What Grandma Bonnie Peters Learned About Nail Fungus

This came from way back in the archives. I think it's still worth posting for Grandma Bonnie Peters' fans.

Between 2001-2006, Grandma Bonnie Peters was the home nurse for a diabetic patient who had toenail fungus. Nail fungus is seldom able to infect nails that haven’t been damaged, as it might be by diabetes or by injuries. After the wheelchair-bound patient had rolled across GBP’s feet a few times, her toenails had sustained enough damage that her toes started itching and burning too.

Nail fungus is a brownish-colored species of mold closely related to the green mold that forms on anything left in the shade in our part of the world. Symptoms it causes begin with itching and burning under the nail. As the fungus grows, it may deform the growing nail, causing what should be a thin, smooth sheet of translucent protein to warp into an ugly, thick, brittle, many-layered mass of yellowish-white protein.

Rarely, usually on the toenails of people who wear shoes all the time, the fungus is able to infest enough of the skin badly enough to interfere with use of the hand or foot. This has become a serious problem for a few soldiers who spent a lot of time in hot, damp trenches, and for a few disabled patients who aren’t able to clean their own feet or get someone else to do it.

It was reported to me as a fact that another lady in Kingsport, Tennessee, of about the same age as Grandma Bonnie, allowed this to happen to her. She didn’t seek treatment for nail fungus until she felt unable to walk on her feet. By this time even health care professionals were scared of the fungus...and health insurance is a great way for doctors and patients to spend the money of people they don’t know and have reasons not to like. A doctor anesthetized both feet and pulled out all ten toenails. The patient couldn't walk for weeks.

Do not let this happen to you, or to a disabled person you care for.

Here are three traditional remedies that Grandma Bonnie did not particularly recommend, although they will kill Cladosporium mold:

1. Wood ashes. Burying the affected skin in wood ashes is safe, cheap, and effective as a quick fix for allergic reactions to mold spores. Ashes do not, however, penetrate the underside of the nail, so they don’t cure nail fungus.

2. Bleach. Soaking the affected fingers or toes in chlorine bleach will kill living fungi, but it can also damage the skin. Chlorine exposure can produce a rash that looks like very bad acne but isn’t. The rash is technically called “chloracne.” As chlorine breaks down into the air, it forms carcinogenic dioxin...and prolonged or high-level exposure to dioxin can encourage “chloracne” blemishes to grow into skin cancer.

3. Lamisil. This soothing ointment, containing a chlorine compound that is effective on skin fungus infections, is often prescribed by doctors for nail fungus. It seems to be safe when used as directed, and it works. The active ingredient seems to soak through the nail. It is, however, expensive if you’re going to use it as long as it takes to cure nail fungus. It can have side effects that don't do the heart any good.

Here are three things that Grandma Bonnie did recommend and use:

1. Alcohol. Pour into a measure big enough to hold the infected fingers or toes, and soak the nails for 15 minutes morning and evening. Safe and cheap.

2. Tea tree oil. This is not a great deal cheaper than Lamisil, but it’s sold by nicer people. Paint it on the affected nail and surrounding skin before bed, and let it soak in. This will help to counteract the drying effects of alcohol, while killing more fungi.

3. Manuka honey. The price is comparable to Lamisil, but again, it comes from nicer people. The herbal honey is thought to contain nutrients that promote healing. Smear it on the affected finger or toe and wrap it in something moisture-proof for a few hours, or overnight.

Any combination of any of these things is likely to help, and the patient also needs to consider other ways to kill fungus growth.

1. Fungi thrive in a warm, moist environment. Keep the home as cold and dry as possible. 

2. Mold spores can lurk and grow almost anywhere. Cladosporium tolerates much more light than other common fungi. It’s a surface mold that requires little nourishment; several species thrive on cement. Clean and vacuum often to keep mold from forming under rugs, under mattresses, behind curtains, etc.

3. The human body is meant to exist in a symbiotic relationship with some fungi, especially the yeast fungus Candida albicans. Although fungi constantly invade the body, healthy bodies actually digest them and get most of our Vitamin B-12 from them. In less healthy bodies, especially diabetic bodies and bodies that have been treated with antibiotics or steroids, the fungi may get the upper hand; when this happens, the patient is prone to yeast and other infections, suffers more from allergies and hypersensitivity, and feels sluggish and depressed, often craving sweet and starchy foods. The patient needs to starve the yeast by eating green vegetables, lean meat, and a bare minimum of things containing sugar, flour, milk, or grapes. At the same time, if possible, build up the body with lots of exercise and exposure to dry, sunny air. If the patient is able to walk five miles a day, that will help.

4. Whenever possible, expose the affected fingers and toes to dry, sunny air. When it’s necessary to take the affected fingers and toes back into a dark or damp environment, use lots of soap and water, clean towels, and clean cotton socks to keep the nail area as clean and dry as possible. Put on clean socks at least every morning and evening.

5. Just say no to synthetic footwear. Nylon stockings and plastic shoes keep the feet soaking in puddles of sweat all day, and promote fungus growth.