Guide to Treating Toenail Fungus

Guide to Treating Toenail Fungus

Fungal nail infection, especially toenail fungus is unpleasant and tough to treat. This infection takes a slow time to develop and can cause your nail to become distorted, thick and stained. Nails can get infected, and it has been seen that toenails get affected much more frequently than fingernails. It is also medically referred to as Onychomycosis. It is not usually easy to detect the same as it may not have an obvious symptom at first. While the infection progresses, it may cause the nail to become white, yellow or green. It can also make it difficult to trim the nail as it might take an unusual shape or texture. There is a feeling of pain and discomfort especially when pressure is placed on the affected area. The nail may also experience a brittle or crumbly. Along with the toenail, the skin encircling the infected area may seem itchy or cracked and swollen. It is only when fungus begins to grow that it leads to an infection and therefore any detection of the first symptoms at the immediate stage is too elusive at first.

The fungus usually develops in a moist and warm environment and gives them a foundation for them to multiply. The fungus that is already in existence in your body can develop toenail infection. Salon treatments and dirty water can also lead to fungus. Sweaty feet, swimming in a public pool, artificial nails or contact with an infected person’s stuff, etc., if not sanitized can cause fungal infection. Men are more prone to fungal infection. If your family members are prone to fungal infection, it increases the likelihood of you to get infected as well. The long-term fungus can lead to a permanent loss of the affected area, the spread of the infection to other body parts, or you may become infected with cellulitis.

Several over-the-counter or OTT products are available but are not recommended as they may not provide any reliable result. A visit to the doctor to ascertain the infection and taking oral antifungal medication with terbinafine, itraconazole, fluconazole, and griseofulvin have proven to have effective results. These tablets may be prescribed for several months but would lead to the termination of fungus. Therefore antifungal tablets lead to a long-term solution.

There are several topical solutions that can simply be brushed over the nail in a similar way to applying nail polish. Many antifungal nail paints, Healing Natural Oils, Dr. G, and other products are available in the market. These help to treat the toenail fungus. To apply the topical solution the nails have to be trimmed properly before the first toenail fungal treatment. The applicator brush has to be used which is usually attached to the bottle cap to apply the solution on the affected nail. The topical medication can be used for several months depending upon the extent of the infection. The effectiveness of topical nail solution is debatable as they may not rid the body of the fungal infection and therefore the infection can reoccur.

A medicine made from the snakeroot extract is an antifungal remedy which is prescribed against toenail fungus and has proved to be an effective remedy.

Certain oils are also beneficial in curing toenail infection as they have antiseptic and antifungal abilities. These oils can simply be dabbed on the affected area for results. Tea tree oil has antiseptic and antifungal abilities thereby making it an effective toenail fungal treatment. Oregano oil has antibacterial and antifungal properties, thus it is an effective toenail fungal treatment. Use of oil and combination of oil should be done with care as the same may generate allergic reactions. Olive leaf extract oil has also proven to be beneficial as it is said to possess antimicrobial and immune boosting abilities. The oil is available in capsules and should be accompanied by drinking plenty of water. Ozonized oil also helps in the toenail fungal treatment.

Vinegar is a safe remedy to try, but a little evidence is available for the cure of fungus. Vicks VapoRub is used for cough suppression, but its active ingredients such as camphor and eucalyptus oil may prove beneficial for toenail fungal treatment. Garlic is also popular as it bears several antifungal and antimicrobial capabilities. Rubbing a chopped or crushed garlic piece on the affected area, this may be smelly but effective. You may also take garlic pills or consume it raw; this may be a better and less smelly toenail fungal treatment.

Prevention is better than cure therefore if once infected with a fungal infection on the nails it is advisable to keep the nails trimmed and clean. Replacing old footwear contaminated with fungi is also essential. Injury around the nails can also lead to infection. Changing your diet to protein, iron-based diet may give your body a better chance to fight toenail fungus.

Related Reading

Tips for Buying the Best Dog Food

Tips for Buying the Best Dog Food

Most of the dogs do not have a food fuss and may eat almost anything that you feed them. Dogs are not choosy at all when it comes to food and nutrition. Hence, it is important to make sure that the food that you are purchasing for your dog is healthy. The landscape of dog food has been developing by leaps and bounds in recent times. There is a wide variety of options to choose from in the online and offline market. Given the wide range of options that are available today, buying the best dog food might seem to be a confusing task indeed. All the commercial pet food that is available in the market today is regulated by the FDA. Therefore, most of the products do contain nutritious, healthy, and safe ingredients. But it does help to know certain basic factors you should look for while buying food for your dog. Prioritize on the nutritional guarantee The best dog food, which meets the dog’s needs adequately has a statement written on the label of the product, from the Association of American Feed Control Officials. Buy from some of the best dog food brands, such as Fromm Family Foods, Earthborn Holistic, Nature’s Variety Instinct, and The Honest Kitchen.
Different Types of Kitchen Cabinets Available for Your Home

Different Types of Kitchen Cabinets Available for Your Home

The most important aspect when designing your kitchen is deciding on the type of cabinets. In addition to functionality, kitchen cabinets score on aesthetics as well. Once the layout is planned, you can go ahead with choosing the cabinets. If you’re remodeling your home or just the kitchen, what you need to consider are the types of cabinets that furnish your kitchen. Here are a few types of kitchen cabinets that you can choose from. Base cabinets These kitchen cabinets are mounted on the floor and they are placed after checking out the floor plan. A major part of your job in the kitchen is on these base cabinets, which hold and support the countertops. These base cabinets are combined to carve out kitchen islands. A number of base cabinets are fused/set against one another and installed on site. The base cabinets, in addition to supporting the countertops, serve as drawers to hold your cutlery and appliances. Wall cabinets Mounted on the walls, these cabinets can store everything, right from your cookware to cookbooks. In terms of design, they offer utmost flexibility. Wall cabinet kitchen is available in varying heights, multiple widths, and custom depth options. This customization helps you to fit in your stuff of varying shapes and sizes into the wall cabinets.
How to Pick the Right Dog Food for a Sensitive Stomach

How to Pick the Right Dog Food for a Sensitive Stomach

In today’s world, where you are presented with over a dozen choices for every item you would purchase for your own kitchen, it is not surprising that you have an equal number of options for your dog’s food. However, choosing the perfect brand and formula for your dog out of a range of options in the market is not an easy job. Your pet depends on you and trusts you to make the right choice for them. Therefore, it is imperative that you do your research about the products available in the market, understand what your dog needs, know what might be your pet’s problems, and then make a sound decision. What is a sensitive stomach? Dogs are known to have voracious and large appetites. Keeping that in mind, it is normal to assume that they have strong stomachs. They can eat close to anything be it sweets, bakes, chewy gum, hard leather or even woolen socks for that matter! It always so happens that the strongest of them are prone to allergies and can develop a disorder which is medically translated as a sensitive stomach. This might be due to a sudden change in the food habits or even due an infection picked up from somewhere.
All You Need to Know about Cat Food

All You Need to Know about Cat Food

For cat owners, cat food is a hot topic. You need to think about it in different aspects. The best thing is to know which ingredients are good for cat food and which are harmful. If you are aware of this, you can get an idea about the quality of the cat food just by going through the label. It is always sensible to stick to one brand of cat food. However, you may also want to try and prepare cat food yourself. There are also various options for wet cat food as well. Cat’s love for fish is universal, so you can do without going for expensive cat food. Nevertheless, whether you buy it or prepare cat food at home, you need to ensure that the food contains enough nutrition and calories. You would need to have some idea about the ingredients that must be present in cat food and make a worthy selection for your cat. Basic ingredients present in good cat foods Cats need a variety of nutrients to stay healthy and active; they need various vitamins, minerals, fats, proteins, and oils. The following is a brief explanation of the basic ingredients that should be present in cat foods.