Has your Toe Fungus Curled the Toenails on your Foot?

Toe or nail fungus is one of the most common foot related ailments in the U.S today. Well over 50% of the foot complaints that resulted in a visit to a medical doctor were for some type of fungus or toenail problem

The most common nail fungus infection called onychomycosis (Tinea Ingium), can infect and then destroy the whole nail without treatment. Treatment, contrary to many claims is NOT to cure the existing toenail. This is because nails, like hair are essentially non living tissue that cannot react to drugs or any curative treatment. A toe fungal infection, although related to Althlete's foot (Tinea Pedis) is very different.

Symptoms of a nail infection include discoloration, brittleness, disintegration of the nail and thickening of the nail material itself.

Treatment Options:

These include topical prescriptions treatments and drugs. You might expect them to be very effective based on price alone as they are very expensive. Unfortunately, there is only a 50-50 chance that any of these prescription options will result in a complete cure. The most popular oral medications with reported effectiveness also have the potential to cause significant toxicity and liver damage. To monitor these potential problems, a doctor will typically have blood tests done on a regular basis during treatment with these drugs.

Another problem with fungal infections is that they are considered chronic in nature. This means that once you get them, the likelihood is that you will get it again. Add to this the contagious nature of the illness and long terms containment and treatment options should be explored. A cost effective method needs to be identified to care for the infected toenails.

While there are many products on the market to treat toenail fungus, one natural remedy that's very popular, at least on many of the forums is the use of vinegar. The reason why vinegar is so popular is due to the belief that abnormal acidity in your body caused the fungus in the first place.

Another theory behind the vinegar treatment for toenail fungus is that fungus cannot live in a high alkali environment. This is where the real cure comes in. If you have a common form of onychomycosis the vinegar acts to change the environment making it less hospitable for the fungus to grow.

In the end, only you can determine what treatment option is right for you. Remember however that the most effective options are those that not only treat the fungus but also protect new, healthy nail as it grows so you can clip off the curled or damaged nail material