Natural Healing: Choose a Topical Treatment for Nail Fungus

Nail fungus is an unsightly condition that is embarrassing and sometimes painful. Minute parasitic yeasts and molds cause these fungal infections. Most nail fungi are contagious but may lay dormant for months or years before manifesting the symptoms of infection. Once an individual contracts nail fungus (onychomycosis), the infection is difficult to eradicate. Oral medications such as terbinafine, griseofulvin, or ketoconazole can be taken; however, these medications have been linked to serious side effects such as liver damage, nausea, and headaches.

Natural treatments

Mary Lynn Seton, an herbalist living in Gramercy, Wisconsin, often prescribes a combination of tea tree oil (Melaleuca alternifolia), garlic oil (Allium sativum) and calendula ointment (Calendula officinalis) as a topical treatment for nail fungus. Tea tree oil, in fact, was the subject of a recent double-blind, placebo-controlled study in which sixty nail infection patients aged eighteen to eighty years old achieved an 80 percent cure rate after sixteen weeks. None of these patients experienced recurrence of infection. Tea tree oil is available at most health-food stores and can be applied to the entire nail and nail bed area without being diluted. Applying the oil twice per day is recommended.

“Most individuals that I see have contracted the fungus from a health club or beauty salon,” Seton says. “Nail fungus is very contagious and if you experience an unsanitized shower floor or unclean pedicure implements, chances are good that you can be exposed to the fungus.” She recommends keeping the nail bed cleaned and the nail tips cut short. “Wearing gloves when you are cleaning is also a good preventive measure. You can also wear waterproof flip-flop type sandals when you are exposed to public surfaces like shower tile and pools,” Seton says.