The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Multiple Remedies
Posted by Michele (Orlando, Fl) on 09/13/2009
★☆☆☆☆
I have read all the posts and am trying to rid my fingernails (both thumbs and index fingers) of long term fungal infection. I have used all over the counter remedies, been to my dermatologist who prescribed oral terbinafine for 6 months, which helped a little, but it stopped working when the Dr. stopped the oral med due to possible liver side effects. I make every effort to keep nails clean and dry, trimmed back to apply the topical remedies and still I have off white discolored sections from the end of the nail in half moon shapes toward the matrix of the nail. I clean out the nails with sterile tools but cannot seem to find a cure. Will the Vicks treatment work on fingernails? I read most people had success with toe nails. How do I treat the nails during the work day where I am in an office environment? Help!
Multiple Remedies
Posted by Dora (Volente, Texas) on 09/10/2009
soak your toes in peroxide, fill a bowl up and soak your toes in it.
Multiple Remedies
Posted by Noelle (Minneapolis, Minnesota) on 09/06/2009
★☆☆☆☆
Hope someone can help me out. Since June I've been using one of Ted's remedies for toenail fungus: H202 ACV, let that dry, then Chlorox mixed one cap in 5 oz of water, let dry, then Tea Tree Oil, cover with socks. I already tried 1) Listerine, 2)Listerine & Vinegar, 3) Vicks 4) Tea Tree Oil. I started having some success only after I switched to spraying my toes with 3% H202 and distilled vinegar and upped the amount of Tea Tree oil in my vaseline to more than 50%. As I kept adding more Tea Tree oil, the nails looked better & better. Chlorox got the black streaks out of my toenails. When I occasionally bathe, shower or soak in Borax, the skin around the toes would come off in little sheets with nice new skin underneath. I had a nice line of demarcation where clear white nail was growing in.
But I noticed slight peeling of the skin around the toes when I sprayed the H202 mix.
Well, I suspect I may have made the tea tree solution too strong, because within a couple of days of upping Tea Tree/Vaseline mix, I noticed some painful tiny bubbles around the cuticle of the first & 2nd toes of the right foot. I applied the tea tree oil the next night & morning after spraying my toes and it got worse. I stopped all treatment for a week and did not wear socks to bed, waiting for what I thought was an irritation to cool down. Since I did not want to lose the progress I made, after a week I started using the H202 Vinegar and the tea tree combo again on the left foot only. The skin got irritated and itchy, but the only thing that would stop the itch was the tea tree oil. By this past Tuesday, I was waking up at 3am with the 1st two toes on each foot itching & burning. On Wednesday, I showed my chiropractor the feet to check if any medication I was taking could be causing this; she said she thought it was unrelated, but said when bubbles appear on the toes it was fungus migrating from other parts of the body.
By Thursday morning, I had many more bubbles on my left foot. I went to the movies Thursday afternoon and the foot was driving me crazy -- itchy and tender. When I got home I had a large blister between my 3rd & 4th toes, which I soaked in Espom Salts & Borax, which popped it. I covered the small crater with Aloe & Calendula gel & went to bed. I stayed in on Friday, applied Aloe, which seemed to cool it down. I applied Aloe before I went to work on Saturday morning. By 11 am I could feel lots of tiny blisters forming. When I got home there were lots of tiny blisters on the 1st & 2nd toes of the left foot. I soaked foot in sea salt, which soothed, and applied Aloe, which also soothed. I went out again; when I got home at 8:00pm I had a huge blister between the big toe & 2nd toe. I swear, it looked like a small condom! I soaked it Epsom Salt & Borax, but it would not drain.
I got up this morning, applied salt directly on the blister for 20 minutes, washed it off, bandaged it with Turmeric & Neosporin, then got dressed for church. As I was leaving the blister burst. The skin inside the blister was full of these little bubbles! As of this moment the first two toes are covered with these blisters and there are three more of the big honkers forming as we speak (one on the second toe, two on the big toe.) By the way, I am chugging Turmeric/Cayenne/Pepper/Coconut Oil in V8, and ACV & baking soda, like there's been a run on the market and I can't get any more! I'm also downing Garlic & Olive Leaf. I've lost all the progress I made over the past three months. The big toenail is now yellow and flaky, the toe itself is misshapen from the blisters/infection, and second toe is darkening again.
And all of this happened on my vacation!!! Does anyone have any suggestions? How do I get rid of this? Or at least get this under control. I go back to work on Tuesday; we're not allowed to wear open toed shoes!
Lavender Oil
Posted by Happy Nail (Whitefish, Montana) on 08/22/2009
★★★★★
After my immune system was lowered during recovery from surgery, a fungal infection took off in my big toenail. It started as a white mark and progressed into a nasty condition very quickly. I went to a foot doctor and he thought it was not recoverable and was getting ready to do some surgery. However, I opted first to try the medicated nail varnish. This didn't seem to do very much, so in addition to filing the surface of the nail to make it thinner and using the penlac, I started adding a few drops of lavendar oil on a fabric bandaid and would place this on my toenail every day. Very soon I could clearly see new nail starting to grow. This cured the problem! It took a long time, but the bandaid with lavendar oil was quick to do in the morning, and after the months it took for the nail to grow out, it worked and I now have a healthy toenail again :)
Bleach
Posted by Cottin (Philadelphia, Pa) on 08/21/2009
★★★★★
bleach for foot fungus......i used a cap full of bleach in a gallon of water in my foot spa. i have been suffering from a bad foot fungus, not on my toes but on the bottom of my feet in the middle portion. i soak one day and used a puma stone to get the hard skin off, WHAT AMAZING RESULTS IN ONE DAY.I SOAKED FOR 1/2 HR. IN THE BLEACH DILUTED IN WATER THEN RINSED OFF IN WARM WATER...... I DID IT THE NEXT DAY... OH MY I AM REALLY RELIEVED.
Multiple Remedies
Posted by Misty (Choctaw, Ok) on 08/19/2009
I read that olive leaf extract cured toenail fungus. My mom is taking it for the same thing because the prescription medicine doesn't seem to be working. It's too early to say if it is working, but it's worth a shot.
Multiple Remedies
Posted by Janneil (Tunapuna, Trinidad And Tobago) on 08/19/2009
★☆☆☆☆
well my case is defintley one of desperation, i believe it started off with me hitting my toe [big toe]it had swollen up and after a few days it came back to normal then, after a few weeks this little end of dicoloured nail appeared i took no heed to it and 5-6months later i still have it but it has nearly taken over half my nail it is yellowish white my nails always tend to go extremely fast so it keeps growing out pinkish but gets reinfected as the fungus travels down to the new nail. my remidies were boric acid and vaseline,then 2nail fungus removers one which was fungi cure this one worked a little but the fungus is still here and constantly for 2months now teat ree oil, it absoulutly did nothing ,it has been so difficult for me i dont ever wear nail polish but just to hide it i started, my mom told me to stop it because it may make it worse so today it was confirmed that it does make it worse.i will now try some of your methods the clorox tea tree oil thing and see what happens then i will try the ACV the results seem promising i will also keep the site of my updates, thank you
Monistat 7
Posted by Jill (Portland, Or) on 08/18/2009
★★★☆☆
Responding to the Monistat post....
Years ago when I was pregnant I developed a strange nail problem. My fingernails would actually blister up, like a pocket and crack open eventually, causing the skin under my nail to poke through- usually in the middle of the nail somewhere. When I was delivering, the doctor noticed I had bandaids all over most of my fingers. He took a look and said I had athletes foot in my fingernails. He told me that you can get it in your nails also as a fungus. I was advised to get some over the counter yeast infection cream and apply daily. I did this and within a couple months the nail filled back in around the area and eventually went away. I have never had this problem again.
Years later, I have now have toenail fungus problems. I remembered this treatment and initially tried it. However, I did not have the same results. At first, my nails did start to seem to look better but if I didnt use it daily they would eventually go back to the way they were. In the meantime, I have tried everything under the sun, including detox foot baths from the local naturopathic clinic by my home. I dont have any opinon about those yet. I have tried tea tree oil, eucalyptis oil, yeast infection creams, anti-fungal solutions over the counter, vicks vapor rub, Hydrogen peroxide, ACV, and pine tar. So far, nothing has helped. Im going to try Teds remedy with the ACV, Hydrogen peroxide, and bleach to see if I get any results.
Vicks
Posted by Nancy (Sunnyvale, Ca) on 08/07/2009
you just have to be patient..and u will see improvement..it sounds like you want to see it overnight..but it doesnt work that way..so just wait..
Castor Oil
Posted by Patricia (Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands) on 08/02/2009
★★★★★
I noticed a question about using caster oil with nail fungus. I have a story you might find interesting. I had read about its anti-fungal action, and when I began to notice some nail damage, I began applying caster oil twice a day. As I was about to travel and I worried about getting more damage, I went to my podiatrist. He looked at my nail and said that he was sure it was a fungal infection but that he would take a sample for testing. When I returned a month later, he checked back on the test, and was shocked to note that there was no fungus there at all. He wanted to know if I were sure that I had damaged my nail --in other words, he began to look for another reason for the nail problem. There was no other problem and no fungus! caster oil works for nail fungus prevention and most likely treatment.
Bleach
Posted by jenn4875 (Houston, Texas) on 07/06/2009
★★★★☆
My husband has had toenail fungus for about 6yrs. I started looking up home remedies and heard about tea tree oil, bleach, vics, vinegar, and so on. We tried them individually with ok results. One night we decided to try a combination to see what happens. We put a drop of bleach followed by a drop of tree oil then vics. We covered the feet with socks and he slept with it on. He said it burned some, but not too bad. I have to say, we have gotten the best results by doing this. Every day the area we put it on has turned an orange color and is now soft and comes right off. I have experimented some to see if it's just the bleach and vics or tree oil and vics and so on, but nothing gives results like the combination of the 3. I am recently seeing sights using ACV and I think I'm going to try that too. It seems people are having very good results with that as well. I'll post again in a couple weeks with my results. We have been using this treatment for about a month so far. Good luck with whatever treatment you use.
Grapefruit Seed Extract
Posted by Kate (Minneapolis, MN) on 06/24/2009
★★★★☆
Does anybody know about the effectiveness of grapefruit seed extract for nail fungus? I have used it for a couple of years. It did seem to slow the fungus but not get rid of it. Now I apply it during the day after soaking my toes in ACV (see my previous post).
Cornmeal
Posted by rcw8888 (Santa Monica, CA) on 06/12/2009
★★★★☆
having some success, for toenail fungus, soaking an hour in cornmeal and warm water. Exact directions are:
line bottom of flat plastic pan with cornmeal one inch and add 1 inch warm water for one half hour, then add enuf warm water to cover your toenails and put your feet in for one hour. Do this once a week. Results in about a year.
Faster, comprehensive solutions will involve eating totally alkaline. Am also trying MMS topically plus DMSO with questionable results. Tried MMS internally 15 drops, 3x per day for 2 weeks as prescribed and have overal improvement in health but uncertain it affected toenails just yet.
Richard
Baking Soda
Posted by Sim (Portland, OR) on 06/09/2009
I wonder if blackstrap molasses would work as well as maple syrup as a trojan horse for the baking soda? For one thing, it is way cheaper than maple syrup (anyone notice how the price almost doubled last year when there was a supposed poor yield, but have not come back down at all??), but also this method of heating and allowing to cool and harden and then cutting off a piece in solid form might make the taking of BSM on a daily basis easier for those of us who really have a hard time taking the stuff in liquid form.
Is there any reason why the BSM might prove a less effective trojan horse in which to conceal the baking soda than the maple syrup?
Would the nutrients in the BSM be adversely affected by bringing the BSM to a boil in the manner described?
Thanks!
Sim
Garlic
Posted by Kelly (Cincinnati, OH) on 06/07/2009
★★★★★
a while back I combined two things I'd read on this site for toenail fungus and it worked GREAT. chop a FRESH clove of garlic to release the juice and mix it with a tblsp. of vapo-rub ( store brand ok ). Prepare the nail (toe or finger) by cleaning,cutting as short as possible, and squeezing out any pus if present. then put the garlic/vaporub generously on the nail and wrap with a LOOSE gauze bandage. You will be amazed. The black will clear and new nail will soon grow. Blessings!
Baking Soda
Posted by Linda (Clinton, Iowa) on 06/04/2009
Hi, I just wanted to know do you think this treatment would also work for candida?
Baking Soda
Posted by Whisper (Timmins, Ontario) on 06/02/2009
In response to Janice from Coloma, please do not double or try to alter the recipe, its simply 1tsp to 3tsp of Maple Syrup, you start at low heat which is a 6 on the dials after it comes to a boil which would be about 2 minutes reduce it to 3 and keep on stirring, caramel brown would be the color once done. Do NOT leave in freezer too long otherwise your going to make it hard as rock.
I currently have two friends who are trying it out, one has been on this for three days now and we are now seeing little dark dots on her planters wart.
Another has sebaceous cyst on his head, he's double the dosage, taking one recipe in the morning and one at night, it being his first day of using this he says "the cysts on my head didn't hurt today" his head was hurting so we'll see what happens in a few days. I'll keep you posted on results of the two people.
Response to Rena, my fungus dried up in three days a noticeable difference could be seen.
Baking Soda
Posted by Rena (Mineral Bluff, Georgia) on 05/30/2009
★☆☆☆☆
Hi Whisper From Timmins,
I did this recipe to the T for 5 days and still did not notice a difference, and by no means cured. Did your nail fungus get cured after 3 days or did you just notice a difference? At this point I have to give your remedy a big nay. I also remember Janice from Coloma was doing this recipe as well, I would like to hear back from her on this as well, Peace, Rena.
Baking Soda
Posted by Janice (Coloma, Mi) on 05/24/2009
I just tried making a batch of this. I didn't have a real small pot and figured 4 tsp is really not very much so I tried to make it in a metal measuring cup (1/2 cup). I couldn't cook it the five minutes because it foamed up so high I had to take it off the burner. What a hoot! Next time I'll try it in the full cup or buy a really small pot. It's in the freezer now. Hopefully it will come out o.k.
EC: Please let us know if it cures nail fungus.. very curious!
Baking Soda
Posted by Whisper (Timmins, Ontario Canada) on 05/22/2009
Sorry I tend to differ from your link that you've posted I don't believe it to be The Jim Kelmun Protocol.
It's the study done by Dr. Tullio Simoncini he is surgeon, specialised in oncology, diabetology and in metabolic disorders. More over he is also Philosopher Doctor.
Baking Soda
Posted by Whisper (Timmins, Ontario Canada) on 05/21/2009
★★★★★
Fungus and Cancer:
I've used baking soda and maple syrup to cure fungus that I had on my big toe. In a matter of 3 days of taking one batch of this every day I saw the difference.
What I did, in a small pot I put 1 teaspoon of baking soda and 3 tsp of maple syrup I heated it up on medium (setting at 5) then reduced to 3 to allow it to boil for 5 minutes in all. Do not try to double the recipe otherwise you take away the effectiveness. Before it cools down too much I transfer onto a sandwich bag (not sure if this is wise, but that's what I've used so far) and I've put it in the freezer for about 3 to 4 minutes to let it cool and once cooled it comes off the plastic very easily, now don't let it sit in freezer too long otherwise it'll get real hard. Check it often and when it comes off then its ready to make into small pieces, I find its like making toffee, I twist it so that it looks equal lengthtwise and then take the scissors and cut into small sizes, once that is done I then take half of what I've cut and swallow them down with water. Some have eaten it straight from the pot I can't handle the taste and it seems to work just as well.
I learned this at another site and was wanting to share it since I've gained so much more from this site. APPARENTLY, HEATING it is VERY important. the molecules of the salts and sugars must be bonded by heat. THE FUNGUS OR CANCER loves the sugars of the syrup but then the attached sodium bicarbonate is A LETHAL TROJAN HORSE. I didn't use this for cancer but this information was given along with the fungus.
Iodine, Epsom Salt
Posted by Mel (Orlando, FL) on 05/20/2009
★★★★★
I was wondering if you had good progress/results with the iodine and salts? I've had tremendous progress with vinegar applied by q-tip in the a.m. and iodine by q-tip in the afternoon. I dry my nails with a blow dryer after a shower, and re-apply iodine for the night. How's it going for you?
Iodine
Posted by Mel (Orlando, FL) on 05/12/2009
★★★★★
I cured (and am still curing) toe and finger nail fugus using decolorized (white/clear) iodine. In combination with simply eating a banana and active yogurt (yogurt that promotes digestive health), I apply the ioding every day to my affected big toe nails, left thumbnail and right ring fingernail. I acquired nail fungus in my left big toe a year ago from a bad ingrown nail. I had a partial nail avulsion to remedy the ingrown nail and then later developed a fungus when the cauterizing had healed. I couldn't afford prescriptions at the time so I started using home remedies such as vinegar gel, over the counter topical lacquers,vapo rub and mouthwash. Everything under the sun. Then I saw this website about 6 months ago. Until I read about decolorized iodine, the fungus in that left big toe had only stabilized using other remedies. Which was good-but I wanted it gone! During that time of trying everything else, it spread to my right big toe and then my left thumbnail. This was all probably because I was not careful in cleaning in treating and spread it due to my own carelessness. Anyhow, I lost those other two nails then it started in my right ring finger. I was determined at that point to find my cure. I started using the iodine on my right ring finger and it stopped the fungus dead in it's tracks! My nail has since grown half in and healthy and is still going. As for where the fungus first started, in my left big toe-that's almost completely grown in and healthy! My right big toe and left thumbnail are well on there way, but taking a bit longer to grow in. Either way, iodine (2-3 drops) 1 or twice a day, a banana and a live active yogurt overy day have been my cure. Promoting digestive health, providing potatssium to help nails grow quicker and healthier and iodine to kill the fungus topically ahve been my miracle workers. The only down side to iodine is that it can be somewhat drying so I suggest using cuticle oil in between treatments. Do not use peroxide in combination with decolorized iodine. It will turn your skin orange! I only used alcohol to clean the affected areas before applying iodine and to sterilize the instruments I am using as well. What really sucks abou this whole thing, is I developed dyshidrosis as a secondary skin disorder from the fungus. That's a whole other story, but dishydrosis is like eczema in a way and it will resolve on it's own once the fungus is completely out of my nails and body.
Vicks
Posted by AL (DALLAS, TX, USA) on 04/21/2009
FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, NAIL IS DEAD TISSUE. IF YOU WANT TO GET TO THE HEART OF THE PROBLEM, IT MUST DONE INTERNALLY. PILLS BY PRESCRIPTION FROM YOUR DR. VICKS MIGHT KILL THE PRESENT NAIL BUT THE FUNGUS IS STILL IN YOUR SYSTEM. AGAIN, THIS IS MY OPINION.
Multiple Remedies
Posted by Sally (Toronto, ON) on 04/19/2009
My BF who has been neglecting the toe nail fungus for a couple of years has finally come to the realization that it's not only affecting his toes but possibly his health as well. I read all the posts of others' experiences then went to the natural health store. After a lengthy discussion with the store assistant (who had experienced a mild case of toe nail fungus herself), I bought the following based on her recommendation and the posts I read. My BF started the treatment yesterday:
Probiotics - 1 capsule 2 x/day with meals to re-balance the body's intestinal flora
silica gel - 1 Tbsp per day to strengthen the new nails to come (BF has v. brittle, thin nails)
ACV - sipping approx 2 tsp in 1 lg glass water 3x per day
I have also told BF he needs to cut out the sugars, acidic foods as much as possible. Our diet is pretty healthy, but with the fungus, I think it wouldn't hurt to be more mindful.
----------
Soak feet 2x per day (morning and night) in hot water bath for 10 mins and wash w/ natural anti-bacterial soap. Dry feet and apply cotton pad soaked w/ 50/50 ACV & hydrogen peroxide. Remove after 15 mins. and apply iodine drops and then neem oil (I was told it's stronger than tea tree). We're going to change the procedure in the evening and tape a cotton soaked pad w/ the 50/50 ACV & hydrogen peroxide on the toes overnight.
There was no pinching or fizzing the first night the ACV/hydrogen peroxide was applied as a few people mentioned in their posts.
The ACV used was not _____'s but an unpasteurized, unfiltered one from a local Ontario apple orchard.
Will report back on the results in a week.
Vicks
Posted by Sam (Toledo, Ohio) on 04/19/2009
★★★★★
My wife has had a toe nail fungus for over 40 years. She has tried several nail solution cures purchased over the internet including the prescription penlac. None of them worked.
Finally I accessed your web site and tried almost all the remedies you have posted including Ted's remedy, tea tree oil, hydrogen peroxide, full strength bleach painted on carefully, viniger soaks, etc. Along the way I noticed several observations: All of the above work to some extent because they provide a hostile enviroment for yeast and fungus and initially kill or appear to kill it. They also however kill the skin cells and all irritate the area under the nail and even inflame it after prolonged use and the fungus loves the weakened cells. Most also have water in them which the fungus and yeast love! Finally we settled on a cure which is neither acidic nor basic, which is not an irritant, and which has no water in it and which is on your list of cures and the fungus is gone on one foot and almost completely gone on the other, and the nails are clear and white. Vick's! Vicks! and more Vicks!
Sam's cure: Gob it on each toe at night and cover with a thin cotton half sock or footie. Before showering gob it on, dry and gob more on cover with a clean cotton sock. If time permits gob on during the day and change socks. Stop taking baths, shower only unless you can keep your foot out of the water and keep it gobbed with vicks. The idea is to keep water away from the toe nail and the vick's works the best. The camphor and lack of water will kill it and allow the toe nail to heal. It will take several months but it does work and it works the best. After 40 years it will finally be gone!
Baking Soda
Posted by Myke (Colorado Springs, CO) on 04/13/2009
I have a question about the baking powder treatment. I've read on another site, to only take baking powder for 3 weeks or it will change the ph or alkalinity (I can't remember which), of your body to much and cause other problems. Hopefully the original poster will respond. How often and how long have you been drinking the Baking Powder water mixture? Also confused about the ACV treatment. It seems some people drink it as well as applying topically? Is it safe to drink ACV, and how much per day?
EC: Note: Remedy is baking soda, not baking powder ...
Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Bruno (Houston, Texas, USA) on 03/20/2009
★★★★★
I have tried several remedies that would work for short periods of time and then, they didn't seem to be as effective. I didn't just do it for a day or two, but for a week or more at a time. Someone told me about [food grade hydrogen peroxide]. I read all about it and thought that it would not be wise to use it but they insisted that it would work and fast. I didn't want to go through another couple of months of testing, so I gave it a try. You only put it on the nail with a Q-tip - don't let it touch the skin. It dries in a minute and reapply. I did this every day, twice a day, and within 3 days it was greatly improving. I dug the gunk out from under the dead part of the nail and the new nail is growing back beautifully. The old nail is still on but as it grows out I'm cutting the gross part off. I'll bet that within a 2 week period of time, the nail will be completely new and the fungus completely gone. It's cheap and fast.
Listerine
Posted by Julian (Phoenix, Arizona) on 03/13/2009
★★★★★
Take a soft bristle tooth brush, soak in listerine, and brush nails daily before bed. File down thick nfected nails, make sure to disinfect brush and file.
