Hair and Nail Nutritional Deficiencies - Assignment Example

The first step in determining any disease or nutritional deficiencies is to perform a physical examination which encompasses an assessment of age, sex, as well as anthropometric data (the measuring of weight, height, body mass index, and waist or arm circumference). According to Fischer & Hamilton (2013), the two primary techniques for carrying out a physical exam include body inspection and palpation. In addition, these two techniques are subdivided within themselves (p. 2).

Shiny hair reveals a healthy and nourished body, while an unhealthy body will show vulnerability to damage of hair or stop growing altogether, for example, dandruff, baldness, folliculitis, pemphigus foliaceous, hirsutism, and grey hair (UMMC, 2013). While healthy nails will be smooth and strong, have a little color, and be transparent, whereas unhealthy nails will have psoriasis, Beau’s lines, onycholysis, yellow nail syndrome, and trachyonychia. Examples of nutritional deficiency diseases include scurvy, pernicious anemia, intellectual disability, rickets, kwashiorkor, marasmus, vitamin K deficiency, tetany, keshan disease, growth retardation, beriberi, pellagra, goiter, biotin deficiency, ariboflavinosis, hypocobalaminemia, night blindness, and paraesthesia (Mulcahy, 2012).

Poor hair condition and diseased nails are triggered by chemical and hormonal imbalances, because of aging, illness, and nutritional deficiency (Academy Medical, 2011). Furthermore, nutrition deficiency is a significant cause, resulting in chemical and hormonal imbalances, as well as illness, and accounts for the majority of both hair disorders as well as nail disease.

Usually where there are nutritional deficiencies, it is due to an improper working digestive system, an unbalanced diet, inadequate nutritional supplements, and metabolism or inflammation within the body area where energy is being redirected. As a result, other body systems suffer and hence show up as an outward symptom of bad hair and nail condition.