Please could someone tell me if there are any oils which can help fungal nail infection which has spread to the surrounding skin area. My G.P prescribed a nail laquer which I used for a while but discontinued as I would prefer a more natural approach. Thanks 🙂
Tea Tree oil is commonly used to treat fungal nail infection, but I wouldn't use it 'neat' on the surrounding skin as it can irritate it.
It has been clinically proven that fungal nail infection and athletes foot are caused by the same bacteria, which means if you have athletes foot it can infect your nails, and visa versa, if not caught in time.
You need to treat both conditions at the same time, and also all your footwear - seems like a bit of a task, which it is, but it's the only way to sort it out.
Tea Tree can be effective for nails, but don't expect to see instant results. It takes about 9 months for nails to grow from base to tip, but you should start to see healthy growth in about 8 weeks. The skin really does need to be treated with an over-the-counter athletes foot cream and your shoes can be dusted similarly.
It's nice to think you can treat problems 'naturally' but it sounds like you need to get out the big guns to sort this out, or you could be still chasing it in a year's time.
If in doubt, seek advice from a local Foot Health Practitioner which you should be able to find in the Yellow Pages.
Hope this has been useful.
Kind Regards
Mandy
I haven't tried these myself but i've been told coconut oil and castor oil are very good for this.
Tea tree is the essential oil that first springs to mind..but also neem oil is a very good treatment for fungal infections. Soaking it in cider vinegar is quite good too.
It would be an idea to look at your diet and general health as nail infections/athletes foot can indicate a disturbed ecology within you which needs attending to as well as using topical remedies. Avoiding refined carbs and taking a pro-biotic are sometimes recommended.
I was told on my reflexology course that athletes foot (another fungus) can be helped by cutting out sugars in the diet, I think yeasty things thrive on sugars. I agree with the use of tea tree, also lavender and myrrh may help too.
Love Binah
xx
Fungal Nail Infections
Dinkydo,
I hate to disappoint you but there is no proven natural rememedy that will eradicate fungal nail infections. Any prescribed treatments must be followed through to have any chance of sucess.
I am surprised that no-one has mentioned visiting a Chiropodist/Podiatrist for help and advice on this problem?
Chiropodists/Podiatrists have considerable more clinical experience in their training than FHPs and are better qualified to do a differential diagnosis on any foot lesion. That is why they should always be the first port of call for any foot health problem.
There are many other lesions on the foot/nail conditions that mimic Atheletes' Foot and taking a small sample of tissue/nail from the area is the only way to get a firm diagnosis. Your Chiropodist/Podiatrist should be able to do this for you.
Realpod is right about needing to get skin sample for any firm diagnosis. tee tree oil and grapefruit seed extract are both supposed to be good natural remedies, but if you have been prescribed something i would suggest following through with the prescription till completion before moving on.
many treatments can take up to a year to clear fungal nail infections, so keep that in mind. you will most likely be looking at a longer time line for the natural remedies as well.
good luck.