Fungal nail infection

RE: Fungal nail infection

Might be worth trying tea tree oil to see if that helps. I suspect that I may also have an infection of this kind, but alas all the tests my GP did have come back clear. May try and get a second opinion from a chiropodist though, as I suspect that not enough material was provided for them to grow anything from. Have been putting tea tree on my own toe nails, (as well as dribbling it underneath the nail itself) for a few days now, so too early to tell if it will work or not, but has to be worth a try.

June

RE: Fungal nail infection

Hi Charisma
I have to agree with June regarding tea tree essential oil. I find it brilliant for athletes feet and fungal infection of the nails.
When I had a fungal infection I put tea tree in water and soaked my feet for about 10 minutes. Having dried my feet I put some more tea tree all around the area. It takes a while but it works. You have to persist and preferable put the oil on twice a day.
I have only known one case where this didn't work but we did eventually cure it with a combination of oils. Do try the tea tree first and if it doesn't work get back to us and we will tell you some other anti-fungal oils
Love and blessings
Maureen

RE: Fungal nail infection

Thanks for that advice. I do normally swear by tea tree for this sort of thing. I suspect I want to see results asap, but as I have had this for about 10 years I shouldn't expect to see any improvement immediately. It is reassuring to know, however, that it worked in all but one case (hopefully mine won't be that one).

I did go to see a chinese herbalist but it is SO expensive (around £30 per week and I just don't have that sort of disposable income) but it did seem to be working. I had to soak my feet in a bowl of very hot water infused with dried herbs for half an hour. I then dried them and applied a cream which I also left on for 10 mins. The only problem (apart from the expense) was that it took so bloomin' long!

Maureen, how long should I try this before I should expect to see any results?

Thanks
Charisma

RE: Fungal nail infection

Hi Charisma
Fraid it could take as long as 3-4 weeks if you have had it for such a long time, the secret is persistance. It will eventually clear up. Even the one case which didn't respond to tea tree did respond to a combination of other essential oils ...... so keep at it. Do keep in touch and let me know how it is going. If after 4 weeks there isn't a definate improvement I will let you know which other oils we used.
Love and blessings
Maureen

RE: Fungal nail infection

I had this problem when I was a kid and what my mother used to do is soak my feet in Baking Soda/Bicarbonate of soda and sometimes rub my feet with a Baking soda & water paste.
Baking soda paste, when used as a scrub, also seems to help nail fungus.
After she did that I never had a fungal problem. Now, I always scrub my feet with Baking Soda.
The bacteria on our feet feeds on the sweat that our feet produces. It is the waste from the bacteria's feed that causes our feet to smell a bit funky, blocking the opening to the sebaceous glands in the pores of our feet.

When the sebum build up is blocked, over a long period of time our feet (toes included) may get infected and bacteria may develop as a result.
Baking Soda/Bicarbonate of Soda neutralizes the odour of the sweat ie: the bacteria that feeds on the sweat. This reduces the chance of fungal infection.
Anyway, I hope this helps.

RE: Fungal nail infection

There are many treatments and cures that are available. The ones to aviod are those that have to be ingested - these usually have side effects and carry a risk to the internal organs. Non prescription creams can be effective for some and completley useless for others.
An natural treatment that I have heard of recently is a vinegar cure. The acidity in the vinegar is known to combat the fungi responsible - a microorganism known onychomycosis or Tinea Unguium.
As with all treatments and potential cures the individual has to stay the course, nothing will be an over night success - once you are prone to fungal infection the chances are it will return.
Fungus thrives in warm damp conditions - so try to give it the least possible chance of survival, for some though it means a complete change of lifestyle if they want to rid themsleves of the condition.

RE: Fungal nail infection

Hey everyone,

I just wanted to say that i saw this post and thought i would try using tea tree oil for my athletes foot and i can see the difference already. I have two nails that are noticeably infected because they had a funny bright white colour to them and they looked dry. So i added some drops of tea tree oil to extra virgin olive oil - why the oil i dont know just thought it would be moisterising and a good base for the tea tree.

Ive been using it for a week now, rubbing the oil on my toes twice a day and the results is amazing so far. The colour has changed, it doesn't look dry and the peeled skin around my toes is reduced.
This is why i love this site, coming across natural tips like this is great. Thanks everyone [sm=1syellow1.gif].

RE: Fungal nail infection

I feel for you, I have had problems with nail infection. As Eddy mentioned vinegar is good. I searched online and found lots of people who said vingar works, so I tried it and it was very good. It did take a long time though, as my nail was infected half way down, so I kept applying the vinegar daily until the nail had grown out. I soaked some cotton wool in vingar and bathed the nail, making sure to get some of the vinegar underneath the nail on the nail bed. It doesn't smell too good, but it definitely worked for me. I hope you have a good result with whatever you try.

RE: Fungal nail infection

As well as the external measures such as vinegar and tea tree it might be worth investing in a probiotic supplement like yakult or probiotic yogurts. It's believed that often problems like athletes foot can take a hold because of an imbalance of intestinal flora.

RE: Fungal nail infection

The thing to bear in mind is that whatever you choose to undergo will not show an immediate improvement. Time and perserverence is the key. Fungus is a an easy thing to get but a devil to rid.
The natural treatments often involve a nuisance (who wants to soak their feet in a bowl twice a day everyday for a year)

RE: Fungal nail infection

I can recommend a cure for nail fungus. Coconut Oil.

I saw it recommended on The Food Doctors Programme on Channel 5. It worked for me in about 2 weeks, and I have had a fungal infection for about a year that eventea tree couldn't budge

You buy coconut oil solid (its like wax) and can either melt a little in an aromatherapy pot or warm up a little in your hands. Available in health food shops or chemists - usually in the fridge. Do not buy the liquid coconut oil which has been refined.

Coconut oil has strong antiseptic properties. I now absolutely love the stuff and put it all over my body every day.

RE: Fungal nail infection

Hi ACFJ,

Unrefined coconut oil looks promising! How many times did you apply it onto your nail a day?

My mother was applying tea tree onto her skin and nail for 3 months. Itworked somehow, butshe has stopped because she started to have a sore throat by vapor of tea tree. Iam looking for an alternative remediationwhich would not hurt her sore.

RE: Fungal nail infection

Hi!

Someone asked this same question on another beautyboard.They suggested VICKS VAPOR RUB for nail fungal infection. If you cut your nail down as far as you can and rub Vick's VapOrub into the nail, it will get rid of the fungus.AlsoVick's works well with keepingthe bottom of your feet soft.

[link= http://www.peoplespharmacy.com ]www.peoplespharmacy.com[/link]. They have sugesstions for things like Listerine, Vick's, vinegar, that some have found to help.

Good luck!

RE: Fungal nail infection

The real question is how you cure nail fungus. It is certainly not a condition that you should leave untreated, because it can continue to get worse and eventually become very painful and quite dangerous. The difficulty in treating nail fungus is that there is no generally accepted cure and if you consult a doctor you are likely to be told that there is no cure. From my experience it is necessary to be tenacious - don't just try one remedy and give up if it is not successful. You should understand from the start that you may need to try out a few different remedies until you find one that works for you. Your frame of mind is as important as the treatment that you choose. If you make a strong decision to "beat your nail fungus", then you probably will - even if it takes a little time... My father has tried canesten [link= http://www.drugdelivery.ca/s3151-s-CANESTEN.aspx ]http://www.drugdelivery.ca/s3151-s-CANESTEN.aspx[/link] cream which came out to be a good cream against fungus infection.