How Does This Remedy Work
Using Vicks for toenail fungus seems very simple and straight forward but there is actually a small trick to it. Many people make the mistake of putting the salve on the infected toenail itself. Its important to understand that when it comes to treating toenail fungus, youre not going to be able to take a toenail that is already infected and make it clear again. What happens is that as you start fighting off the infection, your new toenail as it starts growing out, grows out healthy and clear.
The trick is to specifically apply a small amount of the salve onto nail bed and cuticle of each infected toenail. Then just leave it there. At the of the day wash off the salve and repeat this every day until you see an improvement in the appearance of the nail.
Now the question is..
What Did The New York Times Article Say
Researchers have been studying the effects of the herb, thyme, on curing toenail fungusa condition that, while not normally harmful, eats up an expectedly large portion of Americans medical bills every year. Over-the-counter medications for eliminating nail fungus are plagued with drawbacks: Theyre expensive, dont have great results, and have a whole slew of side effects. Heres what The New York Times had to say in 2009 about the research surrounding the use of herbal remedies such as thyme to treat dermatophytesa common type of fungi that humans contract from contact with other humans, animals, and soil.
In one study, scientists tested the antifungal effects of the ingredients in a generic medicated chest rub. Of the seven ingredients, thymol was among the most effective at inhibiting the growth of dermatophytes that cause nail fungus. Other studies in animals have also shown thymol oil to be effective against dermatophytes. And studies have also shown that thymol oil destroys another cause of nail fungus, Candida, by disrupting its cell membranes and metabolism.
Does Vicks Vaporub Really Cure Toenail Fungus
A longstanding rumor among those who suffer from fungus-ridden feet contends that over-the-counter Vicks VapoRub has a hidden podiatric power: it allegedly cures toenail fungus.
A 2009 piece from the New York Times backed up the unwittingly miraculous cure, citing one study that noted how one of the ointments active ingredients, thymol, had unforeseen anti-fungal qualities. Herbal medicine enthusiasts probably relished the scientific validation, because thymol is a chemical compound found in the oil of the common household herb thyme.
Perhaps owing to the insignificance of toenail fungus in light of other, more pressing health matters, the intrigue around this alleged cure still stands. And the question obviously remains: does it actually work?
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How Long Does It Take For Vinegar To Kill Toenail Fungus
The antifungal properties also make vinegar soaks a good idea for people who have toenail fungus. Soak your feet for 10 to 15 minutes daily in a vinegar bath until the infection subsides. You can increase the length of time in the soak gradually. It may take two to three weeks or longer to see improvement in symptoms.
For Moderate To Severe Cases Of Fungal Infections Use Emuaidmax
If you have a moderate to severe fungal infection, your best bet is to utilize a topical solution such as EmuaidMAX. We are huge fans of EmuaidMAX because it utilizes medical grade essential oils such as Tea Tree Oil, Camphor, Castor Oil, Vitamin E, and more.
In fact, it shares many of the same ingredients are Vicks Vaporub but in a significantly more concentrated and powerful form. It is one of our top recommended products on this site, and we seriously recommend considering it to treat your fungal infection.
In short, if you have a mild case of nail fungus, you may be able to get away with using Vicks Vaporub. However, if you have a moderate to severe case of nail fungus, or even if you are just worried about your fungal infection spreading, we highly recommend utilizing EmuaidMAX.
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Home Remedies That May Be Worth A Try
- By Beverly Merz, Executive Editor, Harvard Women’s Health Watch
Harvard Medical School embraces evidence-based medicine treatments that have been shown to be effective through high-quality studies called randomized controlled clinical trials. So its always a little surprising when a Harvard doctor proposes a home remedy, as Dr. James P. Ioli did in an interview about toenail fungus. Dr. Ioli, who is chief of the podiatry service at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Womens Hospital, suggested that daily applications of Vicks VapoRub might be at least as effective as most of the topical treatments for toenail fungus that are available by prescription or over the counter.
Toenail fungus is representative of the type of condition that may benefit from home remedies. It isnt usually serious and there are no sure cures for it that dont have significant side effects. Vicks is also representative of the type of home remedy that isnt likely to be harmful a product we know well and have used safely for other purposes.
Does Vicks Cure Toenail Fungus
It may sound a bit weird for some people. However, it seems to sometimes help cure a fungal infection. Though it has not gone through any large-scale clinical trials, some small-scale studies have been done.
During these studies, people experience various degrees of relief.
Have a look at the above video. As you can see, the percentage of people that have complete relief from this fungal infection is low.
Nevertheless, it would be immensely difficult to say the role of Vicks in the overall therapy of fungal infection of the toe, as there are many compelling remedies available with proven efficiency.
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Nail Fungus Sufferers: What Works And What Doesnt
Are you tired of suffering from stubborn and ugly nail infections? Do you long for letting your once beautiful toes see the sunlight again? Do you wonder what its going to take to get rid of the fungus?
Over the years weve had the opportunity to collect testimonials from people who left comments on ToenailFungusTreatments.com, who have used different types of nail fungus remedies. After analyzing them, weve created some useful suggestions for those who want to eliminate nail fungus.
Of course, nothing is ever 100% guaranteed, but if we can learn from others with similar problems, we have a better chance of crossing off one more problem we have from the list that seems to accumulate many problems as we age.
How Doctors Heal Patients
In fact, I was thinking about doctors and how they learn. I know that if you ask any doctor who he or she learned the most from, they will say their patients. In the practice of medicine, a doctor who pays the most attention to the results that their patients are receiving, and makes appropriate adjustments is often the most successful both with people and against disease.
Recognizing this feedback loop was very valuable, we started collecting reports on remedies from our readers and have been able to create some basic guidelines for anyone with nail fungus problems who wants to use these treatments to get clear nails again.
Guidelines From Our Readers about Nail Fungus Remedies
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How To Apply Vicks Vaporub On Toenails
Because Vicks is not a conventional treatment for toenail fungus, there is no prescribed method about how to use it. However, conventional wisdom determines that Vicks should be applied to the nails and skin like any other topical cream after washing.
Trim your nails to keep them short. To cut your nails, use a good pair of toenail clippers. If you have hard, brittle toenails, use heavy duty toenail clippers.
Then follow the instructions below twice a day. However, it should be noted that some peoples skin is more sensitive to some analgesic formulas than others.
If you find applying Vicks VapoRub twice a day irritates, only use it once a day. You may also want to consult your doctor before using Vicks as a treatment for toenail fungus.
- Take a hot shower or bath. You can also soak your feet in a bowl of hot water.
- If you have hard skin, corns or calluses on your feet, shave away the top layer of dead skin with a pumice stone.
- File your nails down so that the salve can get into the gaps of the toenail bed.
- Rub the Vicks ointment over the entire surface of your toe and nail with your finger making sure the ointment gets to the skin down the side of your nails and underneath the toenail onto the nail bed.
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Does The Rest Of The Podiatry World Believe It
Not exactly. There isnt enough of a scientific literature directly applied to the use of Vicks VapoRub and thymol to make a definitive conclusion as to whether it will help your toenail fungus. Its likely that your podiatrist wont advise you to use it for this purpose.
Writing for Podiatry Today in 2016, Tracey Vlahovic looked at one of the more influential studies in the area, deducing that there just isnt enough evidence to support this specific ointment as a good treatment.
Time will tell if this ointment truly can eradicate fungus or, by virtue of its ointment properties, simply creates a more hydrated nail unit that gives the appearance of a healthier nail.
Additionally, Dr. Christopher Hull, a dermatologist at the University of Utah, recently claimed the remedy probably wont help. But it wont hurt anything either.
Hull went on to explain why topic treatments usually dont do much:
Theres a lot of those things out there. A lot of people use vinegar, tea tree oil. The hard part with any of these topical medicines is they dont penetrate the nail unit very well. So getting them, actually, to the fungus in the nail unit is very difficult. And thats why a lot of the prescription topical medicines have such limited effects.
The best course of action is take whatever anti-fungal drugs your doctor recommends. There might not be an exciting over-the-counter cure sitting in your medicine cabinet, but at least your doctor can prescribe a drug that will.
Direction On How To Use It
Before applying Vicks Vapor Rub on your toenails there are a few things you need to do. First of all, you should clip your affected nails as short as you can. Second of all, clean your feet thoroughly especially those areas that are affected by nail fungus. Third of all, make the feet completely dry. Then apply the cream on affected nails and also make sure that the cream would be applied as deep under the bed of nails as possible. In order for the cream to stay longer on affected area use a bandage to wrap your fingers. Repeat this process daily until nail fungus disappears completely.
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How Does Vicks Vaporub Work
The effectiveness of Vicks VapoRub in treating fingernail fungus from acrylic nails has been documented by a number of people over time.
Many people also report a failure with expensive prescription antifungal products. Most people who take antifungal medicine for some time to get rid of their lice are disappointed when the fungus returns after a temporary cure.
Nail fungus appears to be surprisingly variable. This is probably due to both the wide variety of fungal pathogens that can affect nails and the variability in immunity among hosts. Nail fungus does not affect some people, even those who walk barefoot in the garden, shower, or locker room.
Some people find their toenails to be yellowish-brown and misshapen. In addition to looking unsightly, they are also difficult to clip. For a while, treatment may work, but the fungi seem to return repeatedly.
It is frequently questioned whether the problem arises from different fungi or if the immune system interacts with the fungi.
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Mayo Clinic Q And A: Treatment For Toenail Fungus Isnt Always Necessary
DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I am in my late 50s, and a few of my toenails have turned a yellowish color and seem to have thickened. Is this something I should be concerned about? Is there anything I can do to fix this?
ANSWER: What youre likely experiencing is a fungal nail infection. Fungal nail infections are common, especially among older adults. As nail growth slows with age, its easier for fungus to establish in the nail bed. Treatments are available, although they may take some vigilance and are not always necessary.
Toenail fungus usually is caused by a microscopic organism called dermatophyte fungus. It often begins as a white or yellow spot under the tip of your toenail. But as the infection goes deeper, nail fungus may cause your nail to discolor, thicken and crumble at the edge. These fungal infections are more likely to happen in your toenails than in your fingernails because toenails often are confined in a dark, warm, moist environment, where fungi can thrive. Toes also have less blood flow than fingers, making it harder for your bodys immune system to detect and stop the infection. But it is possible for fingernails to be affected.
The older you are, the more likely you are to get toenailfungus. Thats because as you age, your immune system changes. Inaddition, your nails become more brittle and drier over time, creating morecracks where fungus can live.
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What Are The Side Effects To Use Vicks Vaporub
Most users report no side effects when utilizing Vicks Vaporub as a nail fungus treatment. Some users may experience a mild warming sensation, but that is about it. This is a far cry from some of the terrifying possibilities of prescription drugs, which can have severe side effects such as organ failure and even death.
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Myth Or Reality: Is Vicks Vaporub Effective For Mycotic Toenails
Honestly, when I read anything about Vicks VapoRub and onychomycosis, my mythbusters mind activates. I cant even count the times I have heard physicians and patients extol the positives of this over-the-counter ointment. I understand the cost benefit of using an easily attainable product but I want to see the evidence before recommending it.
What are the components of Vicks VapoRub? Thymol, menthol, camphor and oil of eucalyptus seem to be broad spectrum anti-infectives that have shown activity in vitro against Candida, Aspergillus and some dermatophytes.1 That said, in a recent literature search for a chapter I am writing on the myths of onychomycosis, I came across several articles on the use of the mentholated ointment for toenails, one of which was a clinical trial.1
The first clinical trial completed using Vicks VapoRub on mycotic nails was a pilot study by a family medicine group.1 Eighteen people who had nail disease completed the 48-week study. There are some positive aspects of this study but it did not follow all of the protocols that researchers normally do for topical antifungal studies. Unlike Phase 3 clinical trials for toenail onychomycosis, this study did not exclusively enroll patients who had cultures for dermatophytes like T. rubrum or T. mentagrophytes, and did not limit the percent of the affected nail to 50 or 60 percent.
Did this study convince me to recommend Vicks VapoRub to my toenail onychomycosis patients? No.
Reference
Pros And Cons Of Vicks Vaporub For Toenail Fungus
It does seem that a number of people have found some relief from this difficult problem by using Vicks. On the plus side, it has minimal side effects relative to the traditional treatment methods and is a product that is both easy to find and inexpensive to buy.
However, Vicks has been shown to be ineffective for the majority of people even when used for extended periods of time and the longer you use any treatment, the more costly it becomes. Some individuals have found that it irritates the skin surrounding the nail and are bothered by the strong smell. It seems that even in the best of circumstances, treating toenail fungus with Vicks is just a temporary stop gap as the infection generally returns once the treatment has been stopped. The bottom line is that like all home remedies, it is wise to proceed with a healthy dose of caution and a little bit of common sense when considering Vicks Vapor Rub for the treatment of toenail fungus.
Visit our main website to get a broader and deeper picture about the different treatments available to get rid of toenail fungus fast.
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