Toe nail fungus - successful treatment results

[MrBrown]

Hope I'm not grossing anyone...
Unfortunately I'm gradually joining a prestigious club of about 15% of the population that has this nasty thing (which BTW says nothing about one's hygiene).:doh:

There's so many treatment options out there from various prescribed medications (with side effects), Tea Tree Oil, laser, soaking your feet in Listerin for 1/2 an hour etc. ...
There's also an occasional offer on Groupon or one of those other soon-to-be-defunct services.


Unfortunately reviews/tips on the Internet can't be trusted as so many of them are actually sponsored by those trying to promote their own brand of magic solution!

Does anyone here know of proven/successful methods that people have used (and not ashamed to share).

Thanks!

 

[CJ Tylers]

Get the pills. You need a prescription, and it will cost $250 minimum. It's considered cosmetic, so you get no help on the price.

Follow the directions and keep in mind that the drugs are VERY hard on your internal organs, so NO alcohol or other bad things while they are in your system. Wham bam, thank you pharmaceuticals. It takes quite a while to clear... 3-6 months? Can't remember.

If that doesn't take care of all of it, the last remnants can some times be tackled with (and I kid you not) vicks vapour rub. Rub it all over the toe, and under the nail on the build up. Keep doing this daily until you see a change, or 3 months.

If you have a really bad infection, it might take multiple treatments of the pills. The vapour rub likely won't be able to help a serious infection. Also, if you don't see any improvement after 2 rounds of pills and the vapour rub, then you've joined the small percentage of people that are probably stuck with it for life. Congrats.

 

[diamondd5243]

That's gross!!

 

[MrBrown]

i literally tried every single home remedy including all the ones listed here, none of them did anything. you need to take the pills, they finally cleared up this nasty problem for me

Thanks CJ, Silklover, MissTanya, Zegna.
Situation not too bad so I'll give the over the counter thing I got a try... $40
Naturopath next I guess.
Pills last resort!

Agreed that there are worst things... and if anyone think they are immune from it, think again.
I always use flip-flops in public pools, showers etc. and still got it

 

[hopalongreen]

Get some bentonite clay from health food store. Make a strong mix with Vaseline apply to feet . Put on sock. Do this at night and during the day for quicker results. You will be amazed and happy. You have to buy way more than you need for your feet but experiment very useful stuff. Pass it on!

 

[hopalongreen]

Don't pass on the toe fungus!

 

[summerbreeze]

ozonated olive oil and ozonated water are options

probiotics are known to help as well (as well as bigger shoes)

 

[MissingOne]

A podiatrist once recommended a paste made from ground-up aspirin mixed with a bit of water, applied to the affected toe. She said it was less expensive than the over-the-counter stuff. She even "drilled" holes into the top of my toenail and applied the paste there.

I tried it for a while, but being fairly lazy, I eventually moved to some paint-on stuff that came in a bottle. Took a long time and a lot of diligence to get rid of the fungus.

I don't think I'd go for anything taken internally, except as a last resort.

 

[Chef99]

Years ago I used the pills, worked well but takes 3 months.
Another thing to try is Tinactin in cream form. Apply liberally twice a day on the whole area of the foot affected including toenail(s). After a couple of weeks you'll notice the new nail growing out without the discoloration and fungus....

 

[badbadboy]

The natural way won't help you at all. It may mask the symptoms but will still be there and come back later.

Get the prescription for the anti fungal.

I was fishing with a buddy last summer who had it. It was quite gross to look at and sitting across from him while fishing for the day didn't erase the memory. When I saw this thread, I phoned him up and eased into the question about his feet. He said it fully took 3 - 4 months for the fungus to go away. BTW he is really into natural medications etc and gave up after about 6 weeks of no results.

 

[vancity_cowboy]

tea tree oil works pretty good, but one site i found said that the 'roots' (not really roots but i can't remember the real name) extend into the flesh deeper than the apparently affected area. that's why it grows back sometimes. so in addition to the tea tree oil you need to get some long-chain oils in there as well that will absorb into the skin and choke the roots out, hence the olive oil previously mentioned. coconut oil works good too

i dunno but that's what the site said

 

[booblover]

a simple way i cleared mine up was twice daily applications of diluted bleach (10:1) to the nail with a Q-tip swab. Medical and dental offices have used this solution for many years to disinfect many different surfaces.

 

[newatit]

Laser treatment worked for me. One shot and it was gone. But the treatment recommended and you paid for three shots. I did the three to be sure a few months apart as recommended. That was five years ago and been clear since.
The pills can have serious side effects unless they have a new one.
The cost was about $600 as I recall but well worth it to avoid long term fussing and pills. The laser heats up the area under the toenail which kills the fungus. Each toe is done seperately and treatment lasts about half hour per treatment. Moderate discomfort for about a minute from the heat but no real hurt or pain in my case.
I read about the treatment in Palm Springs where they guaranteed one treatment cure but insisted on three overall plus application of a certain liquid between treatment. It was $2000 in Palm Springs and I wasn't going to be there the time period required.
I never used the liquid even though it was specified here. Still worked.

I read an advertisement in GS for a clinic on pender street and went there. PM me if u need more detail. I much prefer something non invasive than pills.
This wasn't covered under provincial health plan at the time. Not sure now?

A declaration of cure might take about a year to be certain it doesn't come back. You should sanitize yor socks and shoes and wear sandals if going to gyms etc. Family members can reinfect you in close quarters.

 

[CJ Tylers]

The serious side effects of the pills are pretty much limited to you not adjusting your dietary intake to account for the increased stress on your system. No alcohol means NO alcohol...that is, of course, if you like you liver.

Eat foods and take supplements to ease the stress on liver and kidneys. Stay off food that stresses either one. Make sure you talk with your doctor before hand, especially if you are on any other medications. The side effects can be avoided for most people, there's no need to go around scaring people for no good reason.

But, that is cool about the laser treatments. Definitely easier on your body, and less time consuming, if it works.

 

[newatit]

Yes but the doctor explained that but wanted to check the liver function before and after the pills and that made me think there was more concern than you mention. So I might have been biased too strongly. Yes you must give up alcohol but no need with the laser job. Not to say either treatment works for everyone but just be aware of the options. The FDA HAS APPROVED several laser devices for use. Here is part of an article "treatment. For example, Pinpointe™ laser refers to a clinical study in which 80% of all patients treated had nail clearing at 12 months after a single treatment. Since laser treatment of toenail fungus is a fairly new procedure, more studies are needed to get an idea of how it compares to other treatments.!"

I also found that some people don't tolerate the drug in question or may have drug conflicts.

Some one pm'd for the location of my treatment and it was on Pender street. A simple search for Vancouver toe fungus treatment will get you a lot of choices.

I don't want to appear to be selling this procedure but many of prefer the green route. Light as opposed to drugs.

 

[CJ Tylers]

Fair enough. It is hard on the liver, as I mentioned before. It's also the most cost effective treatment with the highest success rate for the majority of users. If someone has $600+ to blow on laser surgery that, like the pills, may or may not work... all the more power to them.

 

[HunkyBill]

a simple way i cleared mine up was twice daily applications of diluted bleach (10:1) to the nail with a Q-tip swab. Medical and dental offices have used this solution for many years to disinfect many different surfaces.

+1. However, some professionals recommend a 100:1 (try this route first).

Here is a guide:

First, it's a good idea to trim down the nail as much as possible, and even file it down from above so that you actually make the whole nail thinner. File it down as much as you dare. Most people recommend using very diluted bleach for toenail fungus - one tablespoon in a gallon of water - and soaking for 30 minutes daily. Even better, soak for 10-15 minutes morning and evening. Bleaching toenails in this gradual, gentle way will decrease the chances that you will irritate your skin with the solution.

Some people have used more concentrated bleach for toenail fungus: a one in four solution applied directly to the nail or undiluted bleach applied to the nail and washed off after three or four minutes. Some tough individuals have just applied undiluted bleach to nails daily and left it on. Keep in mind, however, that chlorine bleach is a hazardous chemical: it is corrosive, and will damage any skin that is exposed while you're bleaching toenails. In addition, the fumes from the chemical should not be inhaled. It is much safer to use a diluted solution.

If you decide to use bleach for toenail fungus, be prepared to set aside the time daily for a couple of months. It may even take longer than this. If bleaching toenails doesn't appeal to you, consider trying one of the commercial natural remedies for onychomycosis. They are more expensive than bleach, but less so than prescription drugs, and there is scientific evidence that some of them are effective against the fungus that infects toenails.

Another option is too soak in apple cider vinegar water mix. Unfortunately, I don't know the proportion or where I read that.

I do think that more than 15% of the population have toe fungus, especially women. Those who regularly wear pantyhose and stockings especially. I am sure many women paint their toenails for more than a fashion statement.

 

[booblover]

The odds are way higher for guys visiting incall locations where the bathtub, and slippers, aren't cleaned for long periods of time. If wives/gf's were smarter they would bust all the guys for having toe fungus....

 

[mimi]

My mum has this problem, really badly. I was pretty sad when I noticed my own toenails succumbing after the age of 50. It seems to be more prevalent in older people, but not all older people get it. I have seen beautiful toe nails and soft smooth skin on people in their 80s.

I read all the natural remedies and discussed the pill with the doctor; my family has a history of liver trouble, so I declined, and the doctor agreed...just live with it

So here is the funny thing...I started taking probiotics last year, particularly kefir milk which I make myself (ok...the kefir make it but I help)...about 4 or 5 months after I had begun that ritual I was inspecting my feet to see if my toenails on my big toes had grown at all, because their growth had slowed down substantially, and I saw that not only had they grown out, but there was no fungus left under the nail beds, and the hard callouses that were always growing up my heels were also gone, and my feet looked quite fantastic.

I googled the relationship between drinking kefir (not the supermarket kind) and the disappearance of foot fungus and found quite a few other people had experienced the same thing; also, those with chronic athletes foot found that it disappeared.

I guess it all has something to do with the bodies immune system, and the ability to ward off fungus; I have an autoimmune disorder, and so does my mom, so it makes sense.

Good luck with your feet...

 

[nstar]

I use straight apple cider vinegar applied with a Q tip to both my big toenails most mornings. It takes a while to clear as the toenail has to grow out (3-4 months) but the vinegar really seems to work for me.
nstar