Toenail fungus is one of the infectious conditions that afflict your nails. If left untreated, this condition can make nails discolored and brittle. It is a key thing to remember that fungi are of several types, and are microbes (best viewed with a magnifying device like a microscope). Toenail fungal infections are commonly encountered fungal conditions. But, what are the home remedies available to treat it? It is essential to understand more prior to starting such home remedies.
In medical terms, infections caused by nail fungus are called onychomycosis. It may have a few similarities with a condition called athlete’s foot. But, the key difference is athlete’s foot shows up between your toes and also under the feet. Fungi are of varied nature; a few of the commonly witnessed types include conditions such as distal or lateral subungual onychomycosis, candida onychomycosis, proximal subungual onychomycosis and white superficial onychomycosis.
Of the aforesaid 4 kinds of infections, distal or lateral version is widely witnessed. It is known to show up at your nailbed; a portion that lies under your toenail. Signs include a white colored or yellowish spot below your toenail. You may also see the infected nail becoming black or yellow. A few other signs are your toenail turning brittle, and at times can emit a foul smell.
As the initial stage of an infection may be without much pain, a few people may not undergo a treatment to heal it. Over a period of time, pains may develop while applying pressure onto the infected area. In some remote cases, people – who left it untreated – have found it tough to walk as the condition spreads / worsens.
Home remedies for treatment of toenail fungus
There are few home-based remedies for toenail fungus. These are extract of snake-root (also known as Ageratina pichinchensis), oregano oil, tree-tea oil (also called Malaleuca alternifolia), etc. In some cases, people have also used oil of sunflower plant (ozonised version). Apart from the above, a few other remedies have also been tried; these include use of baking soda, applying garlic paste, administration of apple cider vinegar, extract of olive leaves, mouthwash solution, etc.
People have applied extract of snake-root once every three days for 4 weeks (and two times per week in the next 4 weeks) had a better cure rate than other home remedies like say, tree-tea oil or vaporub. On a related note, oregano oil is known to have thymol in it; this chemical has sizable antibacterial and antifungal capabilities.
Similarly, mouthwash solutions (like Listerine) contain menthol, thymol as well as eucalyptol in them; these exert significant levels of antifungal properties. As part of home remedies, you are advised to soak your feet inside a Listerine bath for 15 minutes. You may see the nail soften and let key chemicals such as eucalyptol and thymol to seep inside the nail bed.
On the other hand, applying apple cider vinegar can reduce the pH (hydrogen ion concentration) level of skin. As a result, your skin gets cleansed of microbes such as fungi. It is recommended to soak your toes in a foot-bath (made with 2 spoons of cider vinegar in warm water) for some 15 minutes. The advantage of using vinegar is it can is irritable than using mouthwash solution.
There are a few orally administered OTC drugs which can work more effectively than topical OTC meds. It is a safe practice to talk to a qualified skin doctor / dermatologist prior to using any of these meds. In a few one-off instances, your dermatologist may use laser treatment along with a medication plan to bring about a quicker remedy.
Disclaimer
Information provided here are only of supplementary nature. Information shared here does not substitute a qualified doctor’s advice. This website is not suggesting intake of this drug as safe or appropriate. Hence it is advised to talk to your doctor before consuming this med or any other drug.
Education: Master’s in Clinical Nutrition from Tufts University. Experience: 6 years of experience as a registered dietitian and freelance writer, creating content on nutritional science and weight management for various health websites.
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