<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> I have the same problem with my nails (GF for six years), however my RBC is normal & I've never had anemia. _______________________________ here in Milwaukee, the celiac support line recommended a registered dietician or two. i wrote down what i was eating for a week. showed it at my visit. a computer ate it up and spit it out and whalla...cut back on this, more of that. try these supplements. it really helped me at that time to get to feeling good. then i decided to take sugar out of the diet and that helped. now i can tolerate sugars again, tho am feeling better going pretty much low-carb. (see celiac.com -- spring newsletter -- text of Dr. K. Fine - Before the Villi Are Gone - speech. i also was scanning across the tv dial one afternoon and stopped at CBN, 700 Club just as they were praying and something worked, cause after that i could eat veggies and salads, which helps on the vitamins side:) __________________________________ The soft fingernails is one of the first things my naturopathic doctor checked. That was four years ago. I had hopes that the health of my fingernails would return, but it was hope. They did improve some and got some harder, but the spoon shape and ridges have remained. I thought the nails and healthy hair were the result of protein in the diet. _______________________________________ My nails have been a problem forever - splitting and breaking and ridges. Now I am on Shaklee B Complex vitamins and gelatin tablets from KMart and my nails are the longest they have ever been. Once I switched to cheaper B Complex vitamins and they went to pieces again - once I skipped gelatin tablets for a couple months and also back to square one. So now I am staying on the routine. ________________________________________ It takes time for the intestines to heal - how much time depends on how much damage. It takes more time to restore vitamin and mineral reserves, and a very long time to grow out healthy nails. I have a toe-nail that I took a fungal medicine for about 4 years ago, and there is improvement, but it is still not quite totally grown out (toe nails are the slowest growing of all). ________________________________________ Since going gluten free last fall, my fingernails have developed lots of ridges. ________________________________________ Yes, I have had the problems you are describing. I have been gf for 5 years and still have misshapen and ridged nails (though the nails themselves are stronger). I am not sure that our nails will ever change, Steve. I do have one other idea, though I would think your hemotologist would be on top of this already, regarding your RBC. I have a ferritin count which is still on the lowish side of normal and my hemoglobin count, as yours, is on the low side of normal as well. I have been taking iron supplements and I think it helps. I also take them with vit C and juice BETWEEN meals so it doesn't have anything to interfere with it. My celiac doctor didn't think I needed the extra iron, but I do--I have more energy as well now. You do not mention a ferritin count. This is a count of stored iron in your body. If your ferritin, like mine, was extremely low when diagnosed (my ferritin count was only 2 and my hemoglobin was 7, well below normal), then you may still be making that up, somewhat. My idea is to check if your ferritin count is still low. Without the supplements, my ferritin would be even lower than it is now (at 75--and remember this is after 5 years gf and taking supplements--and I initially had to have 2 blood transfusions and a hysterectomy to get it above 20). If one's ferritin is low, I believe it can keep the hemoglobin low. My guess is that for some of us, it just takes alot longer for our intestines to completely heal. And, if I understand completely, the healing can be "patchy"--better in some areas and not as well in other areas, such is where the iron is removed to the bloodstream. I was undiagnosed for 49 years and very ill as a result for over 30 years! I tend to think I may never uptake iron as well as normal people or even other celiacs do. (Though I still hold out hope.) I really think you will find there are many other celiacs out there who have similar problems. I will look forward to your summary as I have wondered how many others are having these problems as well and if there is more I could be doing. Good luck; I hope you find some help soon. ___________________________________________ I have been GF for five years and I feel wonderful and healthy now, however, I still have spoon shaped nails with ridges and they are paper thin. I have them silk warped and just don't worry about it since everything else is back to normal. __________________________________ I thought it was just me! It sounds like your nails are worse than mine, but ever since going GF (with plenty of "accidents"), I've had ridges develop going the length of my nails on most of them, and they split much more easily than they used to, always along one of the ridges. I've never been diagnosed with anemia of any kind, but next time I go to the doc I'll see if I'm at the low end of normal too. ______________________________ I've developed ridges in my fingernails over the last 3-4 years. I read about many different conditions which could cause it. I finally read it can be age-related and that is what I've settled on. I'm 51. __________________________________ My husband has the spoon shaped fingernails, low iron count and ridges. My husband has low bone density as well. He is working on trying to get some endocrine issues dealt with. Do you have any other symptoms such as rapid heart rate, etc? There are many possibilities but you have to look at the top five to seven symptoms and start researching if no doctor wants to look at this. We are having problems getting a diagnosis for him. Where do you live? You may need a good hormone specialist or an MD who is more on the natural pathic side who looks at the issues you outlined. I am looking forward to hearing what others may say. _______________________________________________ I have the nail ridges, too and have not seen any improvement in 2 years of gf eating. I was also told it was an iron deficiency. My daughter also has them, both of us on the thumbs the worst. I have not tried eating a tablespoon of unsulphured blackstrap molasses every day, which I have been told will help greatly. _________________________________________________ I find my fingernails are better when I take cod liver oil tabs. Push the doctor to get treat you anemia seriously. NOTHING happens in the body that doesn't require oxygen. Anemia keeps you from getting enough. Osteoporsosis, restless leg syndrome can result when iron levesl are not where they should be. I had a good friend whose anemia was not treated seriously & he suffered greatly for years as a result. ______________________________________ I've had chronic nail problems for years continuing well after going GF affecting primarily the outer edges of the large toenails, which decayed, and, later, several nails on the right hand including the thumb and forefinger consisting of depressed (spooning) and slow growth on nail edges and some ridging. Additionally, my toes would periodically swell and inflame. My first breakthough came when I determined I had hypochlorhydria (low stomach acid), common among celiacs and generally people over age 40. I've been treating that condition with betaine HCl and digestive enzymes for some time now. The treatment pretty much halted the nail condition, but the nails were not growing back... growth was extremely slow. A test for low stomach acid: http://www.drdebe.com/BAKESODA.htm A search of the internet turned up MSM (methylsufonylmethane) as a treatment to increase nail growth. MSM is a sulfur supplement. Sulfur is a component of keratin, necessary for nail, hair and tissue growth. Taking a half teaspoon of powdered MSM in water daily, I noticed increased nail growth. I increased the MSM dose to a teaspoon twice daily and began taking 500 mg L-methionine (a sulfur amino acid) capsules twice daily. Nail growth increased even more, AND the chronic swelling and inflammation of the toes ceased entirely (never coming back again). I also apply Vaseline Intensive Care Health Body Complexion lotion along with a store brand of "advanced healing" skin care lotion and a 10% mixture of boric acid power in petroleum jelly (prepared by liquifying the petroleum jelly in a food steamer... mix 1 teaspoon boric acid to 1 ounce petroleum jelly) to toes and toe nails twice a day, and both lotions to my fingernails and hands before going to bed. It's been about 2 years since I began my treatments with MSM and lotions. My toenails are almost perfectly restored, with still a little more growth needed for the large toenails. I've had a few relapses with fingernail problems that seems to be related to a flu or cold infection and a 6 month bout with diarrhea that followed the flu or cold. But now the fingernails are also growing back and clearing up again. I attribute my problems to a likely sulfur deficiency. I should also point out that a few months ago I began consuming Nancy's Yogurt as a probiotic in place of the probiotic capsules I had been taking. The yogurt seemed to help clear up the diarrhea, in turn, helping to clear up my fingernails. _______________________________________________________ *Support summarization of posts, reply to the SENDER not the Celiac List*