Small Health Clues: Constipation

While constipation isn’t exactly a dinner hour topic, as a dietitian, I hear about it so often that it doesn't phase me at all. My clients start talking about one thing and then, toward the end of our visit they shyly bring up their struggles with constipation. And, it isn’t a matter of just adding fiber and wa-la! no more worries. Constipation is more complicated then that because there could be several causes including:

- Inadequate fiber intake
- Inadequate water intake
- Stress
- Inactive lifestyle
- Change in diet or schedule due to travel
- Overuse of laxatives
- Medications
- Supplemental iron (especially if taken in large doses)
- Hypothyroidism
- Eating disorders
- Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
- Certain diseases
- Colon cancer

And, some people are just more prone to constipation. So, what can you do? Take a look at this list and start figuring how the potential contributing causes that may apply to you. Next, see what you can do about them. You may not be able to switch medicines but you can exercise more, drink more water and boost both your insoluble and soluble fiber intake. You can also treat IBS by finding out which foods bother you (LEAP tests are recommended by some) and taking a probiotic (Align is often recommended), switching to an iron supplement that doesn’t constipate (or at least decreases the likelihood of constipation) and be very cognizant of what you eat when traveling.

To see Dr. Oz’s depiction of constipation and his recommendations, click here.

Small Health Clues: Brittle Fingernails

Your nails keep breaking off or splintering and coming off in layers. So, what’s the obvious fix? Buy a nail strengthening polish and brush on a few coats prior to putting color on. But, doing this would be like continually slapping a Band-Aid on a wound that just won’t heal. There’s a reason for both and until you find the underlying problem, you’ll never actually “fix” anything. So, we are going to play a little game of sleuth and uncover some of the common issues that occur with your fingernails and what causes them:

Lines across your fingernails – these lines may pop up after an illness or if you are malnourished.

- Brittle or splitting nails – hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidsism or lack of adequate nutrition (most often iron deficiency or low biotin intake) can lead to brittle nails. If your toenails are strong and fingernails are not then an environmental cause may be to blame (winter heat, use of strong household cleaners or constantly washing and drying your hands).

If you have brittle nails, start wearing gloves when you wash dishes and clean your house, try non-acetone nail polish remover and apply lotion to your nails and cuticle areas often. Also, increase your intake of biotin-rich foods or can take this B vitamin as a supplement alone or in a B complex vitamin. Biotin rich foods include: tomatoes, romaine lettuce, carrots, oatmeal, onions, strawberries, Swiss chard, halibut, almonds and walnuts. Also, avoid raw egg whites or products that contain raw eggs since a protein in egg whites, avidin, can bind biotin preventing adequate absorption of this vitamin. When eggs are cooked, avidin no longer binds biotin.

- Abnormal shape (koilonychia) – if your fingernails have raised ridges are thin and curved inward, you probably have iron deficiency anemia.

- Pitting – depressions in your nail may be caused by psoriasis.

- General damage – disease, injury or illness can cause general damaged nails.

Here’s the bottom line – if you have issues with your fingernails that just won’t go away, even after your injury or illness has, it’s time to see a doctor. Sometimes seemingly little cues mean larger issues lie underneath.

Got Fatigue?

Sleep is way underrated. In fact, I often overhear people bragging about how they go to bed late, wake up early and run through their days. I'm not sure if I believe all of these stories but a lack of sleep is nothing to write home about. It's the fastest route to poor performance and mental fuzziness. And, you'll look tired!

Besides a lack of sleep, sometimes there's something else going on and you have to do a little detective work to figure out what's causing your daytime yawning and daydreams of getting some zzzz's. Check out this article on FitnessRx Magazine's website about the top causes of fatigue in women.

If any of these sound like you, it's time to talk to your physician. If not, it's still time to go to the doctor and find out what's going on. After all, walking around like a zombie is no way to live.