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Boring stuff: toenail fungus treatment
Namada
Veteran
Hi Do some of you have any good advice for toenail fungus treatment?
All my toes are in pretty bad shape,
I have not been bothered to fix this... until now.
I dont want to go on medications for 6 months, I have heard it can damage your liver.
So maybe some of you have any good suggestions?
I have heard tea tree oil can be helpfull?
0
Comments
Seek advice from your doctor.
There are 2 systemic medications available that are usually administered orally - a typical course is around 6 months but it varies person to person and either way you should begin to see results after a few weeks - there may be side effects but liver damage is not by any stretch a common outcome (in the same way that paracetamol can cause liver damage) - ask your doctor to explain the risks.
You'll need to address the surrounding athlete's foot, likely with the cream.
There are local treatments also - medication is available in a nail paint, in an ointment that softens nails so infected parts can be scraped, you can elect to have surgery to remove the nail or have laser treatment.
Also, keep your feet dry, wash your towels well and use a separate one for the infected foot - use separate nail clippers to reduce risk of cross-infection, breathable shoes and cotton socks - the same as for athlete's foot.
The most effective treatment is usually systemic medication for the nail, local medication for the athlete's foot, preventative hygiene and patience.
@Zero why cotton socks? They are about the least breathable socks there are compared to other options that will keep moisture away from the feet, both sweating and in weather. I am sure they are better than say, dress socks or panty hose, lol. But there are so many more breathable, wicking socks.
Oregano oil is much stronger than tea tree oil. It will do the trick. However, it will burn your skin if applied unadulterated. Mix it with oil (any type of cooking oil will do). Apply it with a Q-tip on the underside of the nails, if they're exposed to any extent, and to the top, tracing the edge of the cuticle. Repeat daily for a couple of weeks as the nail grows out. You should notice an improvement within a couple of days.
Keep an eye on the skin on the top of your foot, behind the affected toes. I don't know how long you've let this problem develop without treatment, but if left for a long time--a year or more--the fungus can invade your foot. At that point, you'd have to take meds to kill it. You'd notice a discoloration to your foot in the area of the toes.
Thank you very much for advices
I have had it for 10 years...with no care or treatment, I havent taken it very seriously, because I heard it could not spread to other body parts..
or it can but very rarely.
I think I got it from my soccer shoes.
Anyway I will visit my doctor and hear what he say.
Well, I don't know where you "heard" it can't spread to other parts of the body, but it certainly can! You've been very lucky that hasn't happened. If it invades your body, it's very difficult to get rid of, and could cause you problems for years. My brother had a terrible time with it.
I let mine go for a couple of years, because I had other very difficult health issues I was dealing with, and simply didn't have the energy to deal with one more thing. That turned out to be a mistake, because it did invade my foot, and began to spread up toward my ankle. At that point, I decided I'd better see a doctor, before it got any farther. So I did the 6 month thing, and that beat it back, thank heaven. I'm still keeping an eye on that nail; it hasn't completely normalized yet.
So don't assume anything, and don't take risks with your health. But you can start with the recommended treatment, and see how your situation responds. Be sure to keep the feet dry, and wear open shoes (sandals) if you can, so the feet can be well-ventilated. I have Birkenstock sandals, and I have the insole changed after a certain amount of wear, to keep it fresh. Otherwise, sweat can accumulate there, which is how I got the fungus in the first place. Well, I suppose the fact that my immune system was low, due to the other health problems, played a role. Usually our bodies can fight things like this off, but I was more susceptible. Take care of yourself, eat healthfully, and get plenty of sleep.
Wow. I didnt know it could cause such a big problem, yeah Iam lucky that its only on my nails at the moment, so I will contact my doctor as mentioned!
But how did you see that it was spreading toward your foot and ankel.
What are the symptons, was it a white layer on your skin or something like that?
Did you use both treatments at the same time, medications and this oregano oil mixture?
I hope your brother will be better!
If it's a fungus, it can also be absorbed through the skin into your bloodstream.
Bacteria and infection from the oral cavity has been shown to be detrimental to the health of the heart and may even give rise to a risk of heart attack. This is a proven fact. The bacteria from Gum disease and tooth decay can travel through your bloodstream and cause heart problems.
So it is most assuredly unsurprising that you could - and may well already have done - pass the fungal microbes from you toes, internally, and goodness knows what the result may be.
We have an extremely effective immune system to fight such pathogens, but if I'm honest, to have largely ignored the condition for as long as you have, is irresponsible and reckless, and plays with your health as that of others. It's actually highly contagious.
Here's a thorough if rather dry article:
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1105828-overview#a1
It basically mirrors Zero's post, adding specific detail regarding treatment.
This is actually a rather common affliction, so you're in plentiful company. Not everyone treats it, and of those who do, not all successfully eliminate it completely. Patients are much more likely to be bothered by it, and to seek treatment, if it appears in the fingernails. Complications beyond further involvement of other nails are rare, though there are some interesting studies of psychosocial impact. My wife, a nurse, has had a case for many years (the fungus, not the psychosocial impact). She has fought it down to a few small spots but can't seem to totally eradicate it. Other than minor annoyance it causes no problems.
Because I'm a dinosaur with a sock-draw full of cotton and only just heard of 'wicking' materials! ... thanks.
@Zero I only know because I run and have kids in sports, lol
I could see it. One day, I noticed my foot behind the affected toe was discolored; the entire area behind all the smaller toes was discolored, and the discoloration continued to spread in a triangle shape pointing toward my ankle. It was below the skin, so it wasn't anything like a rash. My foot had taken on a mottled tan color.
With my brother, he allowed athlete's foot to go without treatment, so that eventually it entered his bloodstream and caused all manner of problems, including eventually--dental problems. It got into his lungs. (This is over many years.) He was able to flush it out of his system eventually, but it took awhile to find a doctor to deal with it. He also had undiagnosed food allergies, which complicated the picture.
You can try the oregano oil, first, if you see no signs that the fungus has invaded your system.
I am currently taking this prescription medication for this problem. Not sure if it's available in your neck of the woods.
The Doc said it will take maybe six weeks to work. No visible improvement yet after about a week and a half.
I don't remember exactly what I used, but it was probably the same or similar. I just now looked up toenail fungus cures, and it said that Lamisil has the highest success rate of anything out there.