Vicks Vapor Rub for Nail Fungus

There is a small contingent of people who recommend using Vicks vapor rub for nail fungus infections. If you apply the ointment to the nail on a daily basis, these reports claim that the infection will eventually resolve. Other testimonials claim that they have used this home remedy without success, and there is, apparently no medical research to back up claims that this treatment works.

Whatever we think of nail fungus and vaporub cures, it's true that there is a growing body of evidence that plant extracts can be very effective at killing fungus. Herbal extracts such as oil of oregano, neem oil, tea tree oil and the extracts of other less familiar plants have been used and some have scientific backing. Though there is no information on the effect of using mint extract on fungus, using Vicks vapor rub for nail fungus would be exposing the fungus to menthol on a daily basis. Provided the extract was contacting the fungus, this might work in a similar way to other essential oil preparations.

Some supporters of Vicks vapor rub for nail infections caution that the treatment works best on thin nails, particularly children's nails, a statement that supports the idea that the ointment is capable of penetrating the nail to some extent. Another caution is that the ointment results in a yellowish discoloration of the nail. This should be a temporary discoloration however, and might not discourage one too much: it seems that nail fungus and vaporub both cause a yellow hue in infected nails. When the fungus is gone and the nail grows out, the yellow color should be gone.

Treatment with Vicks vapor rub for nail fungus has the advantage of being relatively cheap compared to other preparations, and it is certainly safer than taking a systemic drug as long as all safety precautions on the product are observed; however, given Vick's patchy record of success, it might be prudent to choose a different home remedy. First, you should get a professional opinion about your abnormal nail. There are a number of different nail abnormalities that can mimic a fungal nail infection and only a physician can differentiate between them or order the appropriate diagnostic tests.

Ultimately, if you have a diagnosis of nail fungus infection, or onychomycosis, and you want a home or natural remedy, you will have to choose from a variety of traditional home remedies and a similar range of alternative natural products. There are lots of topical preparations for treating nail fungus and vaporub is just one of them.

Toe Nail Fungus Cure

Medicine has been slow to find a good toe nail fungus cure, a fact that has left many people over the generations with chronic fungal infections and a long list of sworn-by but difficult home remedies to try. In recent years, pharmaceutical companies have recognized the market for a treatment that works, but in general, consumers have a deep seated distrust of these drugs - they are almost all oral medications, and they have a history of causing liver damage and other side effects. Many people are still turning to the home remedies and over the counter treatments.

The lack of attention to how to treat toe nail fungus in the past, and consumer reluctance to take a potentially harmful drug, both stem from the same reality: a fungal nail infection, though ugly, is largely a cosmetic problem. In a healthy person, a fungus infecting a nail will not spread to internal organs and is not life threatening. Medical research has not found it worth investing money in finding a toe nail fungus cure, and patients don't think it's worth sacrificing a liver to save a nail. The newer versions of antifungals are much safer than the originals were, and there is even a topical treatment available (Penlac) that can be used when the infection is not too far advanced, but distrust remains, and people seek a natural remedy that works.

The most promising over the counter preparations for a toe nail fungus cure are those that contain essential oils and extracts from plants. Fungal infections in healthy plants and animals are relatively rare: fungi do much better growing on dead and rotting organic matter. This is because living things have developed ways to prevent the fungus from getting established - in plants it is often organic compounds that are toxic to fungi. Plants know how to treat toe nail fungus because they fight off fungal invaders in the environment every day. Extracted from the plants in concentrated oils and essences, antifungal compounds can be applied topically to fungal infections in nails.

One toe nail fungus cure that is commercially extracted from a plant is tea tree oil. Tea tree oil is extracted from the stems and leaves of the Melaleuca alternafolia tree. Scientific studies of this oil have been ongoing for some time and there is little doubt that it has useful antifungal activity. Applied directly to the nail, it penetrates and kills the fungus, allowing a healthy nail to grow out. Although we may not be so sure about natural remedies with less research to back them up, those of us who are wondering how to treat toe nail fungus may have an answer in tea tree oil and other preparations that contain it.

Fungal nail infections should, of course, be properly diagnosed by a medical professional.

Nail Fungus Picture

If you suspect that you have a fungal nail infection, you will find it useful to view a nail fungus picture, as well as pictures of other nail conditions. This is because, although fungal infection is one of the more common nail abnormalities, it is only one of many things that can cause nails to look bad. Photographs can be very informative; however, self-diagnosis is risky. Even if you are sure you know what is wrong, have a doctor or a dermatologist look at your nail and make a proper diagnosis so that you can get the appropriate treatment. This article provides urls for several internet sites that have excellent photographs of fungal nail infections and other nail abnormalities.

Every one of the pictures at DermNet NZ, http://www.dermnetnz.org/fungal/onychomycosis.html, is a fungus nail picture showing the variation of this common infection. Some of the pictures provide the species name of the fungus that was isolated from that particular infection, but it is not possible to identify a fungal species by just looking at an infected nail or a nail fungus picture: laboratory culture of nail clippings to grow the fungus is required to get this information. You may notice that most of the pictures show nails that are yellowish or brownish in color, while one, with secondary bacterial infection, shows black nails. While dark green or black color is more typical of bacterial colonization, fungus can cause a black color as well.

Visit http://tray.dermatology.uiowa.edu/Onychomyco01.htm for an excellent fungus nail picture of an infection caused by the yeast Candida albicans. This yeast is the same one that causes oral and throat infections in some individuals and yeast infections in women. The difference between a yeast and a fungus nail picture can be subtle, but one typical feature is paronychia - involvement of the soft tissue adjacent to the nail. Although a fungus can also spread beyond the nail, fungal skin infections are generally quite superficial and do not cause deep tissue inflammation.

A photo gallery at Hooked On Nails, http://www.hooked-on-nails.com/naildisorders.html, has an excellent selection of pictures of nail abnormalities. The collection includes more than one nail fungus picture, but also superb photographs and comments on other nail conditions. For the average reader who lacks detailed medical knowledge, this is perhaps the most useful site of those mentioned here.

Another collection of both fungus nail pictures and other types of abnormalities can be found at Medline Plus, http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003247.htm, along with some general information about the conditions covered.

Again, although your nail may look entirely typical of one of the conditions shown in these nail fungus pictures, have a physician examine it to get a professional opinion.

Tea Tree Oil Nail Fungus

You may have read or heard about a tea tree oil nail fungus treatment and wondered if this is some kind of gimmick designed to part the unwary and the desperate from their hard earned money. These schemes abound today as much as in the past: tea tree oil however, deserves a hard second look.

First, tea tree oil, marketed as a natural remedy for toe nail fungus and other fungal infections, does not come from tea, but from an Australian tree called the tea tree, Melaleuca alternafolia. It contains a number of naturally occurring substances, but the one that is thought to be the most important is terpinen-4-ol. To extract it and produce a tea tree oil nail fungus remedy, leaves and stem of the tree are subjected to a steam extraction process. The resulting oil is either sold as a pure oil, or blended with other plant extracts.

The important point to understand is that good scientific research has been conducted on the medicinal properties of tea tree oil and is ongoing. Results indicate that this natural remedy for toe nail fungus really does seem to work: terpinen-4-ol has proven antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral properties. Additionally, tea tree oil nail fungus treatment appears to be able to penetrate the thick layers of an infected nail to reach and act on the fungus: lack of nail penetration has been a serious impediment to the development of topical treatments for fungal nail infections.

It seems that tea tree oil nail fungus remedy has everything to recommend it: it's available without a prescription and is relatively inexpensive compared to prescription medications for nail fungus; it's a topical treatment, so potential side effects of a systemic drug are not an issue; it's a genuinely natural remedy for toe nail fungus, and it appears to work. One note of caution is in order: tea tree oil has not been proven safe for ingestion, so only use it topically, and if you have sensitive skin, choose a product that is not pure tea tree oil (terpinen-4-ol, or some other component of the oil, can be irritating to skin).

Always consult a medical professional for a proper diagnosis before embarking on a self-care program for any health problem.

Treating Nail Fungus

Treating nail fungus (onychomycosis) has always been a difficult challenge. A fungal infection in a fingernail or toenail creeps up slowly and insidiously, often starting as a slight discoloration and advancing bit by bit until you suddenly realize that there really is a problem. The retreat of the fungus is just as slow, and complete resolution of symptoms must wait until the nail has grown out completely and replaced itself - many months.

The length of time it takes to be successful in treating onychomycosis will test the patience of many a fungal nail sufferer. The long wait can make you doubt that the nail fungus product you are using is having any effect. Interestingly this is just as true of the prescription drugs for treating nail fungus as it is for old home remedies and natural treatments - you have to use the preparation for many months and wait for the nail to grow out.

There are many types of nail fungus product available to consumers today: they range from over the counter antifungal lotions, creams, and oral prescription drugs, to a selection of remedies derived from natural sources. The natural treatments are worth investigating: in a way, treating nail fungus with a natural treatment makes sense because plants must fight off the attacks of fungi in the environment all the time. Some plants have extremely effective defenses against fungal invasion, including natural chemicals that can be extracted and used to fight of fungi in human infections.

One of the most promising natural remedies marketed for treating nail fungus is tea tree oil, an herbal extract of the Australian tea tree. Though it can be purchased as a pure oil, many topical preparations use it in combination with other herbal extracts. At least one nail fungus product uses both a topical herbal preparation, including tea tree oil, and an herbal oral supplement to fight off the stubborn fungi that get established in human nails. Preliminary scientific evidence and the testimonials of those who have tried it indicate that this approach really does work, and the low cost compared to prescription drugs tends to make it appealing to many people.

No nail fungus product will work if the problem is not fungus to begin with, so before choosing an over the counter or natural healing product, have a medical professional look at your infection and confirm that a fungus is causing it. If there is any doubt, a sample of the nail can be sent to a medical laboratory for testing. Once you are sure of what you are dealing with, you'll be able to select a product for treating nail fungus - but remember, treatment takes a long time. You have to be patient.