What's with biting your nails?

Many children like to eat nails since childhood and always ask for their own nails, but many parents think it is a disease. What about eating nails? Let me give yo

Many children like to eat nails since childhood and always ask for their own nails, but many parents think it is a disease. What about eating nails? Let me give you an answer.

What's with eating nails?

Nail biting refers to the behavior of children biting their nails repeatedly consciously or unconsciously. It is a common bad habit in childhood, and it is common among children aged 3-6, and it can happen to both men and women. Most children's nail biting behavior can disappear with age, and a few stubborn people can continue into adulthood. This paper invites pediatricians of traditional Chinese medicine to explain how Chinese medicine treats nail biting. Is there really a lack of trace elements as others say? Living habits? Or a psychological problem?

The behavior of biting nails is considered by Chinese medicine to be a problem of the spleen and stomach and the liver. If the spleen and stomach are qi-deficient or yin-deficient, there will be cases of biting nails and fingers. If the child is in a bad mood, such as the pressure of study, the family atmosphere is tense and depressed, and the child's liver qi is not sparse, you can relax the liver qi by biting your nails and fingers. Let me analyze the problem of children biting their nails and how we should deal with it.

Relationship between eating nails and trace elements

Many parents think it is a lack of trace elements. But the lack of trace elements is not rigorous enough.

First of all, trace elements are tested in blood, which cannot reflect the level of trace elements in internal organs. Secondly, the actual situation is that many children still have symptoms after supplementing trace elements.

Why is it all parents' fault to eat nails?

Children's calcium and zinc are really important for human health. In today's era when food is extremely abundant, we have enough calcium and zinc in our diet. The best source of trace elements needed by human body is natural food. As long as the child's spleen and stomach function is normal, breast milk is normal and diet is normal, there is no need to supplement calcium and zinc at all. In fact, instead of supplementing children with trace elements, it is better to enhance their spleen and stomach functions. For children, it is more important to turn the food they eat into various "nutrients". Chinese medicine believes that "spleen governs transport and transformation, which is the foundation of the day after tomorrow." Only when the spleen and stomach are strong can food be transformed into "nutrition" and absorbed and utilized, which is not as strong as children's spleen and stomach.

Interpretation of nail biting behavior in traditional Chinese medicine

Chinese medicine believes that it is a problem of the spleen and stomach and the liver. If the spleen and stomach are deficient in qi or yin, there will be nail biting and finger biting. The child is in a bad mood, for example, the pressure of study is great, and the family atmosphere is tense and depressed, which leads to the stagnation of liver qi, and the child bites his fingers through biting his nails.

How to deal with children biting their nails?

1. spleen and stomach conditioning

The above nail biting behavior is closely related to the function of the spleen and stomach, so it is very important to regulate the spleen and stomach. However, improper diet, overeating, excessive anxiety, partial eclipse and uneven hunger in life may all hurt the spleen and stomach. Many children like spicy and heavy-tasting "snacks", and various chemical additives are more harmful to the spleen and stomach.

Massage for children can be used to regulate the spleen and stomach ***BJ068/BJ069/BJ070***. At the same time, children's diet should be based on whole grains, supplemented by seasonal vegetables and seasonal fruits. Stay away from meaty, greasy, fried, meat and other cold foods. For more suggestions on spleen and stomach maintenance and specific massage points, please refer to "Causes of Children's Susceptibility to Diseases and Key Points of Spleen and Stomach Maintenance". * * * Pushing hands are strictly operated, so it is recommended that students make a complete acupoint prescription. Non-students can refer to the auxiliary conditioning of body acupuncture points.

2. Soothing the liver and relieve depression

The behavior of biting nails is also closely related to liver and emotion, which interact and are inseparable. Liver is like wood, happiness is soothing, disgust is depressing, and jealousy is spiritual. As Su Wenjun said, "All diseases are born of qi." It's about emotional injury affecting the smooth flow of qi. Therefore, if the liver excretes normally, qi and blood will be harmonious and people's spirit will be happy and comfortable. If the liver-qi is not discharged, the liver-qi is not comfortable, the qi is not smooth, depression, depression or excess, and the yang is rising, people will be irritable and irritable. On the contrary, excessive spirit is often an important cause of liver diarrhea.

Therefore, keeping children's mood comfortable and giving them a healthy attitude are also the key to coping. Children's massage can not only soothe the liver and regulate qi, but also use this process to promote communication between parents and children.

The reference acupoint prescription QT074 for soothing liver and regulating qi can be matched with the following body acupoints with * * * for Baidu search or group * * * consultation: Rubbing Baihui 30, Kaitianmen 30, Rubbing Taichong 50, Rubbing Hepatobiliary Spleen and Stomach 30 and Rubbing Ribs 20.

3. Psychological tactics

Diversion: Take children to the children's playground, participate in activities with children, and reduce loneliness. When the child wants to bite his nails, distract him with toys and stories.

Positive praise: when a child bites his nails, patiently teach him to slowly remove his fingers from his mouth and express his praise with a smile, nod or praise, so that the child can gradually understand that he can get more love and praise without biting his nails.

Appreciation: Mothers can play a "bet" game with their children to see if they can put their fingers in their mouths. When the mother finds that the child has the intention of putting his finger in his mouth, she can use a provocative method: "The baby is really great. Do you really not bite your nails today? " Mom will stare at you all day to see if you don't chew your nails.