Home Remedy Toenail Fungus Fixes

You probably don’t want to discuss toenail fungus but it is a condition that afflicts millions. 

According to a study published in Journal de Mycologie Médicale Volume 30, Issue 2, June 2020, as reported by Science Direct,

“Onychomycosis [aka OM, pronounced “oh-nee-koh-my-kohsis”] is one of the most prevalent and severe nail fungal infections, which is affecting a wide population across the globe. It leads to variations like nail thickening, disintegration and hardening.”

Check with your doctor or podiatrist to see if you might have toenail fungus. If you do, chances are you may be prescribed an oral or topical medication. Before you go that route, ask your doctor if you can try some home remedy toenail fungus fixes. It may be all you need for a natural approach to stop toe fungus in its tracks.

Take A Toe Look-See

Inspecting your toenails is the first step in determining if you have toenail fungus.

The Mayo Clinic posts a list of symptoms to look for:

• Thickened nail
• Whitish to yellow-brown discoloration around nail bed
• Brittle, crumbly or ragged nail
• Nail is distorted in shape
• Nail has dark color, caused by debris building up underneath
• Smelling slightly foul odor coming from nail beds or even foot odor can lead to nail fungus

Another symptom that is often overlooked is a line down the middle of the nail. This may indicate fungus or something more serious such as cancer.

No Big Deal

Some may suggest just leaving toe nail fungus alone. That unless it is painful or smelly you can live with it. If this is you, think again. Here are some negative effects of untreated toenail fungus posted by Everyday Health:

• Foot pain – Nails thicken so much it becomes hard to walk.
• Contagious – Toenail fungus is often contagious infecting other toes, creating ‘athlete’s foot’, and even making its way to the genitals causing ‘jock itch’.
• Widespread Infection- “And it can all start from a simple fungal infection,” says Peter Joseph, DPM, a podiatrist with Allegheny Health Network in Pittsburgh when referring to systemic complications that can occur from toenail fungus. This is particularly concerning for those with diabetes and other immune compromising conditions.
• Nail Loss – Fungus living under your toenail can result in lifting the nail off the nail bed requiring surgery to remove it.

Don’t ignore your nail fungus and, after informing your doctor, try these 3 home remedy toenail fungus fixes.

Tea Tree Oil

Many podiatrists agree that using tea tree oil, especially in the early stages of toenail fungus, could be highly beneficial. In a Research Gate Clinical Trial it was found that,

“After 6 months treatment with TTO [tea tree oil], 27% of patients were completely cured, 65% were partially cured and 8% had no response according to appearance of the index nail…TTO may play a role in treatment of onychomycosis without side effects of medications or surgical hazards caused by surgery.”

Coconut Oil

Proven to be an effective antibacterial, anti-microbial and anti-fungal, coconut oil has been linked to helping relieve toenail fungus. 

A study of the effects of coconut oil on fungus published in the Journal of Medicinal Food stated,

“It is noteworthy that coconut oil was active against species of Candida [a yeastlike parasitic fungus] at 100% concentration compared to fluconazole [anti-fungal medicine]. Coconut oil should be used in the treatment of fungal infections in view of emerging drug-resistant Candida species.”

Garlic

Once again garlic, the superhero herb, emerges. This time for applying to athlete’s foot which could be caused by toenail fungus. Research of a garlic based cream for fungus as posted by The National Institutes of Health stated,

“The present report shows the efficacy of ajoene, a garlic-derived organic trisulphur, for short-term therapy of tinea pedis [athlete’s foot]. The use of ajoene [] resulted in complete clinical and mycological [scientific study of fungus] cure in 27 of 34 patients (79%) after 7 days of treatment. The remaining seven patients (21%) achieved complete cure after seven additional days of treatment. These results show that ajoene is an alternative, efficient and low-cost antimycotic drug for short-term therapy of tinea pedis. The fact that ajoene can be easily prepared from an alcoholic extract of garlic may make it suitable for Third World public health care.”

Keep an eye on your toenails, they can easily be ignored and then before you know it you’re walking on fungus. Try these 3 home remedy toenail fungus fixes. Application instructions can easily be searched and keep your doctor in the loop the whole time

Sources:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1156523320300457

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/nail-fungus/symptoms-causes/syc-20353294

https://www.everydayhealth.com/hs/toenail-fungal-infection-guide/dangers-of-ignoring-toenail-fungal-infections/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17651080/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9009665/