A few years ago, one of my friends suffered from nail fungus. She wasn’t too happy since it meant she’d be hiding her feet behind closed shoes or attempting to mask the offending nail fungus with nail polish. Frustrated she asked me did I know of any holistic approach to treat her toenail fungus? I surely did.
Instead of posting everything within one post, I’ve decided to break it up into a series. In the first part, we’ll learn what nail fungus is, some of its symptoms, and ways we can prevent nail fungus from starting. In the second part of the series we’ll check out a few natural approaches that might help with the ugly nail fungus.
What is Nail Fungus?
Nail fungus or onychomycosis is a tiny organism that can affect the nails of the finger and toes. It’s a common condition that many people suffer from. Did you know that More than 35 million people suffer from nail fungus?
Feet are prime real estate for nail fungus
Our nails are the perfect spot for fungus. The sensitive skin of our fingers and toes are protected by our nails. This hard covering can make it difficult to get to the fungus. Fungus thrives in warm, moist, and dark places which is why you mainly see fungus on the toenails. Many of us have our feet hidden behind socks, nylons, and shoes for a good part of the day. Which can be the ultimate spot for nail fungus to hang out and party. Keeping our feet covered creates the perfect environment for nail fungus to thrive.
Naturally, some feet will be more attractive for fungus than others; I’ve decided to list a few things that might make your feet a high risk for toenail fungus.
Factors that can contribute to nail fungus
- Working in a humid or moist environment
- Improper ventilation of feet
- Walking barefoot in damp places (pools, gyms, & showers)
- Smoking
- Sweaty feet
- Artificial nails
- People with diabetes
- Family history of nail fungus
- Weak immune system (unhealthy eating habits)
Symptoms of Nail Fungus
- Brittle nails
- Thickened nails
- Distorted appearance
- Discolored nails
-Nails can turn brown, black, yellow, or green. This is caused by debris building up under the nail.
Fungus Prevention
- Antifungal Spray
- Don’t go barefoot in public
- Healthy diet
- Don’t trim or pick at skin around the nails.
- Choose your pedicure salon wisely. Make sure the salon sterilizes its instruments or bring your own.
- Ditch the nail polish and artificial nails.
- Wear appropriate socks and change socks daily.
- If possible, take your shoes off during the day.
- If you have nail fungus, wash your hands after touching the infected nail.
-If you have nail fungus it can be tempting to hide it under a coat of polish however this can prevent the fungus from healing and may increase the infection.
-Don’t forget germs can spread from nail to nail.
Be proactive, use a few of the fungus preventions suggested. This can be an extremely effective in keeping your toenails free from fungus. Not to mention a nice aromatherapy based spray will have your feet smelling good too.Stay tuned for the next part of the series where we’ll look at some holistic remedies that can be used for nail fungus.
What happened to my friend? The holistic remedies, combined with the tips I suggested for nail fungus prevention, was all that was needed to rid her toenail of the unsightly fungus. At times that’s not enough, in extreme cases surgery is needed.
Next in Series: Natural Remedies for Nail Fungus
© 2010, Opal. All rights reserved.
Other posts of the serie
- Natural Remedies: Minty fresh anti-fungal foot powder (August 23, 2010)
- Natural Remedies For Nail Fungus (August 19, 2010)
- Nail fungus: What is it? Can I eliminate it using natural remedies? (This post) (August 18, 2010)
ACK! I kind of have a thing for nice feet (don’t judge me) so toenail fungus is probably my worst nightmare.
Luckily I’ve never experienced this myself but I look forward to your next post just in case I do. Or I meet someone with a bad case of it.
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Moondancer Reply:
August 18th, 2010 at 12:00 pm
No judging @Wayne Howard,
There’s quite a few people that have a thing for feet. I personally know a few people like that.
LOL, I’ll be posting the next part tomorrow or the day after. The post is complete, just trying to decide when to post it. I have a few series post waiting to be published.
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This is a good post. I know a few people with this and I didn’t know what to tell them. Now, I’ll just send them your post and also share some holistic ways they can get rid of this nasty stuff.
The nails are a sign if someone is healthy or not.
Very informative post.
Take care!
-Evelyn
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Moondancer Reply:
August 19th, 2010 at 5:42 am
Hi @Evelyn,
I’m always happy to assist if I can, and always happy to learn from others too. I’ll always be a student who’s eager to learn new things.
You’re correct about the nails, it can be an indicator of your health. The foods we eat, has a huge impact on our health.
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Good tips. Yeah scary fungus there! I have lovely nails I try to take really good care of and hope to never get any of that stuff… my worst nightmare too!!
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Moondancer Reply:
August 19th, 2010 at 5:43 am
Hey @kaozz,
That’s great, same here my nails are fairly healthy. They grow like crazy too. I’m always cutting them to a manageable length. I like them long, but not “Flo Jo” long.
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One of my friends caught fungal infection just by using her sister’s clippers
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Moondancer Reply:
August 19th, 2010 at 6:56 pm
Hi @Michele,
Thanks for stopping by.
You’re correct, if you share items, you could possibly catch nail fungal infection.
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Is a picture really necessary? Seeing is believing huh?
I remember some years back when my pedicurist told me my nails were okay and sometimes they become discolored. I felt like I should check with a podiatrist anyway – he clipped some samples and put them in a little glass tube. If you ask me, he went into another room to dispose the findings. Opal, why did he return to send me to some big lab company or specialist, I really can’t remember what or who these people were to have a blood test done on my liver? Well, I didn’t know what one thing had to do with the other until he learned my liver could handle the medicine Lotriman. Let me tell you something, I don’t care if my nail looked like the one in this picture, you best believe there is no way I would take any medicine that required my liver be in a condition to handle it. What?! What is that! Anyhoo, the pedicurist turned out to be the one with the better judgment – it went away.
By the way, I used Listerine.
It works wonders. Thank God,
http://www.articlesbase.com/wellness-articles/listerine-toenail-fungus-cure-real-tips-2690557.html
Finally, there was no discoloration with my last mishap. Thank God again!
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Moondancer Reply:
August 19th, 2010 at 7:07 pm
Hey @Kissie,
You better believe it, not everyone knows what toenail infection looks like. When the situation arises, I usually try to include a visual image.
When I go to a site, I like it to be a one stop resource. With my websites, there’s a lot of information within interlinked throught the sites. Sometimes one articlea triggers me to write additional posts or pages. It can be helpful for the person reading the article, since they can refer to another post/page to receive additional information. For example this series has sparked a few more articles that are currently in draft mode, not sure when I’ll get around to writing them.
Good for you putting your foot down and saying no to the medication. It’s great that you were able t find a better source (in your case Listerine) to eliminate your fungal infection. Did you know some people use it as an insect repellent too?
I’ve heard people saying they’ve sprayed it around their patio. Let’s hope they’re not spraying it on themselves, lol.
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Kissie Reply:
August 20th, 2010 at 10:24 am
@Moondancer, Yes, here’s hoping.
I appreciate you breaking your posts/articles into parts.
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Moondancer Reply:
August 21st, 2010 at 6:09 am
Thanks @Kissie,
I’m trying to be good, and give my readers bite sized chunks, lol. Although I don’t mind a long read I know people at times don’t have the time to read that much information.
At times, my responses in the comment section can get long too. In those cases, I imagine I really should just turn them into a post.
Nail fungus is one of the health concern problem today, though it’s not major but it can be seen by many which is a big turn off to you, so depressing..
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