How to Treat Toenail Fungus with Folk Remedies

Currently, medicine has reached the point where any type of fungus can be dealt with with properly selected drugs. But many people don’t believe in science and prefer folk remedies to treat onychomycosis. But they got it wrong: illiterate treatments didn't eradicate the pathogens; at best, they slowed their growth slightly.If you want to use traditional medicine at home, it should only be used as an add-on to complex therapies and only after consulting a doctor.

Characteristics of fungi

The difficulty in treating foot fungus is that there are thousands of species of these pathogenic microorganisms in the world, many of which can successfully survive and thrive on human skin.Fungal spores are very tenacious and quickly take root in the epidermis and penetrate deeper into the skin; they can only be eliminated with drugs specific to their species.Furthermore, treatment cannot be interrupted until the pathogen is completely eliminated: even if only one spore survives, the probability of recurrence is high.So just seeing a doctor isn't enough; you'll also need to get tested to determine the type of foot fungus. Only in this case can a doctor prescribe the right treatment: even effective drugs for treating foot fungus will not be effective if they are designed to eradicate another pathogen, and the battle will continue for many years.These times can be significantly reduced if foot fungus is detected promptly and treatment of foot fungus at home is started immediately: in this case, the fungus can be eradicated within two months. Although the disease develops rapidly, it still leaves time for detection and countermeasures. Therefore, it is important to know the symptoms of fungal development to look out for.

disease symptoms

In the initial stages, when the fungus only affects the feet and toes, peeling and redness are observed where it has managed to gain a foothold. After a while, these areas become itchy and sometimes small blisters appear. These symptoms should not be ignored: you should see a doctor immediately. With proper treatment, the use of antifungal ointments and antifungal polishes can permanently eliminate foot fungus within two months.If this opportunity is missed and the disease is not treated, the next stage of damage to the nails will begin and the color of the nails will begin to gradually change, eventually turning yellow, green or even black, after which they will begin to peel, chip and move away from the fingers. In this case, simple ointments cannot treat it, and time must be invested in treating the deck.This means that the nail needs to be cut off almost to the root and the top layer of the affected plate must be filed off, and then an antifungal varnish needs to be applied to the nail, which has penetrated into the plate and will begin to destroy the fungal spores. When this varnish dries, it blocks air from entering the fungus, which is necessary for the pathogen to develop properly.If you miss this opportunity and do not start treating athlete's foot in time, longitudinal or wavy lines will appear on the nail plate, and the nails will be bent and deformed. Treating the fungus is most difficult at this stage, so it is necessary not only to apply creams and varnishes to the skin, but also to take pills that can cause digestive problems.This treatment is necessary because not only does the fungus spread to the skin of the legs, taking over more and more new areas, but its toxins enter the bloodstream and negatively affect the function of many organs and systems.

vinegar bath

Traditional medicine can also help combat the disease. But they must be used wisely or they may cause harm. Traditional methods can be used effectively when preparing the foot for medical treatment. First of all, this applies to bathing: before applying ointments or varnishes, it is necessary to steam the skin of the feet and use a pumice stone to remove as many peeling scales as possible.This will allow the treatment to penetrate the skin better and have a more effective effect on the fungus. To make them disappear more effectively, many reviews recommend applying water jelly to the affected areas twice a day.The simplest folk method, but according to reviews very effective, is a vinegar bath: an acidic environment negatively affects fungal spores, causing their death. When using this method, depending on the recipe, you need to mix 9% vinegar solution with very warm water in a ratio of one to eight (for men with rough foot skin and thick nails, you can use three to eight), and thenDip your feet into the water. Steam for about ten to fifteen minutes and then start caring for your skin.To treat foot fungus at home, you can choose a different sequence: first, simply steam your feet, trim as much of the affected skin as possible without damaging the feet, and then soak your feet in a vinegar solution. After the procedure, dry your feet and apply medications (ointments and varnishes).

For more effective results, take a bath with vinegar and celandine. To do this, pour two tablespoons of celandine into the water and boil it for about 15 minutes, let it brew, add vinegar before steaming the feet.

Other uses for vinegar

Another way you can use vinegar to treat foot fungus at home. If you suddenly find that you have suddenly run out of ointment against the fungus and have no way to get it, you can prepare a remedy based on it. This is necessary so that fungal spores do not feel "free" and become active again. It's true that it's not a panacea, so you'll need to buy what your doctor prescribes first.To prepare a remedy for treating fungus, you can use the following recipe: Mix a teaspoon of vegetable oil with an equal amount of vinegar, add the antifungal drug dimethyl phthalate, mix and apply to the affected skin. Afterwards, wrap your feet in plastic, put on clean socks, and the final product should be absorbed into your skin.You can also use another method to make compresses: mix three cups of white wine or one tablespoon of glycerin with two tablespoons of vodka and an equal amount of 70% vinegar to the vodka. After steaming and treating the feet, soak cotton wool in the product, apply it to the affected skin of the feet and wrap it in polyethylene. Do not leave it on for more than half an hour as the product is very concentrated. For the same reason, this method cannot be used where small cracks are present.

Benefits of Propolis

Many people claim that they have successfully eliminated fungus at home thanks to alcohol-based tinctures of propolis, which is considered a natural antibiotic and has fungicidal, bactericidal and bacteriostatic properties. Propolis relieves itching, stops the inflammatory process and prevents fungi from infecting healthy areas of the skin.To prepare your own alcohol tincture, you need to mix 20 grams of propolis with 80 ml of medical alcohol and let it soak for a week. To use propolis to treat foot fungus, you'll need to apply a cotton swab soaked in propolis tincture to the affected skin every day and secure it with a bandage. This should be done several times throughout the day.Propolis ointment helps remove fungus. To do this, melt 100 g of any fat (butter, petroleum jelly, pork or fish oil) in a water bath, add 30 g of crushed propolis and cook over low heat, stirring for about half an hour. After steaming your feet at night, stretch it tight and apply it to your skin (apply more often if needed). Keep refrigerated.

iodine and garlic

Another effective way to treat foot fungus at home is to use a 5% iodine solution. This can be used if for some reason antifungal varnish is not available. It's not an equivalent replacement, but it can stop and even destroy fungal spores. Therefore, it's best to buy an antifungal varnish every chance you get (if only because iodine won't harden and stop air from getting into fungal spores).To use iodine, you need to carefully treat the affected nail once a day for two weeks.Before doing this, do not forget to prepare the nail surface with a nail file so that the iodine has a chance to penetrate deeper into the plate. When using this method, it must be taken into account that a burning sensation may occur during the procedure.Garlic is good for fungi. It can be used in different ways: not only externally on the skin, but also taken internally (which helps strengthen the immune system). You can prepare garlic using various recipes.Pulmonary compresses can help treat foot fungus. To use this method, you'll need to mince a few cloves of garlic in a garlic press or grate them on a fine grater. After that, apply the paste to the nails, making sure that it does not stick to the skin, fix it with a bandage in two or three layers, wrap it with cellophane and put on cotton socks. You need to make a garlic compress in the evening, take it out in the morning, wash your feet with running water, apply antifungal cream and, if necessary, varnish.If you don't want to apply a fungus dressing at night, you can apply the paste to your nails after steaming and cleaning them. Leave on for 10-15 minutes until dry, do not walk during this time. Use this method two to three times a day.To treat fungus, use garlic tincture and alcohol. To do this, mix medical alcohol, pressed garlic juice and water in equal proportions. Leave it on for at least two days and treat your nails twice a day. How long it takes to cure foot fungus with garlic depends on how promptly you start treatment. Also, don’t forget to use antifungal ointments and varnishes.