Onychomycosis (nail fungus) is one of the most common infections on our planet. He watches us in the bath, in the pool, during the pedicure procedure in the beauty salon, on the beach and during the fitting in the shoe store. The disease develops rapidly and very soon affects not only the nail plates, but also the skin areas surrounding them. While it is still possible to treat nail fungus with folk remedies, it is important not to miss the onset of the disease.
The treatment of fungal diseases in general, and onychomycosis in particular, still remains one of the most complex and unsolved problems in medicine. Every third inhabitant of our planet suffers from this disease (according to WHO).
Symptoms of the disease
It is impossible not to see this disease even in the earliest stages of development. This greatly simplifies the diagnosis and allows to start the treatment of the pathology in time. First of all, the color of the nail begins to change: from pale pink to yellow, brown and sometimes black. Other typical symptoms of this disease are:
- itching of the skin around the nail;
- grooves, spots or inclusions in the nail plate;
- pain;
- peeling of the nail;
- bad smell;
- separation of the plate from the nail bed;
- In soft tissues, a white coating appears under the nail plate.
How does the infection occur?
Nail fungus is possible in people with weakened immunity and age-related skin changes. The risk of infection increases significantly in patients suffering from diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and thyroid gland. At the first signs of infection, you should immediately consult a doctor to make a diagnosis and start treatment. Otherwise, the infection will spread to other areas. All family members of an infected person are at risk. You should stop walking barefoot during treatment. When taking a shower, it is necessary to strictly observe simple hygiene rules (rinse the bath thoroughly after yourself, use a personal towel).
Is it possible to get rid of nail fungus with folk remedies?
This is a very common question. Yes, it is not difficult to do this in the early stages of the disease. The situation is worse with an advanced form, where the disease can seriously damage health:
- weaken the immune system;
- causes an allergic reaction;
- causes exacerbation of chronic diseases.
Witch doctors and healers know how to treat toenail fungus with folk remedies. Of course, it will not be possible to eliminate the problem quickly (in a few days), but still there will be a positive result. Traditional medicines are divided into two groups:
- for internal use - teas, tinctures, decoctions;
- for external use - solutions, compresses, ointments.
By combining these methods, you can get rid of the disease and restore your health. Below we will describe how to treat nail fungus at home using folk methods.
Preparations based on celandine
This plant is well known not only to experts in the field of herbal medicine, but also to ordinary city dwellers: many have seen small bushes covered with small yellow flowers near houses and roadsides in the spring. But not everyone knows that the plant has disinfectant and wound healing properties. It is also used to treat nail fungus. It is often used in the form of celandine tincture. It is also possible to use pure plant juice.
Fresh Juice
The simplest way to use celandine is to lubricate the damaged nail plate and cuticle with plant juice three times a day. Treatment lasts a week.
Vodka tincture
Wash and dry the celandine grass well, chop it and put it in a glass jar. Fill the raw material with vodka (1: 2). Close the jar tightly and put it in a dark place for two weeks. Tincture is taken according to the following scheme: in the first three days - 3 drops diluted in ½ glass of water. Then every day the dose increases by 1 drop. When it reaches 20 drops, it is gradually reduced to three.
Celandine and calendula
How else to treat nail fungus? Folk remedies, for example, celandine and calendula, are very effective in the fight against this pathology. Add two drops of calendula and oregano tincture to one teaspoon of celandine juice. Add 4 tablespoons to the resulting mixture. l. waterThe composition is applied to the affected nail plate three times a day.
Vinegar in the treatment of fungus
Healers claim that vinegar can help cure nail fungus. Folk remedies based on this may be different. Next, let's look at some popular recipes.
Vinegar essence
Treat the affected nail plate with 70% acetic acid. However, this rather aggressive method is not suitable for people with heart and blood vessel disorders, allergic reactions to this substance and hypertension.
Eggs and vinegar
Perhaps this is the most common folk method of treating nail fungus, it allows you to quickly get rid of the pathology. To prepare the medicine, you need apple cider vinegar and a chicken egg, preferably homemade. Pour vinegar into a 200 ml glass container, put an egg in it and put it in a dark place. When the egg is completely dissolved, remove the remaining film, pour the resulting mixture into another glass container, add a teaspoon of butter (teaspoon) and mix thoroughly.
Steam your feet, apply the product to the affected areas, cover with a bandage folded several times, wrap with plastic wrap and tighten. After 12-14 hours, the nail will be lifted and softened. It should be cut with pre-disinfected scissors. The procedures are repeated until the symptoms of the disease disappear.
Ointment
Mix one part of glycerin, o-phthalic acid dimethyl ester, olive oil with two parts of acetic acid (70%). The ointment is applied to the affected nails for 8-10 hours. It is recommended to carry out the procedure before going to bed.
Foot baths
Table vinegar (200 ml) is added to water heated to 50 ° C. Its level should reach the ankles. Your feet float in this solution for a quarter of an hour. The procedure is performed three times a week.
The use of iodine
Many people are interested in how to quickly cure toenail fungus with folk remedies. At the beginning of the article, we said that a positive result can be achieved only in the initial stage of the disease. Onychomycosis can be treated using ordinary iodine. This is a convenient but painful procedure, preferably performed on weekends.
Steam well and dry your feet. Lubricate infected nail plates with iodine, press into cracks until absorption stops. After a while, you will feel a strong burning sensation that you have to endure. If the discomfort is unbearable, lower your feet into a pool of cold water. One procedure is enough for treatment at the beginning of the disease.
Baking soda
Traditional methods are often used to treat onychomycosis. How to treat nail fungus with baking soda? The powder is used for hot baths at the rate of two spoons per three liters of water. To make the procedure more effective, add half a spoon (teaspoon) of grated laundry soap to the water. The procedure lasts at least a quarter of an hour. After finishing, your feet should not be wiped: let them dry naturally. Then you need to wear cotton socks. For complete treatment, such procedures should be carried out every three days for a month.
Essential oils
Many people say that it is quite difficult to treat toenail fungus with folk remedies if the disease has progressed. Healers believe that essential oils cope well with this task. They are comparable to expensive antifungal drugs in terms of effectiveness. In addition to the antifungal effect, oils have many useful properties:
- cleaning;
- restorative;
- anti-inflammatory;
- bactericidal.
Essential oils not only destroy fungal cells, but also restore the normal condition of the nail plate. For the treatment of nail fungus, these tools are used in various procedures:
- Compresses.Heat the tea tree oil to 30 ° C and dilute it with two teaspoons of hot water. Soak a cotton pad in the resulting mixture and put it on the nail plate for an hour. After the procedure, it will be soft and flexible, which will allow you to cut it.
- Baths.Pour three liters of boiling water into the basin, pour ylang-ylang essential oil, add rosemary or lavender (10 drops). Soak clean feet in the solution for a quarter of an hour. After the procedure, wrap your feet with a warm towel for a quarter of an hour.
- Use in its pure form.If there are no allergic reactions to the oil, you can use it to lubricate the nail plate, previously steamed in hot water with 72% laundry soap. Soak a cotton swab in the oil and apply the oil on the affected nails. It should not be washed.
Propolis tincture
There are many traditional methods for treating nail fungus. A universal and safe remedy is propolis, or rather, its alcohol tincture. The drug has fungicidal, wound healing and bacteriostatic properties.
With onychomycosis, propolis does not allow the pathogen to reproduce. According to reviews, itching and inflammation disappear after several procedures. Gradually, the affected nail is replaced by a healthy one. There are several ways to treat pathology with propolis:
- A piece of propolis is applied to the affected nail, previously evaporated in a solution of potassium permanganate for half an hour. The procedure should be carried out twice a day for a month.
- Moisten a cotton pad with an alcohol solution of propolis (20%) and apply it to the nail plate, cover it with dry cotton wool. Wrap your finger at the end of the procedure. The bandage can be removed after a day and the softened nail can be removed.
Tea mushroom
The healing properties of this unique remedy are used in the treatment of many infectious diseases. You can use this folk remedy to treat nail fungus. Use it as follows:
- separate a thin layer from the fungus, soak it in water for an hour, then apply a piece to each affected nail;
- cover the compress with plastic wrap and put on wool socks;
- Leave the compress overnight.
The procedure, which may feel burning and itching, is repeated every two days until the symptoms of the disease disappear.
garlic
Many patients are interested in whether folk remedies can cure nail fungus. Most of the remedies are always available in every home. For example, garlic, which is no less effective than special antifungal drugs.
- Pour a glass of apple cider vinegar over a clove of garlic in a glass jar with a lid and put it in a dark place for two weeks. The finished composition is applied to the nails affected by the fungus in the evening, a gauze bandage is applied on top and left until morning. Treatment continues until the symptoms of the pathology disappear.
- Squeeze the juice of five cloves of garlic. It should be diluted in 30 ml of boiled water. This product is used to lubricate painful nails, which must first be steamed and dried.
Hydrogen peroxide
How to quickly treat nail fungus with folk remedies? Traditional healers claim that there are methods that help to get rid of the disease in a very short time. These include preparations based on hydrogen peroxide. It can be used in different ways and in different combinations:
- A mixture of several products.Dissolve 1/2 cup baking soda, quenched with vinegar, 1/4 cup hydrogen peroxide, and 1/2 cup magnesium sulfate in four cups of water. Apply a cotton swab dipped in this mixture to the affected nail with a bandage. The bandage remains on the damaged area for 10 hours. Then it is replaced with a new one. Treatment lasts 10 days.
- Peroxide and vinegar.Mix equal parts peroxide and 6% vinegar. Dip your fingers in this mixture and keep it until it sizzles. Then the feet are washed with warm water and tea tree oil mixed in equal parts with Vaseline is applied to the dry nails. This procedure should be done every day for a week.
An anesthetic based on procaine
Yes, this is not exactly a folk remedy, but it would be a mistake not to mention it in this article. Cotton swabs are moistened with anesthetic and attached to the affected nails. Some patients claim that this simple method can get rid of the fungus in just two procedures.
Herbs
How else to treat nail fungus? Folk remedies based on herbs and medicinal plants have a disinfecting and anti-inflammatory effect.
Recipes:
- Mix equal parts of wormwood, burdock leaves and chamomile flowers. Pour a spoon (tablespoon) of the mixture with a glass of boiling water. After 20 minutes, when the composition has cooled slightly, soak your fingers for 15-20 minutes.
- Chamomile flowers, oak bark and calendula should be taken in equal proportions. Pour three spoons of boiling water (one liter) from the mixture. Leave the mixture for half an hour. Then add a spoonful of sea salt to the broth. Put your feet in. The procedure lasts a quarter of an hour.
- Blackberry leaves, verbena grass, horsetail, calendula flowers and oak bark are crushed and mixed in equal parts. Pour a spoon (teaspoon) of the mixture into boiling water (200 ml). Put the container with the plant mixture in a water bath for a quarter of an hour. Strain, cool and moisten cotton pads with the resulting broth. They are applied in the form of lotions to painful nails at night.
- Gently beat the burdock leaf with a spoon to extract the juice. Sheets are placed on the nail plate, the finger is wrapped and a sock is put on. The bandage should be changed every 12 hours. Continue treatment for 10 days.
- Kalanchoe and golden mustache leaves should be made into a paste. The mass is applied to the infected surface and fixed with a bandage. In the morning, remove the bandage and wash your feet with warm water. Treatment is carried out until the symptoms disappear.
- Pour 150 ml of vodka with 10-15 g of lilac flowers. The raw material is brewed in a dark place for two weeks. Wipe the damaged nail plate with the prepared tincture twice a day for a week.
Mushroom in advanced form
If the nail is completely yellow, does not fit firmly on the nail bed, splits, the nail folds are red or damaged, this indicates that the nail fungus has progressed. It is impossible and ineffective to treat this form of pathology with folk remedies. In this case, alternative medicine is used only as a supplement to drug treatment.
Affected nails are washed with tar soap at night. Sprinkle salt on top and wrap with a sterile bandage. In the morning, remove the bandage and wash your feet with warm water. Repeat the procedures for at least a week.
Disease prevention
If you are an opponent of traditional medicine or if you cannot buy pharmaceutical drugs for some reason, you can try to cope with the disease with folk remedies. In this case, it is necessary to treat nail fungus when the first signs of the disease are detected.
Prevention of this pathology is no less important. The causative agent of onychomycosis is ineffective against conventional disinfectants. Powders, soaps and detergents do not affect the viability of spores. In this regard, nail fungus is a dangerous disease, it is quite difficult to treat at home, and preventive measures are often ineffective.
However, it is necessary to observe the basic preventive rules:
- Do not use other people's hygiene products. This rule should also be observed in the family circle, because according to medical statistics, more than 60% of cases of infection occur at home.
- Treat the bath and rugs with disinfectant solutions.
- Use a 5% chloramine solution to treat bedding and clothing used by the patient.
- Socks or stockings should be changed daily. Fungal spores transfer to the fabric, and you can get rid of them only by boiling, and this is not always possible.
- After visiting the pool, treat your nails and feet with a 40% hexamethylenetetramine solution.
- Dry or sweaty skin is an ideal place for infection to multiply. Doctors have proven the high effectiveness of boric acid, hexamethylenetetramine and talc in the fight against excessive dryness or sweating of the feet.
If the treatment of the fungus with alternative medicine does not give a positive result, you should consult a doctor who knows exactly how to treat nails with the help of drugs.
Alternative treatment of nail fungus: reviews of patients and opinions of doctors
Many people claim that they were able to completely get rid of this pathology using only folk methods, the recipes of which are given in this material. True, they all claim that they were able to achieve a positive result, because the treatment was started after the first signs of the disease were detected.
Doctors are not so optimistic. They believe that the treatment of nail fungus with folk remedies is not always safe. The fact is that many of them are quite aggressive, and doctors have more than once dealt with the consequences of their uncontrolled use - burns, inflammation, etc.
Therefore, if you suspect a fungus, doctors recommend to see a doctor, do a scraping, determine the sensitivity of the causative agent to various drugs, and then start treatment. In your case, if the doctor considers it possible to treat nail fungus using traditional methods, he will include effective means as part of complex therapy.