Toenail Fungus Remedy

When you find yourself in the most difficult position of having a fungal infection the thing you are most in need of is a toenail fungus remedy. Toenail fungus is not a life threatening condition, however it can be more than just an inconvenience. It can spread to other parts of the body and it can be a pain to get rid of.

One of the more unfortunate realities of toenail fungus is that it is very resilient. It can be very tough to cure but one of the most frustrating things about it is that, once you think you have it under control, it can come back. The reason is that it finds itself trapped between the nail and the skin in its own little cocoon so it can be difficult to eradicate. As the nail grows, it shields the fungus from the environment and gives it the breathing room, so to speak, for it to continue to endure.

There are any number of household toenail fungus remedies and some of these are more effective than others. However, as you might have already discovered, typical household remedies can be of varying effectiveness when going into combat against fungus. Let's face it, fungus can be a heck of a enemy and you may need to everything in your arsenal to defeat it.

Just a quick note: Toenail fungus is very similar to the fungus that causes athlete's foot. Because of this, fungus can spread to the heel and even to the top of the foot. However, this is not often the case. But what happens frequently is that an athlete's foot fungal infection will be seemingly cured but it will survive under the toenail and linger. Though it is possible for a toenail fungal infection to spread to other parts of the foot.

Considering the options you may think that the best way to remove a fungus is to use some serious prescription strength anti-fungal medications. However, this is not always the best idea because anti-fungal medication can have serious side effects. For one thing, oral medications that can be effective against fungus can also be very dangerous to the liver. Often if you are doing a course of a fungicide you will have to have bloodwork to ensure that your liver is not reacting poorly to the dose.

Therefore, the first thing you might want to do are to use some remedies that you can use at home. First, soak your infected toenail in a bath. Take a basin and fill t with vinegar and water or peroxide and water. Leave your foot in the bath for at least a half hour. Another option is to listerine or another mouthwash that is at least 15% alcohol by content. You will find that most mouth washes will be effective since each is typically about 20% alcohol. The probiotics in alcohol and vinegar will kill the fungus though it is not always universally successful.

Alot of your success with home toenail fungus remedies will be determined by the strength and strain of the fungus that you are infected with. Certain fungi will be more susceptible to these foot washes. Also, if you have a serious infection then you might have less success with one of these remedies.

Another effective toenail fungus remedy is beer. You can use beer in a foot bath like you would use with mouthwash or vinegar. Because beer, during the brewing and fermentation processes, will culture bacteria, it becomes an effective anti-fungal. Just don't drink it after you soak your foot in it!

When treating a foot fungus with this type of foot bath, it is important that you apply the bath everyday for at least two weeks. Generally, you will want to use the anti-fungal foot bath for four weeks in order to better your chances for success. Just remember that a toenail fungus remedy needs to be used with regularity in order to be effective.