Sunday’s ‘Research’: 1) Beau’s lines on my thumbnails 2) Try methylene blue?
1) My Beau’s lines of the thumbnails - I think they are that - to me seem most likely from washing my hands with the wrong soap for a few months too much, next would be calcium or zinc deficiency (wp). This would correlate to long times where my thumbtips hurt a lot, and this getting better from washing my hands less and switching my soap back to the olive oil one from a different brand. What’s moving up the nail now is much better again.
https://nailsfaq.com/beaus-lines-what-causes-ridges-on-nails: Ridges on nails that caused by physical interactions
We live in a modern world that requires us to wash our hands several times a day. Most times, we wash our hands with soap and warm water. However, some people might use much stronger soap for their sensitive skin. Together with hot water, they clean our hands but also take away the natural oil on the skin, especially on the cuticle.
This oil is needed for the cuticles to slide or spring back as the nails continue to grow outward. When this oil is missing or dries out, the cuticles are dry and stuck to the nail surface, and move out with the nails. If this situation continues, you will have overgrown and thick cuticles.
…
beau’s lines on thumbnails are more pronounced or visible because cuticles on thumbs are usually dryer than those on other fingers."
Health Harvard does suggest reduced circulation / Raynauld’s, but mine is more in the feet (probably explaining the problems of my right foot), hardly in my hands.
Another more reliable seeming site, prevention.com, recommends 1. moisturize, 2. Keep neat 3. Don’t pick at or bite 4. Buff gently 5. Don’t mess with cuticle 6. Reduce water exposure (Wash your hands when it’s necessary, but try not to overdo it. “Washing your hands too often strips your skin of its natural oils and emollients, resulting in dryness and even hand eczema, which can cause nail changes,” says Dr. González. The same goes for prolonged water exposure, like when washing dishes. - The nail cells absorb water, expand, and then contract when they dry out, which can weaken the bonds between nail cells over time, says Dr. Hart. - When you do have to wash your hands, switch to a moisturizing hand soap, suggests Dr. Shainhouse, such as Live Clean Coconut Milk Moisturizing Hand Soap and follow up with a dose of your go-to moisturizer. If your hands are constantly immersed in water, consider wearing cotton-lined rubber gloves to protect your hands and nails—and when that’s not practical, moisturize regularly.) 7. Healthy diet 8. Prescription-strength nail hardener 9. Ridge filler 10. Polish easier on your nails 11. Give a breather. “In manicuring, the nails are exposed to prolonged water exposure,”
2) Methylene blue or not? I’m even finding it hard to find reliable sites and products in Germany, so I’m concentrating on German links to find product names and information.
Short answer: it’s not allowed as food or supplement in the EU, so won’t be regulated properly. But then again supps are always a certain risk. And one I found seems sort of reliable and made in Germany.
Long answer:
Here a German pharmacy newspaper says that a sort named ProveBlue was then (2011) being synthesized without heavy metals Notfallmedizin: Methylenblau in besserer Qualität. That doesn’t sound too good to me. But it’s for intravenous use, that’s not what I’d need it for anyway. And here (2010) a brand called BLUEbact by Heltsch, a 1% solution.
uncutnews is a German page which sounds similar to what I’ve been hearing on the summits from US functional docs, but the site name is “conspiracy theoretical”. However Ärzteblatt is reputable and recommends its use for malaria, which sounds OK. Here in 2020 it says that a 0.5% spray and a 1% normal solution together with 10% DMSO, can be found at www.alchemist.de. The 1% solution contains 0.5mg in every drop, 20 drops 10mg. And here it talks about intravenous use in a way that I can see that there is not much more German information around. The product on alchemist does not say it is pharmaceutically approved, the site does not look particularly reliable, I’d think a nerd, who might have got a good supplier, or not, and the product sheet it promises is a dead link. The page referring to it also mentions this source which again is esoterical/conspiracist and in turn names but impromperly connects to this one, which again is esoterical/conspiracist and links to a product on A. which says it’s for colouring - that won’t be heavy metal free! I don’t want to rely on eBay or the Big A, which is something one doc on the summit also said. But I could still use them to find products which I can then research.
The most reliable one I can find on A. (MitoBlue Premium nootropics…) is one of which the product info looks extremely reliable, however the brand name is “GENERIC” - which doesn’t exactly sound like a reliable manufacturer, plus it states that it’s not allowed for food or supplement in the EU. One very recent German reviewer using it orally says it’s great, but someone asking back about the lab results is answered “please contact us directly” by the retailer who again does not sound reliable. As long as it’s not allowed here, there will likely not be a reliable source. And it not being allowed suggests it shouldn’t be. That’s the good thing about restrictive legislation. Unless that’s because of course it is synthetic, so is no food. “Methylenblau ist gemäß der EU Novel Food Verordnung in Deutschland und der Europäischen Union nicht als Lebens- oder Nahrungsergänzungsmittel zugelassen. Verkauf als Laborchemikalie und zu Dekorationszwecken.”
Should I take chances with a synthetic substance that might contain heavy metals and isn’t allowed in the EU? After all LDN is also risky and I’m willing to try that.