autoimmune disorders and toxins. “Things like that can actually cause
this, so you should seek a consultation with a health care provider.”
Craving ice
“There’s this condition we call pica, which is when people will chew
on a non-nutritional substance for greater than one month,” Azar says,
adding, “The classic scenario is chewing on clay or dirt, especially
when you’re anaemic.”
But chewing on ice is another example of this, she says,, and can
signify an underlying iron deficiency anaemia and should be checked out.
- TODAY Health |
