People who suffer from toenail fungus are often desperate to try any potential home remedy. Online magazines like Only My Health claim that a fungal nail infection can be treated at home by soaking the toes in one part vinegar, two parts warm water, for 15 minutes. They also recommend trimming the nails once they are softened and covering the fungus nails with a bandage in between soaking. We have several problems with this advice regarding natural toenail fungus remedies.
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Vinegar – Is It A Natural Way To Cure Toenail Fungus Fast?
First of all, what evidence is there to support this notion that vinegar penetrates the nail to the root to eliminate toenail fungus? Sure, vinegar has known “fungicidal” and “anti-bacterial” properties naturally… but that doesn’t automatically make it an effective consumer product. One has to know what concentration it works best at, what duration of time is most effective, how often the topical solution must be applied, and whether it is able to penetrate the nail to the root to actually treat the central hub of the fungus infection. All of this is unclear.
Trimming Fungus Nails Can Re-infect A Healthy Nail.
Secondly, they make no mention of sterilizing your equipment. Yes, you will want to file or cut your fungus nails. However, if you keep clipping off the bad parts with contaminated clippers, you will eventually get down to the new healthy nail growth (if your toenail fungus treatment has been successful, that is) and using these clippers on the new nail will just re-infect it with fungus again!
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Sterilization using bleach, isopropyl alcohol, or UV light is recommended to kill off the fungus. Some people put their clippers in their shoes and switch on the SteriShoe UV shoe sanitizer to sanitize everything in one fell swoop. Remember, putting your feet back into fungus shoes is another sure-fire way to re-infect yourself with the insidious fungus!
Do Not Cover Toenail Fungus!
Fungus loves to grow in warm, damp, dark environments — like beneath a bandage, in a sock, in a shoe! We never recommend covering toenail fungus. You want to keep your feet protected by wearing shower shoes or sandals in public bathing and swimming areas, but you also want to let your feet air out as much as possible while at home. After a shower, take special care to dry your feet so there is no tasty moisture for fungus and bacteria to feast upon.
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Is There ANY Evidence In Support Of Vinegar?
Some anecdotal evidence suggests that vinegar may lead to some improvement in the condition of the nail. Yet, people still admit home remedies for fungus on nails is time-consuming and mediocre at best. Disabled World suggests that bacteria and fungus do not like to grow in acidic environments, so by that token, it sounds like vinegar could be helpful in preventing toenail fungus from growing. However, it does nothing to eliminate the existing fungal nail infection. One case study reported successful remission of toenail fungus using vinegar and hydrogen peroxide.
Toenail Fungus Remedies Like Vinegar – The Bottom Line:
The Mayo Clinic says “there is no direct evidence that a vinegar soak can cure nail fungus.” To date, there have been no large-scale studies regarding vinegar as a home remedy for nail fungus and there have been no articles published in a respected, peer-reviewed medical journal testifying to its effectiveness. Therefore, we cannot recommend this natural toenail fungus treatment. If you love the smell of warm vinegar, then by all means, soak away! But if you want to get rid of toenail fungus for good, consider one of the more effective treatments and take smart steps to prevent it from ever coming back.
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