How to Treat Toenail Fungus?

Toenail Fungus

Fungal infection of toenails is a very distressing condition. The medical term for fungal infection of nails is onychomycosis. Sounds frightening, doesn’t it? The ongoing disease tends to cause physical, as well as psychological signs and symptoms. To avoid complications in the future, it is best to tackle the awful disease as soon as it occurs. People who suffer from onychomycosis look for the best nail fungus medicine far and wide. Although, it progresses slowly, the infection has a nasty habit of getting established firmly. If the conditions remain favorable for the fungi, it gets very hard to treat the infection.

What Causes the Fungi to Attack You?

A group of fungi called dermatophytes love humidity. They flourish in damp areas of your body that includes your toenails. When you wear dirty socks and shoes for long periods of time and use public showers and swimming pools barefoot on a regular basis, these fungi begin to flourish on your nails. There are other factors such as weakened immunity, injury to nails, dermatological problems and diabetes that make you prone to the infection.

Signs and Symptoms of Fungal Nail Infection

The most distressing symptom of the infection is not pain but the social stigma it carries. When the fungi colony grows, the following signs and symptoms occur:

• The infected nail appears grossly thick and coarse with a white, black, yellow or green discoloration.

• Within a few weeks, nails become very brittle and even break off completely.

• Adjacent skin becomes inflamed, itchy and painful.

• Foul odor

• Psychological trauma

• How to Tackle the Fungal Infection

Today we will tell you a bunch of tried and tested treatment options and nail fungus medicine that will help you cure the fungal infection beyond doubt.

Oral Medication

Whether you have a mild or severe fungal infection, the first-line treatment is oral medication. Follow your doctor’s prescription and finish the entire course. Its only disadvantages are a risk of allergic reactions and adverse effects to the drug.

Topical Agents

Application of anti-fungal cream or gel directly over the infected areas is a highly effective method to treat mild infections of the nails. You can either buy over-the-counter creams yourself or get a written prescription. However, for individuals with a severe infection, topical agents won’t be very beneficial.

Homeopathic Treatments

Although many people don’t opt for alternative medical options, homeopathic methods are known to be quite effectual. The idea of the therapy is to treat the disease with the sole use of naturally occurring substances rather than using pharmaceutical drugs. Examples include direct application of tea tree oil, oregano oil, aloe vera, witch hazel astringent and other natural materials on the infected nails.

Naturopathy

Naturopathic medicine is a type of alternative medicine that employs several natural treatments such as homeopathy, herbal medicine, acupuncture, diet planning and lifestyle counseling. If you follow a healthy diet, lead an active life and incorporate some home remedies to treat the fungal nail infection, your condition will definitely improve.

Source by Ginger Matthias