Nail Fungus Home Treatment

Now it’s possible to use a nail fungus home treatment with more confidence than ever in the potential for success. This is because scientific research has shown that some natural remedies really do have antifungal properties and great potential for fighting off the fungi that invade hair, nails and skin. We're not talking about vinegar soaks and hydrogen peroxide here although those older remedies may also work (they lack scientific backing), we're talking about herbal extracts and oils - tea tree oil, Pau d'Arco, and other essential oils.

A natural remedy for nail fungus infection (onychomycosis) is preferable to a nail fungus prescription drug for several reasons. Prescription drugs for onychomycosis tend to be very expensive - because the daily dose amounts to dollars rather than cents, and a typical course of treatment spans months or even years, the patient neither a drug plan to cover the cost, nor a very healthy budget, will often not be able to afford the drug. Even if money's no object, however, fears of serious side effects remain - though the modern drugs are much less toxic than drugs of the past, potential side effects of oral medications for onychomycosis include organ damage and other toxicities. Patients taking these drugs should be monitored for problems and those with preexisting liver or kidney problems should not take them at all. These limitations make it important that we find a nail fungus home treatment that works.

The natural substance that shows the greatest promise at present as a nail fungus home treatment is tea tree oil. This essential oil is extracted from the leaves and stems of a plant that grows in Australia. Applied directly to the affected nail, either as a pure oil or in a blend of other oils and herbal ingredients, it appears to be effective in clearing the infection in many cases. Scientific research has backed up anecdotal evidence that tea tree oil has antifungal properties, and as a natural preparation, it is available at a fraction of the cost of nail fungus prescription medicine. Tea tree oil should not be taken internally, as it has not been shown to be safe when ingested.

Another alternative to nail fungus prescription medicine that is validated by some scientific research is Pau d'Arco, an extract of the inner bark of a South American tree. This natural fungus home treatment is usually prepared as an infusion or tea. It is used as a beverage or as a soaking solution. As a beverage it has been used for centuries by indigenous South American people, and more recently by medical practitioners in that part of the world. It is said to have many other health benefits. As a soaking solution, its role would be to penetrate the infected nail and act directly on the fungus.

Good quality Pau d'Arco is somewhat more difficult to obtain than Tea Tree oil, and is likely to remain a somewhat marginal nail fungus home treatment. Tea tree oil, in contrast, is readily available and becoming more so. Even low concentrations combined with other herbal ingredients may be sufficient to treat onychomycosis. Given the disadvantages of the nail fungus prescription medicine currently available, either of these options is worth a try.

Always consult a medical doctor for a proper diagnosis of nail fungus infection before using any treatment.

How to Treat Nail Fungus

How to treat nail fungus? If you’re grappling with this problem, you’re not alone: fungal nail infections are common, difficult to get rid of, and if you decide to use a prescription drug, you’ll be faced with both high costs and possible side effects. If you’re prepared to try to treat the infection without a prescription, read about home remedies, homeopathic treatments and alternative medicine treatments in order to choose something that you’ll be comfortable with.

Curing nail fungus takes time no matter what route you choose. Fingernails grow slowly and toenails grow more slowly still – once a fungus has infiltrated the nail, the portion that’s affected must grow out completely before all signs of infection will be gone. (Even if the fungus is dead, the damaged nail will not rebuild itself – it must grow out). Fungal remedies for nail infections often require you to set aside time every day, so when you are comparing methods for how to treat nail fungus, be honest with yourself about how much time you’re willing to give it over the long term.

While it’s likely that most home remedies that have stood the test of time will work in time if you follow instructions and stick with it, some of the most promising methods for curing nail fungus are new alternative remedies based on herbal knowledge and research. Producers of these products have approached the problem of how to treat nail fungus by investigating the antifungal properties of plant extracts – things like tea tree oil, neem oil, golden seal, echinacea, ginkgo, ginseng, and other well known herbal remedies. In recent years, scientific studies have supported the antifungal and antibacterial potential for many of these plants.

While prescription drugs used for curing nail fungus are generally taken orally, home remedies and alternative medicine products are generally applied topically (although at least one alternative remedy combines a topical treatment and an oral herbal supplement). The topical approach appeals to many people investigating how to cure nail fungus because it means that treatment is directed to the site of the problem instead of at the whole body. This differs from treatment with oral drugs, which expose internal organs to the antifungal agent unnecessarily.

Nail fungus infection should always be confirmed by a medical professional before any treatment is attempted: other nail conditions can mimic fungal infection.

Nail Fungus Medicine

Perhaps you have heard of some unusual substances being used as nail fungus medicine. Listerine mouthwash is an example of a home remedy for nail fungus infection (onychomycosis) that turns up time and time again. Is there any substance to it? There may be - many home remedies for onychomycosis call for soaking the affected foot or hand in an antiseptic solution of some kind. The solution might be dilute chlorine bleach, household vinegar, or hydrogen peroxide - all substances with antiseptic qualities. Presumably it is the antiseptic action of Listerine that inspired someone to try using it for this purpose.

There is no scientific backup for the Listerine toe nail fungus treatment and the product is not marketed for this use. Furthermore, like all treatments for onychomycosis, it reportedly works for some people but not for others. On the bright side, it's easy to get and relatively inexpensive, and soaking your feet or hands in it is unlikely to do you any harm. To use Listerine as a nail fungus medicine, simply pour enough into a basin to cover the nails on the affected hand or foot, and soak the nail for 30 minutes everyday. Alternatively, you might apply the Listerine directly to the nail several times each day with a cotton-tipped applicator or cotton ball. Be cautious at first until you are sure that your skin is not sensitive to repeated exposure to the solution.

Some people advocate mixing the Listerine nail fungus medicine half and half with vinegar to create an acid environment. It's true that the fungi that grow in nails don't do well in acid conditions, so this approach might be an improvement over a pure Listerine toe nail fungus remedy. No matter what solution you decide to use, however, this method of treating onychomycosis is likely to take time. Watch for healthy nail growing out at the cuticle. As your nail grows, the infected part should move nearer to the tip of the finger or toe, and eventually grow out altogether. If you see new healthy nail appearing, the infection is resolving.

There are a few things you can do to help your Listerine toe nail fungus treatment work for you. Most importantly have a doctor confirm that you do indeed have onychomycosis. Then, keep the nail trimmed as short as possible (but don't cut it so close that you damage the delicate tissue of the nail bed). Trim or file away any loose flaky bits of nail, and file down through the thickness of the nail to make it thinner, particularly if the infection is well advanced and the nail is thickened and distorted. Keep the foot or hand clean and dry - avoid frequent exposure to dish water, or prolonged periods encased in shoes and sweaty socks where there is no air circulation. Then be conscientious and patient - success with Listerine nail fungus medicine will take dedication and time.

All Natural Nail Fungus Remedy

When faced with the challenge of treating a stubborn nail fungus infection, many people favor an all natural nail fungus remedy. Though there are new prescription drugs available to treat the problem, they tend to be very expensive and come with some potential side effects that are unappealing. Traditional home remedies, on the other hand, can be anything but natural: typically they call for something like chlorine bleach or hydrogen peroxide, both of which come with dangers of their own. Fortunately, the alternative medicine profession has found some promising natural substances that can be as effective as the prescription drugs.

When searching for a product to heal nail fungus you probably can't do better than tea tree oil. This essential oil extracted from the tea tree, Melaleuca alternifolia, is showing great promise as an alternative to prescription medications for this common problem. Scientific research to date has shown that tea tree oil has antifungal, antibacterial, and antiviral properties. It has been used as an antiseptic for minor cuts and scrapes, as a topical treatment for acne, arthritis, insect bites, vaginal yeast infections, dandruff, athletes' foot, and as an all natural nail fungus remedy. Though it does not work in every case, it has rapidly become the alternative nail fungus treatment of choice.

Another all natural nail fungus remedy that has lots of anecdotal support but less scientific research to recommend is Pau d'Arco. Pau d’Arco products are made from the lining of the bark of the Tabebuia avellandae tree, a tree native to Brazil. Indigenous people of Brazil and even medical practitioners in Brazil have used Pau d'Arco for many years - bark tea, alcoholic extracts and glycerin extracts of the inner bark are now available from natural health stores. Advice to heal nail fungus includes both ingesting the tea and soaking the nail in the tea. Unfortunately, preparations of Pau d'Arco are not standardized and some are made from the wrong part of the tree, so it's difficult to be sure you're using the right thing. Pau d'Arco is also known as Lapacho, Taheebo, or Ipe Roxo.

To learn about any other all natural fungus remedy, research essential oils such as oregano oil, thyme oil, cinnamon oil or other oils of aromatic herbs. Apple cider vinegar, Vitamin E, and Saprox natural antifungal mud might also interest you. Keep in mind, however, that many of these approaches to heal nail fungus have not been scientifically studied - you have only the testimonials of other people who have used them to tell you whether they are likely to work.

As with any medical condition, have any suspected nail fungus infection properly diagnosed by a physician.

Home Remedy for Toe Nail Fungus

If you are looking for a good home remedy for toe nail fungus, you're not alone. Many people hate the look of nails infected with a fungus, but they're reluctant to take a prescription drug to clear it up. Fortunately, there are many alternatives to taking oral prescription drugs. You only need to find the one that's right for you. No matter what remedy or remedies you decide to try, remember two things: fungal infection in a nail (onychomycosis) typically takes a long time to clear up, and no treatment, not even a prescription drug, works for everyone.

Although less common than toenail infection, hand nail fungus infection can be treated using the same methods. Treatment tends to be more difficult because we use our hands so much more and have a tendency to wash them frequently - it's hard to keep a topical treatment on the nail. If you are searching for fingernail fungus treatment, as opposed to just a home remedy for toe nail fungus, keep practical considerations in mind - some methods will fit better with your lifestyle than others.

You will find that a home remedy for toe nail fungus will usually fall into one of two categories: a folk remedy type of treatment using readily available substances such as vinegar, bleach, hydrogen peroxide, mouthwash etc., or an alternative medicine approach that requires the purchase of a product - a blend of essential oils or an herbal remedy. You will find testimonials for all the methods from people who have self-treated both foot and hand nail fungus successfully. The alternative remedies do have the advantage of being supported by scientific evidence in some cases - scientific studies on the effectiveness of bleach or vinegar for onychomycosis have not been published.

It's not possible to give instructions for every home remedy for toe nail fungus, but an example would be to soak the feet in a 50/50 solution of natural apple cider vinegar and water for 15 minutes each day. For a hand nail fungus, you might apply undiluted apple cider vinegar several times each day directly to the nail. To keep the treatment in contact with the fingernail longer, soak the absorbent pad of a bandage and wrap that around the finger. Treatment with bleach, mouthwash, and other solutions requires a similar approach. Remember however, that these solutions may be skin irritants or caustic substances. Chlorine bleach and concentrated hydrogen peroxide should never be applied directly to the skin. Use common sense, do a little research, and proceed with caution.

An alternative home remedy for toe nail fungus will come with its own instructions and precautions. Many of these products contain essential oils and extracts from plants that show promise as antifungal agents. It's likely that many of these will help you fight off your onychomycosis, but one that shows particular promise in scientific research is tea tree oil. Tea tree oil can be purchased as pure oil or as one of a number of ingredients in a blended preparation. If you buy a pure preparation of any herbal oil, avoid applying it directly to the skin as it is likely to be irritating. Direct application to a toe or hand nail fungus, however, should be okay.

Before self-treating any suspected fungal nail infection, have it examined by a physician: other nail conditions can mimic onychomycosis.