How to cure athlete's foot at home with folk remedies

20 June 2022

Healthy Feet After Nail Fungus Treatment

Treatment of toenail fungus with folk remedies is effective in the initial stages of the disease. With more advanced forms, it's best to get advice from an expert.

Best way to treat toenail fungus

Few people know that with the help of vinegar, you can solve the rather tricky medical problem of getting rid of nail fungus. With vinegar (9% acid solution) and even vinaigrette (70% acid solution) available at hardware stores or in the market, there are many ways to treat toe fungus with this product.

Of course, self-treatment with vinegar should only be done if the condition has not progressed to an advanced stage, and it is recommended to use it in combination with specially designed medications. However, when onychomycosis is urgently needed, and there is no money, no time to see a doctor, and no medication, vinegar can be used alone, as long as the proper safety rules are followed.

Features of using vinegar to treat fungi

The main effect of using vinegar is to create an acidic environment in the area of fungal infection, preventing mycelial growth and spore spreading. Gradually, fungi that cannot obtain new sources of nutrition die, and the absence of more hardy spores prevents the possibility of disease recurrence.

At first glance, everything is simple - how to destroy bacteria with antiseptics. But in fact, this fungus is very tenacious because its body is not located on the surface of the nail or skin, but into the thickness of the tissue. In this regard, a positive outcome of the treatment of neoplasmosis can only be expected if the procedure is strictly regular, which does not leave the parasite time for recovery and penetration under the skin.

Before dealing with nail fungus, be sure to use a concentration of acetic acid that matches the concentration indicated in the recipe. If acetaminophen is mentioned in a formula, it means a 70% solution that must be dissolved or applied point-by-point. Food or vinegar contains 6% and 9% acid, respectively. Ignoring these data may result in treatment ending in chemical burns.

vinegar bath

A warm foot bath is considered an effective treatment against fungus, and regular use can get you rid of onychomycosis in its early stages without additional medication. Also, a vinegar bath is an excellent way to prevent fungal infections. The procedure requires warm water at about 50°C and a cup of 9% vinegar. The water level in the basin should not be high, only to the ankle. Immerse your feet in the solution and hold for 15 minutes.

Before the vinegar bath, it is best to perform a complete pedicure procedure, including removing the affected area of the nail plate and dead skin layers, calluses, and corns on the feet, but not applying a decorative coating to the nails. If you trim and file your own nails, then you need to be very careful, as tiny lesions on the skin can lead to the spread of fungal infections.

Dry your feet with a towel and put on cotton socks immediately after the vinegar bath. Repeat three times a week.

Acetic acid emulsion

Lotion on areas affected by fungus is best applied after a vinegar bath. For this, both pharmacy products and pure 9% vinegar are suitable, in which a cotton pad is dampened and applied to the nails for fifteen minutes.

For a more complex recipe: Mix equal parts vodka or 40 proof medical alcohol, glycerin, and 70% acetic acid until smooth. Place a cotton swab dampened with the solution on the affected area for fifteen minutes, then put on cotton socks. The course of treatment is one week and can be repeated after several days if necessary.

ointment

Vinegar-based ointments last longer and are more convenient to use than liquid consistency products. To make acetic acid ointment, it is necessary to take 70% acetic acid, dimethyl phthalate, glycerin and olive oil in a ratio of 2: 1: 1: 1. The ointment is ready to use after all ingredients are well mixed.

To prevent the spread of fungal infections and destroy their pathogens, you need to apply the ointment to the affected area with a cotton swab every day for 8-10 hours, then rinse with laundry soap. Not only can you use this formula to treat tumors on your toenails, but you can also treat affected fingernails.

Treating Toenail Fungus With Tea Tree Oil

How to use tea tree oil:

Soak your feet with tea tree oil. Pour warm water into a basin to ankle level, add 15-20 drops of essential oil and keep feet in it for twenty minutes, maintaining a high water temperature (45-50°C). The course of treatment is two months and requires daily bathing. During treatment, it is necessary to remove the affected area of the nail plate with a file, nail clippers or scissors.
Apply oil to the nail plate. If you don't respond to undiluted tea tree oil, apply it in its pure form to the affected area of your nails for a boost of impact. Beforehand, steam the legs in warm water to which laundry soap is added (can be ground up for better dissolution). Rub the oil into the nail plate twice a day with a cotton swab, no need to wash off the product.

How to cure toenail fungus fast?

In a book based on personal experience, Professor Neumyvakin describes the oral and topical use of hydrogen peroxide in the treatment of infectious diseases and other diseases. He mentioned hydrogen peroxide as a preventative agent with antibacterial properties.

Topical hydrogen peroxide to treat fungal infections is done after steaming the legs in warm water with dissolved soda at a rate of one teaspoon per liter. When the nail plate is soft, use a nail clipper to hold a small piece of the affected area of the nail, soak it in 3% hydrogen peroxide, and stick it to the nail plate. Leave on for 10-15 minutes on nails or 40 minutes to an hour on feet. Do this procedure twice a day until the symptoms of the fungal infection disappear.

To reduce peroxide evaporation and increase the intensity of the exposure, the lotion-coated nail plates are wrapped in plastic wrap. After exposure time, rinse toes and hands thoroughly with running water.

For both therapeutic and preventive purposes, it is recommended to inject hydrogen peroxide into the nail cavity 3 times a day.

Washing hands and feet with hydrogen peroxide (depending on the location of the onychomycosis) produces good results. Dilute 3% hydrogen peroxide in water at a rate of two tablespoons per liter of water at 40-50°C. The program time is fifteen minutes, and the regularity of the program is twice a week, twice a day.

In this recipe, negative redox dead water (also known as anolyte water) can be used instead of hydrogen peroxide. Anolyzed water is safe for sensitive skin, but has antiseptic properties that reduce fungal growth.

Effective treatment for advanced toenail fungus

This extreme method of treating fungal infections is used for severe lesions of the nail plate and must be used with caution so as not to damage the skin.

To get rid of fungus, the nails are treated with a rust inhibitor (available at auto parts stores). This product contains phosphoric acid, which can effectively destroy fungi, but if used carelessly, it will damage skin tissue. Therefore, during its use, be sure to observe safety precautions - work in a well-ventilated area, wear goggles and rubber gloves, and avoid contact with skin and mucous membranes.

A safer method is to use kerosene, which is also very penetrating and has a strong effect on fungi.

Other folk remedies for toenail fungus

A comprehensive treatment for toenail fungus using a hydrogen peroxide-based folk recipe can destroy the fungus and permanently eliminate unpleasant odors and other symptoms associated with it.

Two effective folk remedies against fungal infections:

Peroxide Recipe 1. To prepare the healing mixture, you will need cooking soda (0. 5 cup), hot water (4 cups), 3% hydrogen peroxide (0. 25 cup) and 1/2 cup magnesium sulfate or Epsom salts. Mix all ingredients thoroughly and pour in another quarter cup of vinegar. A cotton swab is soaked in the resulting solution and a patch is attached to the fungus-affected nail plate. You will need to change the bandage every ten hours for a month.
Peroxide formulation 2. The process for treating fungi according to this formulation consists of three stages. First, you'll need to prepare a solution for treating fungal-affected nails and skin surfaces - a 1: 1 mix of 3% vinegar and 3% peroxide. Treat feet with this mixture when it sizzles. The second stage is to dip the nail fungus-infected finger in an aqueous bleach solution for half a minute, then wash it thoroughly under running water and towel dry. Finally, apply an equal proportion of tea tree oil mixed with Vaseline to the nail plate. Put on warm socks or gloves (if this technique is used to treat nail mycosis). The course of treatment is one week.
Nocaine lotion. A very simple but effective folk remedy for fungus is neocaine lotion. We simply soak a piece of cotton wool with novocaine and apply it to the fungus at night. Just two of these lotions are enough to get rid of fungus permanently.
Apricot resin tincture: Take 1 tablespoon of resin from the tree and pour it into a cup of vodka for three days. Lubricate the skin of your feet and nails with this solution. Shake well before each use. It took us a month for the treatment and the affected nails were clipped as they peeled off and new, healthy nails grew. After examination, the doctor confirmed the fact of recovery. In this case, I can also recommend using old, thickened sunflower oil.
Garlic application: I take a clove of garlic, squeeze it out with a garlic press, apply it to the nail, cover it with cellophane, then bandage it or place it on the fingertip. I left the bandages in the morning and I felt a throbbing pain like an abscess for the first few days, but I had to live with it. Repeat these procedures every day and new nails grow.
Strong coffee. Few people know that plain but strong coffee is a very good folk remedy for fungus. To make your coffee stronger, simply dip your hands or feet into the cup, depending on where you have the fungus. This procedure is best done at night before going to bed. After several such nighttime procedures, the fungus was completely gone. At the same time, the skin becomes smooth and the pain disappears quickly.

What Causes Nail Fungal Infections

Nail fungus, or onychomycosis as medically known, is a disease in which parasitic fungal microorganisms cause damage to the nail plate and adjacent areas. This is one of the subspecies of fungal disease. Onychomycosis is the most common if we take into account all the diseases that only the feet can suffer from.

It can be caused by several groups of fungi:

Epidermal fungi;
Dermatophytes;
Microsporidia.

You can get the infection in a public place with too much humidity. This includes bathrooms, steam rooms, swimming pools, beaches.

Wooden objects (benches, sunbeds, etc. ) are widely used here. Because of the porosity of wood, fungi are difficult to kill there.

In addition, doctors differentiated between several risk groups. For people who fall into one of these categories, the likelihood of infection increases dramatically.

it:

the elderly;
Cancer patients receiving chemotherapy;
after a course of antibiotics or steroids;
HIV infection;
Diabetic patients.

It's not always possible to get rid of the disease quickly. The cure rate depends on the species of parasite that caused it, the stage of development of the disease, the area of the lesion, the presence of complications and accompanying diseases, and the general condition of the body.

Symptoms of Onychomycosis

The damage to nails by parasitic fungi cannot be ignored. The symptoms of the nail plate vary significantly and boil down to the following points.

Lose natural luster, transparency.
Colors are changing. It can be pale yellow, brown, white, blue, green, gray.
Rough surface appears.
Streaks, spots and thickening are clearly discernible.
Delamination was observed.
The nail bed has fallen off.
Different areas are painted and broken.
The surrounding tissue may become red, swollen, and itchy.
Pain.
Feet give off an unpleasant odor.

Still, self-diagnosing can be difficult. In the early stages of development, the symptoms of onychomycosis are similar to those of some other lesions:

Injury to the nail area;
age modification;
nail peeling;
Nail psoriasis;
paronychia;
Pseudomonas A.

How To Get Rid Of Toenail Fungus Fast With Folk Remedies And Medicines

You should be realistic and understand that fungal infections of the nails and nail area will not be treated within a week. According to doctors, the healing period can last anywhere from 6-8 weeks to 6 months, sometimes 8-12 months.

It depends on many factors, as well as nail growth activity. In the hands, the process takes place much faster than in the legs, so the treatment here comes earlier.

The best and fastest positive results can be obtained if you follow the recommendations below.

Multiple treatments are used in the complex. Don't rely on the effectiveness of any one miracle cure. Combining pharmacological preparations with traditional prescriptions.
Treatment should be aggressive, but mild aggressive medications usually used for therapeutic purposes should not affect healthy areas of the body close to the affected area.
Strict observance of hygiene requirements so that the fungus does not spread and also avoid re-infection soon after healing. And this possibility is very high.
Note that the affected extremities are dry. Remember that humidity and heat are ideal conditions for the fungus to thrive.
Eliminate all causes of onychomycosis and eliminate them.
Every day, carefully but as much as possible cut off the edges of the growing nail affected by the disease. If possible, the pathological activity of pathogens is very effectively inhibited by the procedure of laser irradiation.

medicine

Means of acting on pathogens are generally divided into three subgroups based on the active ingredient. Each of them has topical ointments and pills for general effects on the entire body in their arsenal.

It should be remembered that the latter has an extensive list of side effects. Therefore, you should not prescribe medication yourself. To minimise the risk, you need to check to determine which fungal species are causing the disease and take 'targeted' drug action.

Antifungal Subgroups

azoles. They are based on triazoles or imidazoles, and their derivatives. Depending on the concentration, they exhibit bacteriostatic or fungicidal effects. They are effective against mold and yeast-like fungi.
Allylamines. The active ingredient may be terbinafine, naftifine, butinafine. They are able to stop the growth of fungi and are also anti-inflammatory.
other medicines. They act on the basis of flucytosine, morpholine, griseofulvin, chloronitrophenol additives. They are characterized by a narrow range of activity against certain types of fungal pathogens.

external funding

At the beginning of the development of onychomycosis, one should only resort to ointments. Tablet antifungals are given only if they prove ineffective.

Difference between cream and ointment:

have a direct effect on the disease;
relatively harmless;
have fewer contraindications;
Adverse reactions are limited.

If you contract the disease early in your development, it's possible to deal with it within a month.

Use of tablet

For a systemic effect on the entire body, doctors prescribe oral tablets. Broad-spectrum medications are prescribed.

Based on fluconazole. Taking it once a day is enough. Funding is well tolerated. In rare cases, intestinal disorders and body rashes may occur. The course of treatment can be 1-4 weeks.
Based on terbinafine. Can accumulate in the skin and its stratum corneum (hair, nails). The course of treatment is at least 6 weeks. 1 tablet per day is required. This medicine is not for use in young children, pregnant and breastfeeding women. It can cause migraines, muscle and joint pain, allergies, anorexia.

All medications for fingernail fungus should be taken after consulting a doctor.

How To Treat Toenail Fungus At Home With Folk Remedies

First of all, you should strictly follow all medical advice, do not skip the medication to end the treatment, and do not interrupt the course of treatment after the elimination of particularly annoying symptoms.

In addition, you will also need:

frequent use of local bathrooms;
The use of specialized varnishes to stop the spread of the fungus and also has a therapeutic effect;
daily removal of the protrusions of the growing nails affected by the disease;
Use special tools to soften the nail plate to remove it;
Evaporate hands or feet to dryness before using topical preparations;
Take steps to prevent infection at home.

special paint

Lacquer has many advantages. The active ingredients penetrate well deep into the affected nails, but at the same time they harden without leaving marks on clothes, sheets, shoes.

The hardened layer reliably blocks the oxygen supply to the pathogens, thereby preventing their movement. But varnish products are only effective in the early stages of onychomycosis.

You should use your local warm bath before applying varnish. Soaked plates that have been infected with fungus are cut to the maximum and treated with a file or other grinding device. surface dry

Lacquer is recommended to cover healthy nails. The process is repeated every night for a long period of time - from a few months to six months.

Surgeon's help

Parts and entire boards can be removed. But this does not guarantee complete remission of the disease. The possibility of further spread of the fungal infection is very high.

After surgery, the finger heals for a long time. Also, suppuration may develop. Newly grown nails may be deformed. The preferred alternative to this method is laser therapy.

traditional medicine

For the treatment of nail fungus, use the following remedies:

garlic. Apply garlic porridge to nails. A fixation bandage is placed on top. Repeat the process every night. You can also use squeezed garlic juice mixed with alcohol in equal parts. Treat your nails with the resulting lip balm twice a day.
Bitchy. Acetic acid acidifies the environment, inactivating pathogens. The tool lubricates damaged nails on a daily basis. You can use a vinegar compress. To do this, dip a cotton piece in vinegar and fix it on the desired finger on the affected area. The compress withstands overnight, removes in the morning.
peroxide. Like vinegar and other similar products, apply directly to nails or cotton swabs. Peroxides act as preservatives.
Alcoholic solution of iodine. They can cover the nail plate, including healthy ones, 1-2 times a day. Also, iodine supplements are suitable for any bath. To do this, just add a few drops of product.
Propolis tincture. It can be used as a lotion or injected into a topical bath on the hands or feet. The compress stays on the nails overnight. You can prepare an ointment which is a mixture of propolis and butter. The composition is superimposed on the gauze and placed on the desired area. Agents are reserved for 10 hours.
Remedies from burning vegetables. For the treatment of onychomycosis, onion or horseradish are suitable. They have antibacterial activity. Herbal products are used in the form of porridge. You can also mix liquid pomace with butter or refined chicken fat to make an ointment.
Basic extract. These funds are anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and regenerative. To prepare a topical bath or as part of a compress mix, oil can be used:

cedar;
tea tree;
rosemary;
Lavender;
Fir and a few others.

Essential extracts are mixed with petrolatum in a 1: 1 ratio. It should rub onto damaged nail plates. In this case, the remedy will have a stronger effect if the nails are pre-steamed.

Precaution

The risk of re-infection with the fungus after getting rid of the disease is very high. So you need to clearly follow simple rules:

maintain foot hygiene;
Get rid of shoes, towels and socks used during treatment;
avoid sharing these things with other family members;
Avoid excessive wet feet, use talcum powder;
Treat the inner surface of the shoe with an antiseptic.

Don't forget that all nail fungus medications are taken after consulting a doctor.