Saturday, May 14, 2011
Homeopathic Remedies
Toenail Fungus: Toenail Fungus Treatments
I recently (August, 2009) had a bout with athlete's foot, which then turned into toenail fungus on my right big toe. Honestly, at first I didn't even know that the yellowish color was fungus. I thought it was just an unusual color for a toenail injury. But, then my sister told me otherwise and then suggested an unusual treatment for toenail fungus: Vicks Vapor Rub! She said that the prescribed drug by doctors for toenail fungus is always Lamisil, and that it could be very hard on your heart, and moreso on your liver and kidneys. Not to mention that it costs anywhere from $100 - $173! That's not something I was willing to do: risk my health and my wallet, so what could I do?
I decided to see for myself what everyone else had done to treat toenail fungus: how long did it take them and what methods worked best?
Here were my discoveries, which I'm bringing to you, and I will follow it with the remedy I chose and how effective it's been:
Top-rated Treatments for Toenail Fungus
1. Vicks Vaporub
2. Hydrogen Peroxide
3. Clorox
4. Abrasive brushing and scraping
5. Some over-the-counter fungicides
6. Vinegar
7. Listerine (original only)
When I researched these homeopathic remedies for toenail fungus, I found some to be more popular than others, and while people had great success with one, someone else said they didn't succeed with it, but did succeed with another. What I then decided to do was combine the best of all the popular treatment methods (just in case any one of them might not work for me). My chosen treatment only required household items that you could buy in the grocery store or drug store for cheap....yeah, I liked that! And better yet, they are not harsh to your health, and were very fast acting! I did highlight different ingredients that you can find at good prices through Amazon if you want to get them all at once (sign up for Amazon Prime and get your shipping FREE!)
2. Hydrogen Peroxide
3. Clorox
4. Abrasive brushing and scraping
5. Some over-the-counter fungicides
6. Vinegar
7. Listerine (original only)
When I researched these homeopathic remedies for toenail fungus, I found some to be more popular than others, and while people had great success with one, someone else said they didn't succeed with it, but did succeed with another. What I then decided to do was combine the best of all the popular treatment methods (just in case any one of them might not work for me). My chosen treatment only required household items that you could buy in the grocery store or drug store for cheap....yeah, I liked that! And better yet, they are not harsh to your health, and were very fast acting! I did highlight different ingredients that you can find at good prices through Amazon if you want to get them all at once (sign up for Amazon Prime and get your shipping FREE!)
My Chosen Treatment(s)
Remember, I hadthis toenail fungus since August 2009, and it is now April 2010, and my big toenail was by now completely cloudy yellow, with dry skin all surrounding the bottom and sides of the nail (that's also part of the fungus), and all four of my smaller toes on that foot were also starting to look infected. Ych! Well, after just 4 days of doing my treatment(s), I already see one fourth, maybe one third of the nail from the bottom CLEAR! The fungus has receded and died in that part in just four short days. Praise the Lord!
So here was my method:
Once a day I soak my infected foot in a solution of one part Apple Cider Vinegar diluted with one part water. I use a rubbermaid rectangular food storage container that I just use for this soaking purposes. After 15 minutes of soaking, I let my foot air dry on a towel.
Each evening before I go to bed, I alternate between Vicks Vaporub Ointment
and Hydrogen Peroxide
- placing one of those products on my toe for the night. If I'm using the Vicks, I take a toothbrush (get a cheapie one that you'll use for just your nail, and sterilize it regularly with rubbing alcohol) and dip it into the ointment, and work it into my nail base under the cuticle, and on the top of my toenail (try keeping the toenail short so the ointment can seep in), and around the sides of the nail. I then wrap up the toenail with a large-size bandaid
for the night.
When I use the peroxide, I saturate a cottonball
with the peroxide and place it directly on my infected toenail, and then wrap it up with a large-size bandaid for the night. When I awake, the bandaid comes off.
One more thing, each morning before I put on my socks, I paint on an over-the-counter fungicide (preferably one with tolnaftate as the active ingredient like Nail Tek Anti-Fungal Maximum Strength ) directly onto the nail and on the skin around the nail. I even do this one more time in the day after I've been on my feet for awhile and I want to keep them clean and dry.
To Recap:
1. Soak feet in vinegar once a day (cider or white distilled) - The acidic properties in apple cider vinegar is what makes vinegar fight the fungus while still allowing the skin to heal from the inside out.
2. Wrap up the toe in either Vicks or Hydrogen Peroxide each night at bedtime (Vicks does contain thymol and eucalyptol which fight fungus on skin and nail, but when used alone it is such a slow process)
3. Use an Anti-Fungal Nail Treatment twice a day (first thing in morning, and again later in the day)
Good Tip: After showering, take a toothpick
(clean one) and scrape out all the excess crumbly skin that forms under the toenail, and at the cuticle, and on the sides (part of the fungus itself). Once removed, the treatments have a better chance of soaking in and clearing the fungus up.
So here was my method:
Once a day I soak my infected foot in a solution of one part Apple Cider Vinegar diluted with one part water. I use a rubbermaid rectangular food storage container that I just use for this soaking purposes. After 15 minutes of soaking, I let my foot air dry on a towel.
Each evening before I go to bed, I alternate between Vicks Vaporub Ointment
and Hydrogen Peroxide - placing one of those products on my toe for the night. If I'm using the Vicks, I take a toothbrush (get a cheapie one that you'll use for just your nail, and sterilize it regularly with rubbing alcohol) and dip it into the ointment, and work it into my nail base under the cuticle, and on the top of my toenail (try keeping the toenail short so the ointment can seep in), and around the sides of the nail. I then wrap up the toenail with a large-size bandaid for the night. When I use the peroxide, I saturate a cottonball
with the peroxide and place it directly on my infected toenail, and then wrap it up with a large-size bandaid for the night. When I awake, the bandaid comes off. One more thing, each morning before I put on my socks, I paint on an over-the-counter fungicide (preferably one with tolnaftate as the active ingredient like Nail Tek Anti-Fungal Maximum Strength ) directly onto the nail and on the skin around the nail. I even do this one more time in the day after I've been on my feet for awhile and I want to keep them clean and dry.
To Recap:
1. Soak feet in vinegar once a day (cider or white distilled) - The acidic properties in apple cider vinegar is what makes vinegar fight the fungus while still allowing the skin to heal from the inside out.
2. Wrap up the toe in either Vicks or Hydrogen Peroxide each night at bedtime (Vicks does contain thymol and eucalyptol which fight fungus on skin and nail, but when used alone it is such a slow process)
3. Use an Anti-Fungal Nail Treatment twice a day (first thing in morning, and again later in the day)
Good Tip: After showering, take a toothpick
(clean one) and scrape out all the excess crumbly skin that forms under the toenail, and at the cuticle, and on the sides (part of the fungus itself). Once removed, the treatments have a better chance of soaking in and clearing the fungus up.
Copyright . Cheaper by the Half Dozen.All rights reserved. 