Nail Fungus Remedies

So many people complain about developing black toenail fungus. It’s unpleasant, it’s difficult to treat and contagious for the healthy toenails and fingernails. The black coloration of the toenails usually accompanies some sort of nail trauma that leads to bleeding or damage to the blood vessels under the toenail. Physical injury of the nail may thus result in the separation of the toenail from the toe itself, thus creating the right environment for fungal infections.

The black color of the nail is in fact clotted blood under the toenail. Mention must be made that the toenail is likely to fall and a new one will grow instead. But until this process is complete, you have to take extra hygiene precautions so that you don’t develop a fungal infection.

How to prevent black toenail fungus

Choose footwear carefully. Wear comfortable shoes that let your feet breathe. Sandals and clogs are not a good idea because the direct contact of injured skin with fungi in public places increases the risk of toe bed infection.

Wear cotton socks only. Don’t wear your shoes on bare feet.

Apply tea tree oil around the nail and under it so as to reduce the fungal infection if there is one in progress or to prevent fungi from sheltering under the nail.

Wash socks at high temperature, and regularly clean your footwear on the inside.

Treatment for toenail fungus infections

The pharmaceutical anti-fungal treatment represents the conventional medical approach to this health problem. Anti-fungal nail paints have to be applied for months on end, and it takes sometimes more than a year to see progress in the treatment. Unfortunately, the efficiency rate for black toenail fungus treatment is very low, not higher than 22%.

Laser therapy is in development against toenail fungal infections, but it still remains little accessible to the average sufferer because of the high therapeutic costs. Natural remedies nevertheless come in handier, and have a good efficiency rate.

Tea tree oil has a proven efficiency against many of the dermatophytes responsible for fungal infections of the nails. It can be used on the toenail, around and under it if possible.

Grapefruit seed extract enjoys a reputation as a universal anti-microbial agent, and it has been used successfully against toenail fungus as well.

Snakeroot leaf extract may treat superficial fungal infections, and its action is comparable to that of conventional medication such as ciclopirox.

Are natural treatments effective?

There is contradictory information on the Internet concerning the efficiency of natural anti-fungal agents. Now, the truth is camouflaged somewhere under all the informative levels. The curative effect may take longer to appear, but natural remedies do indeed work.

Those who are trying to convince you otherwise have their own agenda. Most probably they support some pharmaceutical product or medication. Like in any other health-related domain, drug companies have to tip the scales in their favor, hence you’ll come across discouraging bits of text telling you that “there is insufficient data to support the use of tea tree oil for the treatment of black toenail fungus”. Be smart! Try the natural remedy on your own, and with patience it’ll work!