Homoeopathic management of nail disorders

Homoeopathic management of nail disorders 

Dr Arun Kumar
PG Scholar
Homoeopathy University,Jaipur

Nails are horny sheath protecting the upper end of each finger and toe of humans and most other primates. Nail disorders can be dealt with homoeopathy both in acute as well as chronic cases. There can be many different approaches to select the similimum. Many medicines in homoeopathy are organ specific and hence can be thought of as per symptom similarity. It can also be selected on the basis of cause of disease, particular type of sensation felt, other associated complaints and also as prophylaxis. 

TABLE 1

Medicines according to Cause¹

Cause	Medicines
From a hurt	Ledum pal.
Prick with a needle under the nail	Allium cepa, Bovista, Sulphur;
Hard work	Rhus tox, Sepia;
Prick near the nail	Iodum;
Splinters	Baryta carb., Hepar sulph., Iodum, Lachesis, Nitricum acidum, Petroleum, Silicea, Sulphur;
Splits of the skin adhering to the nails	Allium cepa, Natrum mur.

TABLE 2

Medicines according to the Sensation²

Sensations	Medicines
Irritable feeling under finger nails, relieved by biting them	Ammonium brom.
Itching-about roof of	Upas tiente
Pains-Burning under	Sarsarparilla
Pains, gnawing, beneath finger nails	Alumina; Sarsaparilla.; Sepia
Pains, neuralgic, beneath finger nails	Berberis vulgaris
Pains, neuralgic	Alumina; Allium cepa; Colchicum
Pains, smarting at roots	Sulphur
Pains, splinter-like, beneath toe nails	Fluoric acidum
Pains, ulcerative, beneath toe nails	Antimonium crudum; Graphites; Teucrium

Medicines according to Location¹

Fig. Medicines according to location

TABLE 3

Medicines according to Pathology²

Pathology	Medicines
Atrophy	Silicea
Blueness	Digitalis; Oxalicum Acidum
Deformed-brittle, thickened (onchogryposis)	Alumina; Anatherium; Antimonium crudum; Arsenicum album; Causticum; Dioscorea; Fluoricum acidum; Graphites; Merc. Sol.; Natrum muriaticum; Sabadilla; Secal cor..; Senecio aureus; Sepia; Silicea; Thuja.; X-ray.
Falling off	Brassica napus; Butyric acid; Helleborus faetidus; Helleborus
Hangnails	Lycopodium; Natrum muriaticum; Sulphur; Upas tiente
Hypertrophy (onychauxis)	Graphites
Inflammation of pulp (onychia)	Arnica; Calendula; Fluoricum acidum.; Graphites; Phosphorus; Psorinum; Sarsaparilla; Silicea; Upas tiente
Inflammation, under toe nails	Sabadilla
Ingrowing toe nails	Causticum; Magnetis polus austral.; Nitricum acidum; Silicea; Staphysagria; Teucrium; Tetrodymite
Softening	Plumbum met; Thuja
Spots, white on	Alumina; Nitricum acidum
Trophic changes	Radium brom
Ulceration	Alumina; Garphites; Merc. Sol.; Phosphorus; Sanguinaria; Sarsaparilla; Silicea; Teucrium; Tetrodymite
Yellow color	Conium maculatum

References:

1. Lilienthal S. Homoeopathic Therapeutics The Classical Therpeutic Hints. New Delhi: B. Jain Publishers (P) Ltd.; 2016.
2. Boericke W, Boericke OE. Pocket Manual of Homoeopathic Materia Medica & Repertory comprising of the characteristics and guiding symptoms of all remedies. New York: Boericke & Runyon; 1906. 

Image: nails magazine