Onychomycosis, or toenail fungus, is one of the most common infections we can experience. It is an unsightly infection, causing your nails to turn brown or yellow.
You also may notice inflammation, soreness, and thick toenails as the infection spreads.
There are many prescription and over-the-counter antifungals that doctors tend to recommend. Unfortunately, these medications can cause unpleasant side effects including nausea, vomiting, and other skin problems like jaundice.
Effective, at-home remedies that can help without the risk of side effects are available. Regardless of the time of year, no one likes to deal with toenail fungus. The following remedies may help.
Make Your Vicks VapoRub Pull Double Duty While Soothing Your Toes
Vicks VapoRub isn’t just for coughs and cold; it’s a great antifungal treatment. Popular YouTube channel Natural Health Remedies discusses the many benefits to using Vicks as an antifungal treatment. A complete lack of any negative side effects is top on their list.
Most people notice results in as little as 10 days, though it can take up to six weeks. After about five months, most people find the fungus is completely cured. One study found that using Vicks was as effective as many other prescription treatments.
This video explains how to prepare your foot for application. Natural Health Remedies makes it easy to figure out the best way to clean and cut your nails. They also demonstrate in detail the best way to apply Vicks to your clean foot.
Lower Your Cholesterol And Beat Your Foot Fungus With Olive Leaf Extract
Experts like Dr. Jeffrey Dach advise taking olive leaf extract for its many health benefits. It has the power to lower your cholesterol levels and improve the look of your skin and hair. Olive leaf extract is also a powerful anti-fungal.
In fact, many experts have nicknamed olive leaf extract “nature’s antibiotic” because of its ability to treat a variety of conditions. Lowering cholesterol is its most famous effect, though it can even help prevent the common cold.
You can find olive leaf extract in capsule form at almost any health food store. Taking it once a day can prevent many conditions from occurring, including toenail fungus.
Experts suggest increasing it to twice a day to defeat fungus if it reappears.
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Kill The Fungus And Rest Your Feet With An Apple Cider Vinegar Soak
If you are on your feet frequently, a foot soak can be incredibly soothing. Adding apple cider vinegar can help your foot bath pull double duty. You can rest your toes while fighting fungus.
Susana Home Remedies, a popular YouTube channel, tried an experiment with apple cider vinegar. She gave herself a 30-minute foot soak one night a week, using the formula described in her video. This solution killed foot fungus quite effectively.
It is a soothing way to end your day and help maintain your foot health at the same time. You can also add a bit of lavender to the mix for a relaxing scent.
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Coconut Oil Can Kill The Fungus And Improve Your Skin’s Health
Another at-home remedy that improves the look of your skin while beating foot fungus is coconut oil. In fact, fitness expert Yuri Elkaim recommends that every home has coconut oil on hand for this very reason.
His website is filled with tips on how to include coconut oil into your diet on a regular basis. The easiest suggestion on his list involves replacing butter with coconut oil.
Putting it on bread and popcorn is a great and tasty way to sneak it into your diet.
Simply apply coconut oil directly to the affected area. You will notice a fast improvement without any negative side effects.
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Don’t Throw Out Your Stale Garlic – Use It To Treat Your Toes Instead
Once your garlic goes stale, it’s pretty much useless, right? Not if you repurpose it to treat your foot fungus. Garlic has strong antifungal properties and can penetrate affected areas in a way that creams can’t beat.
Garlic is the perfect treatment for toenail fungus because it has no side effects. Even the scent left behind after treatment is easy to get rid of by simply rinsing your foot.
Health and wellness site LiveStrong recommends moistening the area with a warm cloth first. Your pores will open making the fungus more susceptible to the garlic treatment. Use about one clove of garlic per affected toe for optimal results.
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Snakeroot Extract Is An Incredibly Easy Treatment To Try
The Mayo Clinic recommends patients with toenail fungus try snakeroot extract. They site a study of 110 people which found that it was as effective as a popular prescription drug.
Snakeroot extract is easy to find and even easier to apply. All you have to do is rub a small amount at designated times over the course of three months. At the end of that regiment, the fungus should be gone.
The participants of the study used this product as follows:
• Once every three days for the first month
• Twice a week for the second month
• Once a week for the third month
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Tea Tree Oil Acts As Both An Antiseptic And An Anti-fungal Agent
Tea tree oil is another one of nature’s amazing miracles. This oil is the perfect antiseptic, capable of cleaning a wound without causing any additional pain. Researchers have also found that it is perfect for treating nail fungus.
Dr. Andrew Weil, an expert in health and wellness, almost always recommends tea tree oil as a first step. In most cases, consistent application of this oil as the nail grows will eradicate the fungal infection.
Tea tree oil is available at almost every health and wellness store. You can use it to disinfect as well as treat fungal infections in the feet or hands.
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Channel Your Inner Child And Stomp Your Feet In Mush
Did you know that a mush foot soak is one of the best ways to treat toenail fungus? It sounds juvenile, but making a mush and wiggling your toes in it can often cure fungal infections. Cornmeal, an anti-fungal agent, is the main ingredient in mush.
The easiest way to make a mush is to mix an inch of cornmeal with about 10 cups of water. Allow this solution to set for about an hour and then pour about an inch of water on top. Soak your feet for 30 minutes twice a day to eliminate or prevent toenail fungus.
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Raid Your Cupboard And Treat Your Fungus
Baking soda is one of the most versatile kitchen staples ever invented. There are so many uses for this handy product and nearly everyone has some in their home. It is non-toxic and has zero negative side effects regardless of use.
The fact that it is incredibly safe is one of baking soda’s biggest selling features as a natural remedy. When it comes to treating nail fungus, baking soda’s power can’t be beaten.
All you need to do is make a paste using baking soda and water. Rub the paste on the affected area daily for about two weeks. You should see an improvement in just a few days.
Use Everyday Vinegar For A Cheap And Effective Solution
Treating your nail fungus may be as easy as combining vinegar and water. Dr. Oz recommends preparing a bath consisting of 2 parts vinegar and 4 parts water. Adding a bit of thyme oil can also prove to be very soothing.
Warm water does work best for this type of treatment. If your feet are particularly sore, you may want to add some Epsom salts to the mix. Avoid using cold water where possible as it does not stimulate the vinegar in the same way.
There are a few other things Dr. Oz recommends trying in addition to using this treatment once per day. The first is to wear flat shoes until the fungus is gone. Secondly, he advises people to wear synthetic socks, to ensure sweat does not gather near the toes.
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Get Rid Of That Nast Toenail Fungus Today!
The remedies listed above are the most common and effective ones available. Using everyday, household items to treat medical conditions is not new.
Many cultures have used the remedies listed above to treat nail fungus for centuries. Other people stumbled on more modern remedies by accident, but have found success with these alternate uses of current medication.
Remember you do not have to try every home remedy at the same time. In fact, it is often best to tackle the issue of toenail fungus using one cure at a time.
This can help you figure out which ingredients work and which do not. If possible, keep a list of which remedies you tried and the results they provide.
To ensure maximum success, try using the remedy you find most appealing first. We all have restrictions placed on our time and finances.
Look for the remedy that is easiest to incorporate into your life and try it first. If it fails, you can always try another item on the list.