Currently, medicine has reached such a level that properly selected drugs can combat any type of fungus. But many people do not trust science and prefer to treat toenail fungus with folk remedies. And they do it badly: illiterate treatment does not eradicate pathogens; at best, it slightly slows their growth.
If you want to use traditional medicine methods at home, they should be used only as an additional treatment to complex therapy and only after consulting a doctor.
Characteristics of the mushroom
The difficulty in treating foot fungus lies in the fact that there are several thousand species of these pathogenic organisms in the world, many of which can live and successfully develop on human skin.Fungal spores are very tenacious, quickly take root in the epidermis, penetrating into the deep layers of the skin, they can only be destroyed with drugs intended for their species.In addition, treatment can only be stopped when the pathogens are completely destroyed: if even one spore survives, the risk of relapse is high.
Therefore, it is not enough to consult a doctor, you also need to take tests that will determine the type of foot fungus. Only in this case can the doctor prescribe the appropriate treatment: even effective drugs against foot fungus will be ineffective if they are aimed at eradicating another type of pathogen, and the fight will last for many years.
These deadlines can be significantly reduced if you detect foot fungus in time and immediately start treating foot fungus at home: in this case, the fungus can be eradicated within two months. Even if the disease develops quickly, it allows time to detect it and take countermeasures. Therefore, it is very important to know which symptoms signaling the development of a fungus you should pay attention to.
Symptoms of the disease
At the initial stage, when the fungus affects only the feet and toes, peeling and redness are observed in the places where it managed to take hold. After a while, these areas start to itch, and sometimes small watery blisters may appear. These symptoms should not be ignored: you should consult a doctor immediately. With proper treatment, foot fungus can be permanently eliminated within two months using antifungal creams and antifungal polishes.
If this moment is missed and the disease is not treated, the next stage will be damage to the nail, the color of which will begin to gradually change, eventually becoming yellow, green or even black, after which it will beginto come off. crumble and move away from the finger. In this case, simple ointments cannot be used for treatment and time must be devoted to treating the nail plate.
This means that the nail must be cut almost to the root and the upper layer of the affected plate must be filed, after which an antifungal varnish will need to be applied to the nail, which, after penetrating the plate, will beginto destroy fungal spores. When this varnish dries, it blocks air access to the fungus, which pathogens need to grow normally.
If you miss this moment and do not start treating foot fungus in time, longitudinal or wavy lines appear on the nail plate, the nail bends and changes shape. At this stage, it is very difficult to treat the fungus and therefore it is necessary not only to apply cream and varnish to the skin, but also to take pills that can cause problems with the digestive system.
Such treatment is necessary because the fungus tends not only to spread on the skin of the legs, capturing more and more new areas, but also its toxins, entering the bloodstream, negatively affect the functioning of many organs and systems.
Vinegar baths
Traditional medicine can also help fight the disease. But they must be used wisely, otherwise they can cause damage. Traditional methods can be used effectively to prepare the feet for drug treatment. This applies first of all to baths: before applying ointment or varnish, you need to steam the skin of the feet and remove the scales as much as possible using pumice.
This will allow therapeutic agents to better penetrate the skin and have a more effective effect on the fungus. To make them disappear more effectively, many reviews advise applying salicylic petroleum jelly to the affected areas twice a day.
The simplest, but according to reviews, very effective popular method is a vinegar bath: the acidic environment negatively affects fungal spores and they die. To use this method, according to the recipe, you need to mix a 9% vinegar solution with very warm water in proportions of one to eight (for men who have rougher skin on their feet and thicker nails, you can use three to eight), then immerse your feet in the water. Steam for about ten to fifteen minutes, then start treating the skin.
To treat foot fungus at home, you can choose a different sequence: first, simply steam your feet, cut off the affected skin as much as possible without injuring it, and then immerse your feet in a vinegar solution. At the end of the procedure, dry your feet and apply the medicine (ointment and varnish).
For a more effective result, you can make a bath with vinegar and celandine. To do this, pour two tablespoons of celandine with water, boil for about 15 minutes, let it brew, add vinegar before spraying your feet.
Other Uses of Vinegar
You can use vinegar to treat foot fungus at home using another method. If it suddenly turns out that the ointment against the fungus has suddenly run out and there is no way to get it, you can prepare a remedy based on it. This is necessary so that the fungal spores do not feel "free" and become active again. True, this is not a panacea, so you should purchase the medicine prescribed by your doctor at the first opportunity.
To prepare a remedy for fungus, you can use the following recipe: mix a teaspoon of vegetable oil with the same amount of vinegar, add the antifungal drug orthophthalic acid dimethyl ester, mix and apply to the affected skin. After that, wrap your feet in plastic, put on clean socks and the product will eventually be absorbed into the skin.
You can also make a compress using another method: mix three whites or a tablespoon of glycerin with two large spoons of vodka and 70% vinegar in the same amount as vodka. After spraying and treating your feet, soak cotton wool in the product, apply it to the affected skin on your feet and wrap it in polyethylene. Do not leave it on for more than half an hour because the product is very concentrated. For the same reason, the method cannot be used in the presence of small cracks.
Benefits of propolis
Many claim to have successfully gotten rid of fungus at home using an alcoholic tincture of propolis, which is considered a natural antibiotic and has fungicidal, bactericidal and bacteriostatic characteristics. Propolis is able to relieve itching, stop the inflammatory process and prevent the fungus from infecting healthy areas of the skin.
To prepare an alcoholic tincture yourself, you need to mix 20 g of propolis with 80 ml of medical alcohol and leave to infuse for a week. To treat foot fungus with propolis, you need to apply a cotton swab dipped in propolis tincture daily to the affected skin, securing it with a bandage. This should be done several times during the day.
Propolis ointment helps eliminate fungus. To do this, melt 100 g of any fat (butter, vaseline, pork or fish oil) in a water bath, add 30 g of crushed propolis and cook over low heat, stirring, for about half an hour. Filter and apply to the skin in the evening, after steaming your feet (more often if you wish). Keep refrigerated.
Iodine and garlic
Another effective way to cure foot fungus at home is a 5% iodine solution. It can be used if for some reason it was not possible to obtain an antifungal varnish. It is not an equivalent substitute, but it is capable of stopping and even destroying fungal spores. Therefore, it is better to purchase an antifungal varnish at the first opportunity (if only because iodine is unable to harden and block air access to fungal spores).
To apply iodine, you need to carefully treat the affected nails once a day for two weeks.Before doing this, do not forget to treat the nail surface with a nail file so that the iodine has the opportunity to penetrate deeper into the plate. When using this method, it is necessary to take into account that a burning sensation is possible during the procedure.
Garlic is good against fungi. It can be used in different ways: not only applied to the skin externally, but also taken internally (this helps strengthen the immune system). You can prepare garlic using various recipes.
A pulp compress will help cure foot fungus. To use this method, you need to chop a few cloves of garlic in a garlic press or grate them on a fine grater. After that, spread the paste on the nail, making sure that it does not touch the skin, fix it with a bandage in two or three layers, wrap it in cellophane and put on cotton socks. It is necessary to make a garlic compress in the evening, remove it in the morning, wash your feet under running water, apply an antifungal cream and, if necessary, varnish.
If you do not want to make a compress against fungus at night, you can apply the paste to your nails, after steaming and cleaning them. Keep it on for 10-15 minutes until it dries, don't walk during this time. Use this method two to three times a day.
To treat mushrooms, you can use garlic tincture with alcohol. To do this, mix medical alcohol, squeezed garlic juice and water in equal proportions. Leave on for at least two days, treat the nails twice a day. How long it will take to cure foot fungus with garlic depends on how quickly the treatment was started. Also, don't forget to use antifungal ointments and varnishes.