Nail Fungus

Fungal nail infection afflicts many people especially those who are highly at risk of contracting it like dishwashers and people with weakened immune systems who have been exposed to contaminated places and objects like damp locker rooms and moldy shoes. While it easy to acquire, it is ironically very difficult and very expensive to get rid of fungal nail infection. Sometimes, affected people self medicate using the wrong medication for the wrong fungi strain. But often times, it is simply a matter of the difficulty of applying the medication to the fungus under nail.

The nails of our fingers and toes that serve as the protective covering to the nail beds of our extremities are the very same tough tissues that prevent medications such as topical fungicides to reach and destroy the fungus under nail. As the nail plates thicken with the progression of the infection, it becomes necessary to cut the nails as close to the nail bed as possible and grind these down as thinly as possible to allow the fungicidal ointments to penetrate through the nail plate and reach the fungus under nail.

Other people so infected elect to internally fight the fungus under nail by ingesting prescription oral medications. Unfortunately, this method is not for everybody. In the first place, this treatment procedure is very expensive and could take the infected individual anywhere from six months to more than a year to see any results. Secondly, oral medication could have potentially life-threatening side effects on patients with a history of liver or heart problems. Rather than risk liver damage due to prolonged ingestion of these oral medications, many infected patients choose safe natural home remedies to treat stubborn fungus under nails.

The most popularly accepted methods of natural home remedies for fungus under nails are soaking the affected finger or toe nails in a solution of water and vinegar and swabbing them with tea tree oil everyday for thirty minutes. After all have been said and done, the best cure is to avoid getting fungus under nails in the first place. Do not walk without footwear in public places which are obviously breeding grounds for fungi like damp and warm shower and locker rooms. Then, always wear latex gloves and rubber boots for wet work in kitchens or in farms. Wear clean cotton socks all the time and have your shoes aired regularly. Observe personal hygiene like scrubbing your feet and toes with soap and water then drying them completely with a clean towel.

Tags: fungus, treatment, symptoms, nail fungus, nails, skin, health