Acupuncture Blog

Toenail treatments may be available at home, online, or in the market. There are different types of toenail treatments to choose from. There are home remedies, all-natural products, medications, etc. Every individual may have different results for different toenail treatments. Others experience side effects and even dangerous risks. But we all know that prevention is always better than cure. So it is therefore wise to avoid predisposing factors like wearing tight shoes, walking barefoot, or sharing nail clippers used by someone with fungal infection. If and when the infection is already there, then ask your doctor as to which toenail treatments available should you use that is much safer for you.

Below are some of the toenail treatments available that might fit your needs:

Natural Products – An example for this category is ZetaClear. A couple of ZetaClear users reported that they were successfully treated by such product. ZetaClear is composed of natural oils like lavender, tea tree oil and jojoba oil. It has no side effects involved. But if you are not satisfied with the effects, the product has a 30 day guarantee.

Prescription drugs – Medicines may be prescribed by your doctor to treat the infection. The US FDA has approved three prescription medications. They are Terbinafine, Griseofulvin, and Itraconazole. But even though with such approval, people are warned the using the product for over a long period of time may damage the liver and heart. Thus, it might even cause death.

Epsom Salts – This type of salt is also considered to be one of the toenail treatments. Just soak the infected nail in a basin or footbath with Epsom salt solution everyday. Just like some other toenail treatments, it is time consuming and could take months for healing.

Vinegar – This type of toenail fungus remedy is just available at home. To use vinegar as a toenail treatment, soak the area affected inside the basin with vinegar and water. Do this everyday. This procedure is time consuming and takes a couple of months to complete. Some individuals use oregano oils as a substitute.

Vicks vaporub – A number of patients use Vicks to treat there fungal infection. But still, there is no scientific research to prove that it works 100%.

As a final note, it is always better to ask for doctor’s help and opinion as to which of the toenail treatments available is better rather than treating your condition all by your self.

Visit Art Fedrohr’s website to learn more about toenail fungal infection and toenail fungus home remedies.

Nail fungus, also known as Onchymosis, usually affects the toenails four times more often than the fingernails. It may come unnoticed and may only be very evident if and when the infection becomes chronic in nature already. It is rare among the young ones but infection cases increase with age. There are over 40% Americans that are said to get a toenail fungus on their late seventies.

This infection may be due to a certain fungus among several kinds of fungi known to mankind. They dwell in dark places as well as warm and moist environments. Most toenail fungus are due to dermatophyte fungi. Upon fungal proliferation, they consume the keratin of the nails. The keratin is the protein responsible for making he nails hard.

The following fungus symptoms may occur: nail discoloration to yellow, green, brown, black, or purple), inflammation, itching, presence of pus and small bumps, nail thickening, nail streaks or spots, nail splitting, and cracked or brittle nails. Toenail fungus is harder to heal in comparison to a fingernail fungus. This is because the toenail growth is very slow compared to the fingernails.

The reasons of a toenail fungus may be due to frequent exposure to moist or wet places like the public showers, or because of fungi that attacks on cuts or tears in the skin or nails.

Individuals with lower immune system are more susceptible to toenail fungus such as diabetes. Thus, if and when they develop a toenail fungus, it would be much harder to treat because their body’s normal defense against infections and foreign bodies won’t function 100% as how healthy immune system does.

Today, a variety of options and toenail fungus remedy are available in the market, online and at home such as topical creams or ointments, laser treatment, oral antifungal medications, surgical removal of the nail, natural products, home remedies like tea tree oil and apple cider vinegar, Vicks vaporub, etc.

But as a final note, always remember that prevention is much better than cure. Moreover, prevention is always the best cure. For the reason that the inside of the shoe is dark and sometimes moist and warm, it becomes the favorite dwelling places for fungi. Therefore, make sure to wear breathable and well fit shoes; avoid those that are tight. And for the socks you wear, replace them frequently to avoid moist from sweating feet which may cause a toenail fungus.

Visit Art Fedrohr’s website to learn more about fungus under toenail and Toenail Fungus.

Toenail fungus is a condition affecting somewhere around 25 million individuals in the USA alone. These fungi will cause a very hardened and thickened yellow colored toenail, making the affected individual less likely comfortable walking down the streets wearing sandals and flip flops. The odor of these eventful dead nails can be very foul smelling. Therefore, it is highly advisable to seek medical attention before the situation gets even worst.

Now how do we cure such fungal infection? Actually, not one of all toenail fungus treatments available perfectly cures the condition yet. Medications, home remedies and laser treatments are available but do not necessarily assure you of not reacquiring the infection. So, recognizing early symptoms must be dealt accordingly.

Are there any toenail fungus treatments available? Yes, there are a variety of methods and treatment options for you to choose from. First is oral medication. An example is Lamisil. But as described earlier, there is no 100% assurance of a total cure. Of all treated individuals with oral medications, only 10% showed good results.

Another type of nail fungus treatments are home remedies including oils, vinegars, antiseptic mouthwash and ointments. They are usually used because they are available at home and are inexpensive as well. To use vinegar, soak the infected toenail into a basin with water and vinegar. Do this for 30-45 minutes at least two times per day. Vinegar kills fungi because vinegar is acidic while fungi dwell on alkaline environment. Once again, like some other toenail fungus treatments, the process is continued until results are evident. The acidic environment of the infected site must be maintained for faster healing.

Recently, a new medical procedure known as laser treatment has been used for nail fungal infections. So how does this type of laser treatment work? It’s simple. The laser basically kills and vaporizes the fungi. Thus, it only takes ten minutes per toe. But what’s great about this procedure is that it does not damage the treated nail, the tissues and cells. Plus! No pain can be felt during and after the entire procedure as well.

Those who took this kind of toenail fungus treatment were happy with the results. Thus, an estimate of 90% laser treated patients only had one session and have seen new nails growing. For some patients, it took them 2-3 laser treatments. Such promising results makes laser treatment more favorable compared to other toenail fungus remedy including household remedies because it does not require a lot of time.

Oral antifungal pill is just the same with laser treatment in terms of success rate. But the difference is, of all toenail fungus treatments available, laser treatment is the most expensive of them all.

At his wesite, ToeNailsFungus.net, Art Fedrohr writes more about toenail fungus treatments and toenail fungal infection.

There are 40 million Americans said to be infected with yellow toenails. Oftentimes, they avoid exposing their infected nails in public for fear of humiliation. Nail fungal infections commonly turns the nail color into yellow, green, purple, or other dark colors which is the by-product of colored pigments emitted by fungal growth. Penicillin, from the fungus Penicillium, creates dark green pigmentation. Other fungus makes the nail turn yellow, brown, etc.

In order for you to know if you have acquired a fungal infection or not, then go to a medical expert for an appropriate diagnosis. Medical experts like podiatrist will help you to identify whether the yellow toenails are symptoms of fungal infection or a manifestation of some other medical problem requiring another type of treatment. Laboratory test may be performed to help rule out the condition.

Yellow toenails are usually the common symptoms of a toenail fungal infection. But it is totally not necessary that the nail should be yellow in color. The infection may only affect one nail or just a small part of it. If the infection is left untreated, then the condition becomes chronic and harder to treat. Therefore, it is always better to act directly on symptoms detected earlier in the process.

The infection is likely much easier to treat if and when the affected area only involves the lunula. The lunula is an area near the cuticle and is crescent in shape. Other symptoms of Onychomycosis include flaky thick nails, nail splitting, pit marks and bumps on the nails, and foul smelling nail.

A variety of toenail fungus remedies are available at home, in the market, and online. Medical experts usually prescribe oral drugs to be taken daily for up to several months or even a year. It is definitely expensive and tome consuming. They can also involve some serious risks and side effects.

Topical creams and solutions may also be used. An example for this is a lacquer nail polish. It is directly applied to the nail just like how you normally apply a regular nail polish. But remember, this will only be used for yellow toenails or streaks of it. It is not used for infections involving the lunula.

There are also all-natural products sold in the market for treating yellow toenails. These products penetrate deep inside the nails and straight into the nail beds where the fungi dwell. Some are reported to effectively treat the condition while some don’t. Before selecting a particular nail fungus remedy, make sure that you understand how it reliable it is for treating yellow toenails.

At his wesite, ToeNailsFungus.net, Art Fedrohr writes more about toenail fungus and Over The Counter Nail Fungus Treatments.

Over-the-counter medicines are drugs that are bought without a doctor’s prescription. Most of the time, they are commercially prepared products that may be used in a do-it-yourself approach. Organic and household remedies for treating fungal infections are time consuming but are affordable and produce lesser or no side effects at all. For this reason, people tend to use over-the-counter nail fungus treatments more often than any other toenail fungus remedy available.

For now, there are over thousands of over-the-counter nail fungus treatment products available in the market. So how do we know which ones are more effective and safe? These treatments include lotions, creams, ointments, household products and natural remedies like oils.

All-natural over-the-counter nail fungus treatments include olive oil and tea tree oil. Saprox is an antifungal mud treatment coming form Czech Republic. Home remedies include Vicks vaporub, vinegars (ex: Apple Cider vinegar), DMSO or dimethyl sulfoxide, and mouthwash (Listerine). In using tea tree oil, a cotton swab is used and rubbed into the affected nail twice a day.

For topical antifungal medicines and pills, they can be classified according to what active ingredient is involved. There are actually 3 active ingredients. They are Cotrimazole, Terbinafine hydrochloride, and Miconazole nitrate.

The most common type of active ingredient used in an over-the-counter nail fungus treatment is Terbinafine hydrochloride and is very effective. It also works very fast and is available in cream or lotion. The item is directly applied to the nail infected. A popular example for this type of over-the counter nail fungus treatment is Lamisil and is trusted by most people.

Miconazole nitrate, a chemical compound, is composed of imidazole and benzyl alcohol, sorbitan sesquioleate, isobutene, cocamide, and tocopherol. For this type category, be sure that the solution is shaken well. Apply it using a dropper two times a day until the healing process is complete.

Additionally, it is used to prevent and treat athlete’s foot, ringworm, and jock itch scalding. This medicine should never be taken orally and must be used externally only. It is highly contraindicated for lactating and pregnant women. It should not also be used for children under two years old. Cotrimazole on the other hand is available in cream or ointment form. It is applied once a day in small amounts only.

Always remember that every person may react differently with different toenail fungus remedy and medicine. So never expect or assume that if a specific over-the-counter bail fungus treatment perfectly worked for your friend or relation should also cure your condition.

Visit Art Fedrohr’s website to learn more about toenail fungus treatments and toenail fungal infection.