Counseling Sheet

Agatha M. Thrash, M.D.
Preventive Medicine

Trim and scrape the involved nail to remove as much of the nail as possible and the crumbly material beneath the nail. Apply vinegar with a Q-tip twice a day, and calendula and myrrh in vinegar extract as described below, twice or three times daily.

Fungus nails are related to athlete's foot and are often caused by the same fungus. Treatment for fungus nails are as follows:

• Trim the nails as closely as possible, and scrape what is left. If a crumbly material collects under the nail, trim off the entire nail, lift it up off the nail bed, and remove the corners where they are embedded in the cuticles.
• Do not allow pressure from socks or shoes, as that presses the blood out of the nail, and makes the nails more susceptible to fungus growth.
• Apply vinegar to the nails four times a day for 30 days, then once a day.
• Apply daily a vinegar extract of myrrh and calendula made by the following formula: ½ oz. black walnut, ½ oz. calendula, ½ oz. myrrh, ½ quart vinegar. Let the mixture "ripen" two weeks, agitating it daily, then strain and use.*

Avoid the use of oral anti-fungals for fungus nails, as they are all powerful and toxic, resulting in injury to the body. As soon as the anti-fungal is discontinued, there is a high recurrence rate for the fungus nail. Little is accomplished of permanent good, and a risk to future health is taken by administering the anti-fungals.

‍PREVENTION‍

To prevent fungus nails, keep the nails trimmed short, do not wear tight stockings or socks, shoes, or allow bed covers at night to fit tightly over the toes so that blood is pressed from the nail bed. To do so weakens the resistance of the nail against fungus. To recognize the earliest growth of fungus, one should look for a dark streak on the nail which looks somewhat like a splinter under the nail. If such a streak occurs, scrape the dark discoloration off the nail entirely with a sharp blade such as a knife or scissors blade. If you can, scrape all the discolored area off, as the fungus is in the discolored area. If allowed to spread, it ruins the entire nail, causing it to become thickened, deformed, dead, and separated from the nail bed.

* The Uchee Pines Herb Shop fungus nail formula (labeled "Anti-Fungal Solution") is available through our Country Life Store: 706-323-9194