Does the disappearance of the nail health circle mean a serious illness?

The disappearance of the nail health circle (also known as the crescent moon) has no absolute causal relationship with "getting seriously ill". In most cases, it is not a warning of serious illness, so there is really no need to scare yourself.

A while ago, I just picked up a junior girl in my clinic. She rushed in in a panic with her hands raised, saying that she had stayed up late the night before to catch up on competition events. Before going to bed, she came across a health video saying, "If there are less than 6 crescent moons, it means a serious loss of qi and blood, and there will be problems with the liver and kidneys." I counted my hands on the spot, and there were only two white marks left on my thumbs, and the rest were gone. I was so scared that I couldn't sleep all night. I went to check my liver and kidney function and blood test results early in the morning, but they were all normal. I still couldn't let go, so I came here specifically to seek confirmation.

In fact, this situation is so common. Many people’s misunderstanding of the crescent moon is essentially that they do not understand what it is. You can think of nails as "keratin tiles" that grow from the root of the finger outward. The crescents are keratin cells that have just been produced and have not completely aged and hardened. They are milky white when they first grow out. When they move forward to the part of the nail that is visible to the naked eye, they have turned into transparent and hard finished nails.

You may not believe it, but many people can't see the crescent moon. It's not that it doesn't grow, it's just hidden. Some people are born with methyl groups (which are the "factories" that produce keratin) at the back, and their nails grow slowly, so the crescent moon is hidden under the nails and cannot be seen. You can't say that they are born with "serious diseases", right? I have met many people who were born with only two crescents on their thumbs. They have no problems with all the annual physical examinations, and their health is better than those who maintain their health with crescents every day.

Of course, this does not mean that the changes in the crescent moon are completely without reference significance. Practitioners in different fields actually have different views. Modern dermatologists generally believe that if the crescents on all fingers suddenly disappear in a short period of time, and are accompanied by other discomforts - such as inexplicably gaining more than ten kilograms, always being afraid of the cold, feeling weak all over, thin nails that are easily broken, and a face that is pale and bloodless all year round, then You should be wary of whether there is a problem with thyroid function, or whether recent malnutrition or severe anemia has slowed down keratin synthesis. In this case, a blood test to check thyroid function and a routine blood test can basically tell. Most of them are minor problems that can be adjusted and are not considered "serious illnesses."

Many practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine associate the crescent moon with the circulation of Qi and blood. They believe that if the crescent moon is long-term, accompanied by cold hands and feet, easy tiredness, and low menstrual flow, even if the Western medicine examination indicators are all within the normal range, it can be regarded as a signal of insufficient Qi and blood. If you stay up less late, supplement more high-quality protein, and soak your feet properly, the crescent moon will slowly appear if the overall condition improves. This statement is actually supported by many clinical cases, so there is no need to completely deny it.

Last month, I stayed up late for a week to catch up on my project. I slept three or four hours a day, and ate bread when I was hungry. Later, when I washed my hands, I found that only two thumbs were left on the crescent moon on my hands. I didn’t take any medicine, I just slept 8 hours a day, had a cup of hot milk in the morning and evening, and ate beef twice a week. Within half a month, the remaining crescent moons appeared one after another.

I really want to remind everyone that compared with whether the crescent moon disappears, the changes in the shape of the nails themselves are more worthy of vigilance: for example, if the nails suddenly become concave like a small spoon, it is most likely to be iron deficiency anemia.； If you have a black line that quickly widens and turns black on your nails, you should promptly check whether the onychomycosis has a risk of malignant transformation. ； If the entire nail turns gray and becomes thicker and layered, that means onychomycosis needs to be treated promptly. These problems have nothing to do with the crescent moon.

To put it bluntly, the crescent moon is more like a "progress bar" for nail growth. Some people are born with a long exposed part of the progress bar, and some people are born with a short exposed part. Occasionally, if the phone loads slowly, it may not be because the phone is broken, but it may just be that it has not been charged recently. If you are really murmuring in your heart, go for a routine physical examination and you will know everything. Don't scare yourself by watching a few short health videos. You can scare yourself even if you are not sick.