How to treat nail fungus? If you're grappling with this problem,
you're not alone: fungal nail infections are common, difficult to get
rid of, and if you decide to use a prescription drug, you'll be faced
with both high costs and possible side effects. If you're prepared to
try to treat the infection without a prescription, read about home
remedies, homeopathic treatments and alternative medicine treatments in
order to choose something that you'll be comfortable with.
Curing
nail fungus takes time no matter what route you choose. Fingernails grow
slowly and toenails grow more slowly still - once a fungus has
infiltrated the nail, the portion that's affected must grow out
completely before all signs of infection will be gone. (Even if the
fungus is dead, the damaged nail will not rebuild itself - it must grow
out). Fungal remedies for nail infections often require you to set aside
time every day, so when you are comparing methods for how to treat nail
fungus, be honest with yourself about how much time you're willing to
give it over the long term.
While it's likely that most home
remedies that have stood the test of time will work in time if you
follow instructions and stick with it, some of the most promising
methods for curing nail fungus are new alternative remedies based on
herbal knowledge and research. Producers of these products have
approached the problem of how to treat nail fungus by investigating the
antifungal properties of plant extracts - things like tea tree oil, neem
oil, golden seal, echinacea, ginkgo, ginseng, and other well known
herbal remedies. In recent years, scientific studies have supported the
antifungal and antibacterial potential for many of these plants.
While
prescription drugs used for curing nail fungus are generally taken
orally, home remedies and alternative medicine products are generally
applied topically (although at least one alternative remedy combines a
topical treatment and an oral herbal supplement). The topical approach
appeals to many people investigating how to cure nail fungus because it
means that treatment is directed to the site of the problem instead of
at the whole body. This differs from treatment with oral drugs, which
expose internal organs to the antifungal agent unnecessarily.
Nail
fungus infection should always be confirmed by a medical professional
before any treatment is attempted: other nail conditions can mimic
fungal infection.
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