Toenail fungus

[Shiloh Acres]

And the couple posts above mine read like an ad.

Especially since they "both" joined JUST to make that post, LOL!

 

[Marianne]

LOL
Ya, that was my first clue.

 

[rd123]

I have fought toenail fungus for at least 30 years. It eventually leads to the toenail falling off. When it becomes loose, it is best to secure it with a bandaide to keep it from catching on something and the last live tissues holding it being avulsed. That could be painful, but I have never experienced any pain. When the subsurface nailbed was fully exposed I tried all known remedys, and when the nail grew back the fungus came with it. So now I just endure it. I believe I caused more grief to it trying to get rid of it than just leaving it alone. The doctor said he could prescribe a pill that I would have to take daily for about a year, but it was very hard on the kidneys, and since I only have one kidney I decided to make peace with it.

 

[Hattie the Hen]

Sometime back ( a few months ago) I posted that I was experimenting with various old ideas for curing this problem (which I had suffered from for about five years).

Well, I have to report SUCCESS !!!

I started adding vinegar to my bath water & I noticed a slight improvement after a few weeks so then I tried painting it onto my toe-nails & that made a huge difference. Now the new part of the nail as it emerges is perfect & I am 50% nearer to being able to wear exhibit my bare feet again.I reckon by next Spring I can start shopping for open toed shoes. It costs virtually nothing as I use ordinary malt vinegar....(it is the cheapest in the UK; I am a cheapskate but you could use apple cider vinegar, which is very expensive here)

 

[Marianne]

I have fought toenail fungus for at least 30 years. It eventually leads to the toenail falling off. When it becomes loose, it is best to secure it with a bandaide to keep it from catching on something and the last live tissues holding it being avulsed. That could be painful, but I have never experienced any pain. When the subsurface nailbed was fully exposed I tried all known remedys, and when the nail grew back the fungus came with it. So now I just endure it. I believe I caused more grief to it trying to get rid of it than just leaving it alone. The doctor said he could prescribe a pill that I would have to take daily for about a year, but it was very hard on the kidneys, and since I only have one kidney I decided to make peace with it.

A year!!?? Wow. The two times I took Lamisil it was for four months. First time was $400, a year or so later, Wal-Mart had a generic and I think it was $8 a month. But, like I said earlier, I had no results whatsoever.

I've had mine for probably 30 years, too. I have to admit that I was kind of surprised to realize it's been that long. I couldn't just live with mine. My nails are so domed up that if the dog steps on my foot, it's really painful. Sometimes even just the weight of the sheet in bed hurts. I have to file the top of some toenails so they aren't so thick and keep them trimmed just as short as I can get them. I've never lost a nail, so we have different types of fungus.

So far, I don't know that the rubbing alcohol is doing anything. I have a strange, thicker stripe down one toenail that I use for judging. But it's only been three months and I admit that there has been several times that I missed a day. All I know is that I'm sick of it - both the disease and the cure! I'll stick it out for at least another three months. If I can't see that I'm making any progress, then I'll try a different home remedy.

 

[Beekissed]

Just remember that fungus is anaerobic and doesn't require air to reproduce and occlusive, moist environments are their milieu....or should I say, mildew? Eucalyptus-type oils are great for any kind of fungal, bacterial or viral infections, so the Vicks and tea tree types of treatments are great for fungus but may take some time, depending on the type and duration of the fungal infection.

Fungus is an odd thing....sometimes you can't blast it out with dynamite and other times a weird thing will happen to the area~a cut, burn, duct tape, wearing a band-aid too long, or immersion in a substance of some kind~and it will disappear overnight.

Just remember that fungus thrives on sugar, both topical and ingested. They like warmth but will grow in your fridge all the same....in an airtight container, I might add. They like moisture, but not necessarily oil-based moistures. Taking a pill like Olive Leaf Extract really will help you eliminate fungal/yeast infections, especially if used in conjunction with your topical treatments. Limiting complex sugars and starches from your diet helps tremendously as well.

Fungus is one of the hardest types of microorganisms to eradicate. Keep us posted of your preferred treatment(s) and your response to them? Anecdotal results are still results and cannot be discounted in the realm of medicine.

 

[yardfarmer]

I had a bad case toenail fugus for 20-25 years, both big toes were just like Marianne discribed, and the skin under the nail was really soft and white. I used some stuff made in Germany called Nutra Fingal (sp?). I think it was tea tree oil; turned the nails and skin yellowish. Noticed improvement in a few months, kept using it for at least two to three years. There was definate improvement but it was so slow. I used anticeptic mouthwash (original Listerene) which seemed to help; at least took some of the yellow stain off the nails. This was a little expensive, since I used it full strength. However, this method would not completely get rid of the fungus.

I then heard about potasim permanganate. The stuff that turns water blue in science experiments. All I can say is WOW this stuff cleared up my fungus problem in a few months. I'd soaked my feet in it two to three times a week. The solution was kinda strong; added potasium permanganate until the water was a deep violet color; probably 1/10 of a teaspoon or so. If the water turned brown after soaking my feet it meant that it was working.

This stuff would stain my toenails brown, so I started using about a 1/2 cup of hydrogen peroxide in a foot bath on the other days. The peroxide got rid of the stains real quick.

My toenails are normal now; I do the foot soak once or twice a month just as a precaution (the water does not turn brown anymore). Potasium permanginate can be difficult to find, (saw some on ebay i think) but if you want to try it, it is not too expensive. I believe it is also used to prevent fungus in fish ponds.

 

[imjanacole]

I'm using vinegar with listerine then applying vicks every night. It really works!

 

[rhoda_bruce]

I was working as a nurse and I got a really weird order called in to me for one of my patients.....which I didn't even know there was a problem so when I was ordered to scratch the front of her nails with an finger nail file and then apply vicks vapor rub to them and a glove, I was completely freaked out. Truthfully, I didn't think it would work, but the patient was an old RN and she told me it would, which it did. The nail filing was a one time only thing, but the vick's got put on every night. State didn't like the order and we had to temporarily make it all disappear, but they weren't looking at 8pm when it was time to carry out the order, so the lady got her tx anyway, and the order was made pretty later on, so we'd be covered.
I've seen some crazy treatments that I never would have thought would have helped anything, but did. Good luck with the problem. I think you have enough info to lick it. I'd do the above treatment, but I think I'd wrap my toes in a wet face towel first, saturated with ACV for a few mins, just to aggrevate the yeast, then assault them furthur with the vick's.

 

[Michigan Homesteader]

Michigan State University did a study on toenail fungus and found that applying Vicks Vapor Rub to the toenail everyday got rid of the fungus. It does take several months though.