In Countryside's most recent issue, a woman spoke of successfully using the product Lamisil for curing toe nail fungus. I went right out and bought Lamisil cream for my husband's infected toes. Then we read the package literatur that said specifically " do not use on nails". It did not explain why it shouldn't be used. This cream is made specifically for athelete's foot. I went to the Lamisil website and found that Lamisil oral tablets are specifically for toenail fungus. But, as the woman who wrote the letter in Countryside explained, who wants to deal with potential liver problems? So, my question is: was this woman using the athelete's foot cream on her nails? and what are the potential side affects therein? Why does the label say not to use it in this way?

-- Amy Szwaya (westmachine@yahoo.com), March 15, 2001

Answers

I don't know the answer, Amy, but I'm glad you posted this, because I was thinking about going and getting some. Is there an 800 number anywhere on the box or the literature that you could call and ask the company?

-- Joy F (So.Central Wisconsin) (CatFlunky@excite.com), March 15, 2001.

Treat toenail fungus with plain vinegar. My mom heard about this from a man on television and she tried it and found it worked. She soaked her toes in vinegar each night until the problem disappeared. Took a while, but it worked. After not soaking for several months she says the fungus is returning "a little bit". So probably it will take continual application.

-- R. (thor610@yahoo.com), March 16, 2001.

Toenail fungus is not cured by applying topical anti-fungal medicine, you need the powerful oral medication.That's why the manufacturer says do not use it topically..they know it will do nothing. Unfortunately, ALL of these prescription ant-fungal things have some pretty scary possible side effects (mostly liver damage), AND they have been reported to be fatal in folks who are also taking certain antihistamines, and/or erythtromycin. The reason for that is that all of these meds are metabolized in the liver, and the liver breaks them all down into chemicals which are very bad in combination. Simple fungus can, indeed, be abolished using vinegar. The more complicated cases (cracking, one inch thick disgusting yellowed toenails) are not cured by anything except surgically removing them or taking the prescription medicines. I always told my patients that these meds simply were not worth it unless you are a swimsuit model, If the sight of the toenails bothers folks, use an emory board or walk along a sandy beach without shoes...fungus is still there, but yellowing is gone. Toenail fungus stays in the nails and really except for being UGLY, does no other harm. God bless.

-- Lesley (martchas@bellsouth.net), March 16, 2001.

I've used vinegat successfully on my toenails for years. I cured my mothers fungus with it. For myself, I has a problem with the skin between my toes cracking and peeling. I tried everything on the market and nothing helped. I started spraying my toes with vinegar after drying them after my shower. It worked in a few weeks. Since then, I sray my feet and air dry them about twice a week. No fungus, no peeling, no odor.

-- Ardie from Wi (A6203@hotmail.com), March 16, 2001.

Toenail fungus is easy to treat: Go to the health food store and get a bottle of Tea Tree Oil. It smells strong, but rub it on your affected nails and it will cure it. And no side effects, except the smell and it's not that bad.

-- connie in nm (karrellewis@juno.com), March 16, 2001.

I have this problem and here is my homemade "cure". Well, the cure is that my toes look better immediately when it's applied. Get a high quality olive oil, almond extract (displaces the olive oil smell..if it does anything else, I'm not aware), tea tree oil, Listerine. The Listerine has thymol as it's first ingredient. Thyme helps destroy bacteria. I put the olive oil in a small bottle, fill half way up. Then I just add some of the almond extract, tea tree oil and Listerine. That's it. I rub it into my toenails and the surrounding skin. Now, supposedly, the olive oil, almond extract, and tea tree oil are said to actually cure this condition in time, but I have never done it consistently enough to know. I have, however, made this combination up repeatedly. Atleast it takes away those ugly visual symptoms quickly and if there's any pain, that also diminishes within minutes.

-- Joanne Schaefer (JoOhio1@aol.com), March 16, 2001.

Skip the Lamisil, IMO. Too risky for me. Our doctor said that in order to take the oral Lamisil, blood tests would be needed before starting and then periodically during treatment.

I wrote in another post that our family has had a bad case of athlete's foot that felt like blistered toes. No peeling of skin, just red and felt like blistered skin and was very sensitive. I've also had a toenail that was rather thick as if it has had fungus, not sure about that but I will vouch for the tea tree oil just all by itself. And, I like the smell of it. It is rather like Sandlewood.

After just one application the pain was gone from the athlete's foot. After continuous applications, 2x day, in the morning before putting fresh socks on and at night before bed and more fresh socks, the fungus appears to be gone. I continue to appply the TTO just in case it is not all gone. The tonail looks rather normal now too but you must be consistent and diligent. I also started using the blowdryer to dry my toes after a bath or shower.

GNC sells a brand called "Jason" that comes with a handy little spill proof thing in the neck of the bottle that allows about a drop out at a time. Since this stuff is around $10 per ounce, it would not be wise to spill it. If it sounds expensive, just try pricing the anti- fungul products from WalMart or somewhere. The TTO does last a while and really only takes a drop per toe.

-- Heather in MD (heathergorden@hotmail.com), March 16, 2001.

Okay, I'm not even sure that I HAVE toenail fungus. I stubbed my big toe and kinda bent the nail back. Later that toenail became thickened, the detached area goes back further than it should, and the nail now arches in such a way that it causes one corner to become "ingrown". For quite awhile, I thought the trauma had caused damage to the nail bed, but then I began to think maybe it allowed an introduction of fungus. I've bent back many other nails, even ripped part off sometimes, over the years, and never had an "injury" like this one, which lead me to believe it might be fungus. Any opinions?

-- Joy F (So.Central Wisconsin) (CatFlunky@excite.com), March 16, 2001.

I don't believe this is fungus. I think you killed part of the healthy nail bed. If it is fungus, soak it in Horsetail tea. That is supposed to excellent for external fungal infections.

Little Bit Farm

-- Little bit Farm (littlebit@calinet.com), March 16, 2001.

I had this problem. I went to the podiatrist and he said "We could put all sorts of toxic gick on it for the rest of your life to control it, but the best solution is just permanently remove your big toenails."

So I did. That was about six years ago. Not a problem since and toenail clipping time goes pretty damn fast now! :)

-- Paul Wheaton (paul@javaranch.com), March 17, 2001.

connie has it right.It is not a universal cure all but darn close.TEA TREE OIL.I have seen it work near miracles on tropical ulcers as well as the toenails of a british fellow I shared a hostel with in the norhern territory of australia.after trying all the creams pills and anti fungicides that the doctors gave him tea tree oil cleared it up took about a week to kill it and a month to look normal again.the fungus was so bad that a mushroom grew out of his big toe over night! no BS ! that must have been a hellish mix of "normal" foot fungus as well as a sort of fungus that produces a fruiting body.try the oil and be diligent in it's application and you may beat it.other wise the other poster is right you may need to take a systemic anti fungal agent.Try the oil first your kidneys and liver will thank you.

-- greg (gsmith@tricountyi.net), March 17, 2001.

Judging by what I've been reading, there's some pretty gruesome things growing on some folks feet!! Just joking! My husband had a really bad case of athelete's foot awhile ago and none of the foot remedies helped for long. On a hunch he tried Cruex jock itch spray, and it worked!!! Might help your problem.

-- Marcia (HrMr@webtv.net), March 18, 2001.

Jock itch and athlete's foot, as they are known, are caused by the same fungus (similar anyway) and medications used to treat one can treat the other. Your husband, luckily, used stuff that said it was for jock itch to cure his athlete's foot. Don't try the reverse--my poor man burned the hell out of his sensitive bits that way.

-- Betsy in NY (sassyweitzel@yahoo.com), March 21, 2001.

Oops......That must have hurt!!!!!!!

-- Marcia (HrMr@webtv.net), March 21, 2001.

Try tea tree oil or black walnut extract. Both have antifungal properties and are very safe. Dilute the tea tree in water if it burns, as it can irritate some people's skin if used undiluted.

-- amy (acook@in4web.com), March 21, 2001.

Tea tree oil sounds like a good bet, but no one has mentioned what I used...garlic in olive oil. Cover chopped garlic with a little bit of olive oil to make a strong infusion. Apply the oil 2x/day (morning and bedtime) covering with clean socks. It only took a few days for the thick, yellow spot to disappear and in the three years since I used it, it has not returned.

-- Ellie (ekshulman@webtv.net), March 22, 2001.

Not sure if this post is still ongoing but here goes. About 2 years ago I stubbed my big toe and apparently I split the end of the toenail. No big deal except that it's been split ever since! My toenail beds on both feet are fine, white, no fungus and appear healthy, I just have this annoying split that catches on socks and drives the pedicure lady crazy. I even went to a podiatrist who clipped all of my nails and sent them away for a "culture" which after a month or so came back negative for fungus. Even he cant figure it out. No matter what, the nail grows out and the split is still there. Anybody know what this might be????

-- Sharon Kennedy (SharonAnne2951@yahoo.com), May 31, 2001.

Hi, Sharon,

You probably did some damage to the nail bed which has caused the toe nail to be permanently split. My sister-in-law caught her little finger in a folding chair as a child and completely lost the nail. It grew in crooked and it has always grown in crooked.

-- Dianne in Mass (dianne.bone@usa.net), June 01, 2001.

In mexico my girlfriend made me go to a Podologer to cure the big toenail which was thick,ridged and yellow;the podologer cut the nail ,ground the top of the nail smooth and scraped the fungus away and gave me two bottles to use on the nail;one was a bottle of coffee coloured liquid with no details on it,the other was a clear liquid and applicator called PediPie which contains acid saliclico(salic acid?) and acid acid benzoco(benzoic acid?);the yellow fungus has disappeared,my nail looks healthy;regards from laffalot,hope this is useful

-- Ivor chucklemuscle (laffalot.atmyself@btinternet.com), June 30, 2001.

Thanks to everyone for all the interesting info on this post. I've looked into Lamisil and the cost ($700+ for a full treatment, not including liver tests) and potential liver side effects have scared me off. I'm going to start with the tea tree oil, and if that doesn't work, the vinegar. I have a relatively mild case. but I'd love to get rid of it. I'll post the results when they come in.

-- Ciaran Connor (pericles2b@hotmail.com), July 16, 2001.

I HAVE A FUNGUS ON MY BIG TOENAIL.THE NAIL IS PARTIALLY SEPARATED FROM ITS BED AND IS MOSTLY YELLOWISH IN COLOUR.I BEGAN APPLYING TEA TREE OIL YESTERDAY AND WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF MY NAIL WILL REMAIN PARTIALLY UNATTACHED TO THE NAIL BED AFTER THE FUNGUS HAS BEEN CURED. DOES A NAIL FUNGUS DO PERMANENT DAMAGE TO THE NAIL BED AFTER TIME?

-- Camille Lee (slingpow@startrekmail.com), August 25, 2001.

I took 10 days of Lamisil - about 3 months ago - no liver damage but now my hair is falling out in handfulls - its been about 5 weeks and my hair is getting pretty thin. Dr says blood work is fine - now I have to go back to the Dermatologist to see what she may say. Coincidence that the only medicine I've taken in the past year is Lamisil???? They site hair loss as a very rare side affect - yeah right. Wish I knew about it before I took it. Stay away from Lamisil - its not worth the risk.

-- Sheri M (smartin6@rochester.rr.com), September 04, 2001.

i recommend hydrogen peroxide (h2o2). not only does it work and work cheaply but it shows you exactly where the fungal colonies are. kind of neat. kind of disgusting. very informative. very effective. a few (4-8) topical applications of thourough soaking should do the trick. be careful not to injest any or leave it on too long for it will start to burn mildly.

-- ezblue (ezekieloak@hotmail.com), September 25, 2001.

This is an overwhelming success story for the use of vinegar to cure toenail fungus. I had toenail fungus on the toes of both feet. The nails on my big toes were affected the worst -- both were thick, yellow and separated completely from the toe except for the very base of the nail. I let this condition go for over a year because it wasn't painful, only unsightly. Also, the only cure I heard of was oral anti-fungal drugs, as advertised on television (Lamisil). The potential liver problems associated with the oral anti-fungal drugs were more than enough to dissuade me from using them to cure what is essentially a cosmetic problem, not to mention the steep price. I turned to some of the remedies offered on the Web. Testimonials regarding the success of tea tree oil and vinegar were numerous. I decided to try vinegar (distilled white vinegar) first because it was the cheapest (less than $2.00 for a 32 oz. bottle). I swabbed the nails with vinegar once or twice a day (twice is recommended), and within 4-5 days new healthy nail could be seen starting to grow out of the base of the nail. After about 4-5 months new nails completely free of fungus were grown. I highly recommend trying the vinegar treatment first, and definitely before using the pills. Why mess with your liver?

-- Bill Schertler (wmschert@aol.com), October 05, 2001.

I wanted to add a tip. I bought a big box of latex gloves for $5, and have been cutting the tips of the fingers off and using that to cover my toe after applying tea tree oil. Scotch tape (first aid tape is better) over the latex and around the toe can help keep it in place. I found this allows me to keep the nail moist with oil for long periods without rubbing off on socks or sheets or drying out.

I also filed my nail down to near nothing, didn't hurt at all, before I started using the oil. Seems to be a good way to get a jump start.

-- Ben (ben3342@hotmail.com), January 11, 2002.

i tried it all.....they took part off...wanted to remove it completely, truth is...i am a woman....why cant they make fake toenails???? bottom line....i tried the vinegar....seemed to work, but the smeel got so annoying i stopped...i smelled like an easter egg...the tea tree stuff......gosh the stuff i bought smelt ghastly to say the least....penlac...costs a fortune for a TINY bottle...and i did many years ago try the pills by mouth...monthly blood tests, stopped doing that too.....there MUST be a cure for this...has to be

-- funky feet (christine_418@yahoo.com), February 15, 2002.

I have read all these success stories above re: tea tree oil and it confuses me because I have tried tea tree oil numerous times for extended periods of time and have had no luck with it whatsoever. Has anyone tried vitamin e oil applications? Joe Graedon's column claimed that it was an effective treatment. I have also tried vinegar. Does anyone know if eczema-like patches on other areas of the body might be related to the same nail fungus? Thanks.

-- Pauline Thom (coachpal@flash.net), March 17, 2002.