Is There a Natural Toe Nail Fungus Remedy?
Q: Help! I have ugly toenail fungus. I don't want to take an antifungal pill as I'm afraid of toxic side effects. Is there a natural alternative?
A: I see lots of toenail fungus in the office. It's a common problem that increases with aging!
The preferred conventional oral treatment is Sporanox pulse therapy daily for a week followed by a three week rest, repeated for three months. A clipped nail sample should be sent for culture before treatment. Expect a 60% to 70% cure rate. It's unsafe for people with heart disease, may damage the liver, and interacts with other drugs. So your doctor has to watch carefully!
Consider tea tree oil, a safe natural over the counter remedy. It's a powerful antibacterial and antifungal agent. Apply with a clean Q-tip twice a day. Use for three to six months. Be sure to keep your nails trimmed.
Tea tree oil may not have as high a cure rate as Sporanox and it's not as well studied…because it's not a drug! However, if it works for you, you're in business.
A safe but pricier topical treatment available by prescritpion is Penlac. Apply twice a day for eight to twelve months.
To prevent toenail fungus, avoid tight fitting shoes. Wear flip-flops in communal showers and dry thoroughly. Apply antifungal powder to soles of feet and in between toes.
About the author
Dr. Inglis works closely with his patients to help them take charge of their health and well-being without resorting to expensive drugs and dangerous surgeries.
He is currently the director of Integrated Health Solutions, and is on the board of NOAH - a wellness center in Great Barrington, MA.

Comments
Anonymous
Vick's Vaporub applied twice daily works. Put it on at night and put a plastic bag over your foot, then a sock over that.
George
This'll blow ya away, it did me. There's a web-site called ' Know The Cause' Hosted by Doug Kaufman. (www.knowthecause.com)
He also has a TV show on one of the Angel networks. I record his show so I can watch it later. So one day on a little side talk
he says to rub a little Vicks Vapor rub on your affected toes
and go on about your business. along with a wonderful Anti-Fungal diet. Until this year I ran around in socks because I
was absolutely embarrassed of my fungal toes. Doug stresses
that fungus is our most misdiagnosed health problem today.
His Phase 1 diet is a miracle in itself. Anyway there's my 2 cents
worth. Proof is in the pudding as we say.
Peace!
gp
Conservative Cowboy
I got rid of mine years ago quite by accident. My feet had become saturated with diesel fuel for several hours while I was working out in the oil field. However, after I got back to camp and washed up, I found all the fungus gone and the dead skin from my feet had sloughed off.
I've also used a water bath solution of Epson Salts and soaked my feet for 30 minutes, then dried them off and applied DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide), commonly available in most agricultural supply stores. After I dried my feet off and applied the DMSO gel (yes, it burns a little bit) and put on some old, clean socks overnight, the stuff was gone.
It also works practically overnight on severe cases of athlete's feet, jock rot, and a host of other ailments.
Anonymous
There are many things that help. Some can be considered a 'cure'. Tea Tree oil is good. Jonathan Wright recommends 'Quench'. A mixture of (I think it is myrrh and calendula in vinegar) is helpful. (though maybe just vinegar would help). The secret is to abrade the nail to the extent that you can reasonably endure so the 'medicine' can get through the nail to the problem area. You can do this with a small drill bit, turned in your fingers, with a nail file, or with a 'dremel tool' type device, (though the motor makes more heat, which perhaps will decrease the effectiveness, for you won't go so deep.)
Anonymous
Good comments. I feel that a cardinal error is treating a local problem with a systemic drug.
Cyrus
I agree, but there are any number of household toenail fungus
remedies and some of these are more effective than others.
However, as you might have already discovered, typical
household remedies can be of varying effectiveness when going
into combat against fungus
Brin @ toenail-fungusremedy.com
Jam
I agree, But there are many variety of toenail fungus cures that you can use with success. There are also quite a few toenail fungus cures that are not very effective.But what cures are the best to use when you want to get rid of that unsightly fungus?
Brin @ toenail-funguscures.com
Anonymous
Tea tree oil can be highly effective for nail fungus. You can check out more information on http://toenailfungustreatments.com/
Bob Mikel
Nothing works better than vicks vapor rub. It is inexpensive and works better than any prescription drug.
Verna Koster
Hi,
Another good topical remedy is oregano oil. I buy good quality (Nature's Sunshine) Oregano capsules and open them up and apply the oil. It works faster than tea tree oil and in my opinion works faster and more efficiently than anything else I have ever tried. It is also excellent for Athlete's foot and clears up virtually overnight.
Verna
Anonymous
I bought a small bottle of Oregano Oil at my local health food store for about $18.00. After every shower or bath thoroughly dry you toes then with a dropper apply a small amount to each affected nail and let the oil absorb into the nail's surface and surrounding cuticle. It took 6 months to completely cure my nail fungus. Before I began the treatment the nail one one of my big toes had even begun to lift and was somewhat painful. I had previously experienced varying degrees of fungus on several toenails for 8 years!
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