•  The nail fungus may affect the appearance of the nails.
• They might look greenish, yellowish, or even darker colors.
• Some may have small white patches on them.
• More signs of a nail fungus infection.
•  Debris might collect under your nails causing them to smell bad.
•  Nails may get flaky, brittle & chipped.
•  Sometimes nail fungus causes the nails to split.
•  Sometimes toenails get so thick that even wearing shoes or walking will be painful.

In case you think that you have a nail fungus go to your healthcare provider & they or their helpers will perform a check. This is the only sure way to know for sure in case you have a nail fungus.

How to prevent a fungus from affecting your toenails

Well-fitting shoes is always a nice defense against a nail fungus. Shoes are well-fitting where there is space (about the width of a thumb) between the finish of the shoe & the tip of the longest toe, stopping the toe from being damaged on impact. Another way to prevent the nail fungus from appearing is to alter, dry out, or change socks whenever they become damp.

The nail fungus is hard to eliminate & needs treatment with proper medications, if it has established in your nail bed. Regrettably, in most cases, anti-fungal creams applied to the nail are useless because they do not penetrate the nail bed killing the fungus at its sourse. Although this is not true all the time; it is best to try an over-the-counter or onoine product. The cost is much less that presecription medicaitons.

What to do when you have a nail fungal infection

Keep in mind that this list is far, far from being complete. In case you are treating yourself for nail-fungal infection using oral medications, ask your physician for a complete list.

However, there’s strong oral medications that must be taken for months in order to be effective. But, be cautious as most medications have side effects to other body organs like the liver or the skin, etc. Ask your physician to monitor side effects in the work of treatment. This consists in periodic blood tests, usually every month. Any of the following signs suggests organ destroy & ought to be reported immediately to your physician:

• nausea,
• unusual fatigue,
• extreme loss of appetite,
• skin rashes,
• yellow eyes,
• dark urine,
• bleeding.

Nail Fungus Infection Signs can help you learn more, thank you. Read more about a guaranteed cure for toenail fungus. Good luck!

Nail Fungus Cures

 
Nail fungus is a condition in which fungi get under the nail of the toe or finger and cause an infection in the area. The infection can be of the nail itself or for the underlying skin in the area known as the nail bed. The condition is one in which you will want to have treated, especially if you find that it is painful or embarrassing to have. If you suffer for other conditions, such as diabetes, your doctor may want to take care of the problem as soon as possible so that it does not cause further damage to your skin. While you can have finger nail fungus, it is most commonly a toe nail fungus that will be present. In fact, at any given time, up to 18% of the population will have nail fungus infections. Nail fungus cures are hard to find.

Nail fungus does not necessary have to be treated. If it is not causing you any pain and you do not have a problem with the way it looks, then you may choose to not treat it at all. But, if you do this, you are increasing the chances for it to spread and worsen which may result in pain. It is also likely that it will take longer to treat at that point. The good news is, though, that you do not need to live with this condition. Nail fungus cures are available to help you.

There are several over the counter medications that can help in this condition. There is not a 100% nail fungus cure, but many people do find relief from these topical treatments. If you do not see any relief from them, you can and should contact your family doctor. He can prescribe medications that are stronger to help. Some of these medications do have side effects though. Nail fungus is something that many people have, yet you do not need to suffer from it when you seek out the help of fungal treatments such as these. There are some that claim to have some nail fungus cures.

Please visit some of my web sites at Nail Fungus and Nail Fungus Cures

By: pjs1965

 Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com 

For more information please visit my website at Nail Fungus Cures

News about Toenail fungus cures:

How to Treat Toenail Fungus 

Funginix bottle for toenail fungus cures

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Special discount coupon code is good until August 12, Friday. Until then we are offering 25% OFF any order. Friday is the last day to use this offer, so order now and save money. On a $100 order, that would be savings to you of $25. This is much more than the (usual) discount offered ($10). So if you need help with your toenail fungus, and want to save money, this is the time to buy and save money. Act now, as this offer ends on Friday August 12!

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 By Kaye Bennett | Special to the Kalamazoo Gazette

  

Mark Bugnaski /

Kalamazoo GazetteArt Hoekstra, left, has a disease called acral lentiginous melanoma (aka nail cancer). Maria Drawhorn who also has the disease claims Hoekstra saved her life by suggesting that she should get diagnosed. They are working on an awareness campaign about this very rare disease. Hoekstra is wearing a Bob Marley shirt who died from acral lentiginous melanoma. Gazette / Mark Bugnaski

KALAMAZOO — Statistically, Art Hoekstra of Kalamazoo should never have gotten acral lentiginous melanoma.

That form of cancer, of the nail, is so rare that only about 80 people a year in this country are diagnosed with it, and those who get it are more likely persons of color, which Hoekstra is not.

But what really staggers the imagination is that Maria Drawhorn, also from Kalamazoo and a friend and colleague of Hoekstra, was diagnosed with nail cancer as well — thanks to Hoekstra’s persistent urging that she get a biopsy on a discolored fingernail.

Their shared diagnosis and professional experience in organizing projects have inspired them to spread the word. Their goal: To make sure that nail cancer is diagnosed early, like Drawhorn’s, rather than late, like Hoekstra’s.

Hoekstra, 61, is well known in Southwest Michigan as the longtime director of the Kalamazoo Deacons Conference, a Christian organization that serves the emergency needs of the poor. In 2001, after 21 years with the Deacons Conference, Hoekstra left that role and began working for local and national organizations to eliminate racism. Not long after this career move, Hoekstra’s experience with cancer began.

Acral Lentiginous Melanoma (Nail Cancer)*

Listed as a rare disease by National Institutes of Health, meaning it affects less than 200,000 people in the U.S.

Higher incidence in people of color

Has a lower survival rate than the other three types of malignant melanoma

Occurs mainly on nail beds, palms of hands and soles of feet

Poor survival rate may be in part because of delayed diagnosis

Incidence in men and women is similar

Mean age at diagnosis is 62.8 years

Diagnosed with biopsy

Treated with surgery, chemotherapy, radiation

Jamaican musician Bob Marley died of nail cancer at age 36 in 1981.

*Information fromArchives of Dermatology, April 2009, vol. 145, no. 4

He had a 20-year history of toenail fungus — at least that’s what he thought it was. About seven years ago, he asked his physician about the nail on one of his toes, where the lesion looked darker and more discolored than the rest and he was not surprised to hear that it was just another case of fungus. He followed doctor’s orders and treated the nail, the fourth toe on his right foot, with an anti-fungal medicine. But he was prepared for a lack of results, since nail fungus is notoriously resistant to treatment.

Then, in late 2008, that nail got much worse. It ulcerated and began to bleed. Hoekstra’s doctor ordered a biopsy. The report came back on New Year’s Day 2009, when Hoekstra and his wife, Mary, were in Chicago, celebrating the holiday with their daughter Anna.

At that time, Anna Hoekstra, M.D., who is now 35 and a physician at the West Michigan Cancer Center in Kalamazoo, was doing a fellowship in gynecological oncology at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.

She understood the implications of that biopsy report much better than her parents did. “I broke into tears,” she recalled. “I told him I was scared.”

She had never seen a case of nail cancer, but she’d seen enough cancers at that point in her career that she knew melanoma could be a deadly disease. Holiday or no, Anna Hoekstra began making phone calls on behalf of her father, lining up appointments with surgical and medical oncologists at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. Within two weeks, Hoekstra’s toe had been amputated and a series of tests and scans began.

View full sizeCourtesy Photo

When Hoekstra came home, he started chemotherapy at the the cancer center in Kalamazoo. His treatment with interferon continued until he had a transient ischemic attack (a “mini-stroke”), after which it was decided that he should be given a different chemotherapy drug, interleukin. But the interleukin treatment he needed had to be given at Northwestern, and he needed to spend a week in the hospital every time he got the drug. Its side effects sent Hoekstra to the intensive care unit multiple times.

By Christmas 2009, scans showed that Hoekstra’s cancer was continuing to progress and his doctors decided that the interleukin treatment wasn’t working for him. They put him in contact with the National Institutes of Health, to see if he qualified for any research protocols.

By this time, Hoekstra had lesions in his pelvis, kidney, stomach and brain. The brain lesions disqualified him from the NIH trials, so he focused once again on the treatment he could receive in Kalamazoo. Back at the cancer center, Hoekstra had stereotactic radiosurgery, “zapping the lesions with minimal damage to the rest of the brain.” This was followed by radiation to Hoekstra’s brain and abdomen, treatments which ended in May 2010.

How to spot this melanoma

Patients: Look for dark, tan or black spots on or under the nails of your fingers and toes. Look for new or changing pigmentation. If you see something suspicious, talk to your doctor.

Health care providers: Consider biopsy for nail lesions that look “different.”

Manicurists and pedicurists: If you see lesions that look like any of these pictures, tell your client and recommend that they see their doctor.

Last June, while Hoekstra and his wife were vacationing in San Francisco, they saw a news story about a new drug that was being made available to patients with advanced melanoma.

Bristol-Myers-Squibb’s ipilimumab, a targeted T-cell antibody, is under review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. It has been shown to improve overall survival in adults with advanced melanoma and is currently available for compassionate use. (This means that a seriously ill patient may be given a new, unapproved drug if no other treatments are available.)

Encouraged by the news report and the feeling that there might be a chance in trying the new drug, the Hoekstras flew back to Michigan the next day.

Art and Mary Hoekstra weren’t the only people hurrying back to Kalamazoo because of ipilimumab. Hoekstra’s oncologist at the cancer center, Marcia Liepman, M. D., had been at an oncology convention in Chicago when she learned that ipilimumab would be available for compassionate use at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. Liepman came home and worked through the weekend to get Hoekstra enrolled in the protocol that would let him receive the treatment.

When the Hoekstras got home, they discovered that Liepman had succeeded in getting him into the study.

Currently, Hoekstra is in his second course of treatment with ipilimumab. Unlike other chemotherapy agents he’s tried, this one has extremely mild side effects, he says, and its infusion takes just an hour. Recent scans and an MRI have shown that most of his lesions are gone. After he completes ipilimumab treatment, he faces still more surgery.

Fighting cancer is “like a full-time job,” he says.

Mary Hoekstra and the couple’s three daughters take turns driving him to Detroit for his treatments. Busy as his medical condition keeps him, however, Hoekstra has kept up with his work on committees to fight racism. That’s when he noticed the middle finger on Maria Drawhorn’s left hand.

Drawhorn became involved in anti-racism initiatives when she worked at Kalamazoo’s YWCA, and she frequently works on projects with Hoekstra. He and Drawhorn were at a business lunch in early 2009, when he found himself staring at her fingernail, which was noticeably darker in color than the others.

Hoekstra remarked that Drawhorn’s use of nail polish was creative and, he recalled, “She said it wasn’t polish.”

He told her, “I wish you’d get a biopsy. It might be cancer.”

Drawhorn didn’t take his advice. But Hoekstra didn’t give up. “I’d try to pester her in ways that didn’t make her strangle me,” he said.

She was not concerned about the nail, which had been discolored since she was a toddler. “My mother thought it was from an injury, and the doctor thought it was a mole.” So she told Hoekstra, “It’s not the same. Mine’s always been there.” But, after six or eight months, Hoekstra wore her resistance down. Since she had an appointment with a dermatologist anyway, she decided to mention the nail so that the next time she saw Hoekstra, he would be pacified.

To help the Nail Cancer Awareness campaign:

For more information, contact Art Hoekstra at 269-207-0393 or arthoekstra@yahoo.com; or Maria Drawhorn at 269-251-0065 or ridrwhrn@yahoo.com.

To contribute, checks to the West Michigan Cancer Center at 200 N. Park St., Kalamazoo, Mich. 49007, with “Nail Cancer Awareness” in the memo line, will be accepted.

Partners in the campaign include:

NAACP

Hispanic American Council

Local American Cancer Society

Kalamazoo Community Foundation

West Michigan Cancer Center

Bronson Methodist Hospital

Southwest Michigan First

Kalamazoo Gazette

The dermatologist agreed to do a biopsy, which confirmed the lesion was indeed a melanoma. In November 2009, Drawhorn had part of the finger amputated, but tests showed she did not need chemotherapy or radiation, thanks to having found the cancer so early.

She will continue to see a physician for tests and, now that she knows she has this tendency, she will be diligent in monitoring any changes on her skin. She also plans to use sunscreen. “Being a person of color [Drawhorn is of Mexican ancestry] doesn’t make you immune to sun damage,” she said.

Although there is no conclusive evidence that sun exposure is directly related to nail cancer, the staff at the University of Michigan’s Melanoma Clinic advises patients that the body’s overall immune response to the sun can be related to the development of melanomas.

Since Drawhorn had the discoloration for more than 30 years, doctors told her there was no way of knowing whether it had always been malignant or if it had just recently become cancerous. The good part, they told Drawhorn, was how early she’d been biopsied. Her cancer was considered in situ, which meant that it hadn’t spread from the initial site; Art Hoekstra’s, by contrast, was a Stage IV by the time it was diagnosed.

Drawhorn credits Hoekstra’s persistence with saving her life — as well as with saving her from the complicated course his own disease had taken.

”My finger gets cold in the winter and I can’t type as fast as I used to,” she said, but other than that, physically she’s been minimally affected. Emotionally, however, cancer has taken a toll. “It made me re-evaluate every aspect of my life,” she said.

Drawhorn and Hoekstra are not convinced that both of them having such a rare disease is all that coincidental.

Drawhorn questions the accuracy of incidence figures: “I think the incidence is probably higher than we think,” she says.

Dr. Anna Hoekstra agrees; she said she expects the number of cases of nail cancer to increase as the disease gets to be better known. “Every time a diagnosis gets more attention, more cases are seen.”

Art Hoekstra says that the experience he and Drawhorn have shared is “a calling for us to tell our stories” and, in so doing, to encourage people to be more aware of this cancer.

As professional organizers, “We’re good at putting people together,” Hoekstra said.

And now they have this shared cause: To raise awareness among patients and healthcare providers, as well as nail technicians, because people who give manicures and pedicures are in a good position to observe the discolorations which are the hallmark of the disease.

This year, they launched a Nail Cancer Awareness campaign.

They’re off to a good start, lining up a list of not-for-profit organizations to act as partners, securing grants, creating posters and presentations with photos of typical nail cancer lesions, and speaking to groups around the community.

Hoekstra and Drawhorn aren’t afraid to think big. They hope that by May (Melanoma Month) of 2012, every doctor and manicurist in the U.S. will have seen the photos and be much more familiar with nail cancer. They have been in contact with Prevention magazine about a story on this disease.

Drawhorn said: “For Art to have cared enough to say something to me and encourage me to have [my finger] looked at. . . is an amazing story.”

It’s an amazing story that they both hope can be repeated many times to help protect others from this deadly form of cancer.

SOURCE: http://blog.mlive.com/kzgazette/features_impact/print.html?entry=/2011/03/nail_cancer_2_kalamazoo_reside.html

Applying Purnail to toenails

PurNail

is a maximum strength anti-fungal solution, which helps you combat the presence of fungus living in and underneath the nail bed of fingers and toe nails. PurNail is safe to apply and effective. The system starts working immediately, and you can feel its healing power within days. The applicator brush that comes with it, helps you in applying PurNail on both finger and toe nails.

Directions:

• * Before applying PurNail on your nails, wash the infected area thoroughly and dry them with a soft towel.
• * Apply a thin coating of PurNail using the applicator brush to get deep under the nail bed and into the cuticle of the infected nail.
• * After applying, leave the nail uncovered for a while, so that PurNail can get be absorbed properly.
• * Apply PurNail twice a day until treated. Stop use, and consult a physician if irritation occurs, if condition worsens, or there is no improvement within four weeks.

Cautions:

• * Keep PurNail away from children.
• * PurNail is meant for external use only on the infected nail.
• * Discontinue if irritation occurs, and if symptoms persist, consult your doctor.

Treatment Tips:

• * Keep your nails clean and dry all the time. Dirt and humidity give rise to fungus growth.
  

  Photos and pictures of nasty fungus

• * PurNail  does not penetrate through nail polish, so it is recommended you apply PurNail before the use of nail polish.
• * Pay special attention to spaces between toes, as these areas serve as the safe-havens for the fungus. Keep these areas clean and dry.
• * Always use ventilated and well-fitted footwear. Try to change your shoes and socks at least once a day.
• * For complete treatment, use PurNail regularly twice a day. If the problem persists, consult your doctor.
• Need a toenail fungus cure? Recommended: PurNail, the 100% guaranteed toenail fungus cure.

Hopefully it is all fixed and we are back- better than ever!

Leave your comments, and submit your photos, stories, etc.

Thank you.

toenail-fungus-nail-half-gone

 Lemme tell you guys a story. Many years ago, when I was in my 20-somethings, I had a problem with one of my toenails. See, I had borrowed a co workers pair of boots, until I could get myself a pair. Evidently, I had caught a fungus from her boots. One of my toenails grew out mutant, yellow, and just scary looking. it hurt to even walk on my feet. I went to see a doctor, and paid her $50.00, to tell me what I already knew, that I had a toenail fungus. LOL!

BUT, there is more. I asked her how I could get rid of the fungus, and she said that I had 2 options, and they were both expensive. option A was to have surgery, to have the toenail removed. option 2 was to go on a medication, which would also make me go on dialysis, to clear the fungus from my blood. she said the dialysis was a must have with the medication. well, I had no choice, out of the 2 choices, because I had no insurance at all.

So, I started my own research, with herbs. That is when I discovered Goldenseal. I took the herbal capsules 3 times a day, like directed on the packaging, for a month. My toenail healed! the nail grew out just as nail-y as the others. Flat, shiny. I just can’t call them pretty, because my toes are long and bony. LOL! Goldenseal. And it was a LOT less expensive than just the consulting I had paid the $50.00 for. and you know what? it has not come back. My toenails are still ,, ermm,, ok.

One of my toenails grew out mutant, yellow, and just scary looking. it hurt to even walk on my feet. I went to see a doctor, and paid her $50.00, to tell me what I already knew, that I had a toenail fungus. LOL! BUT, there is more. …
My Tangled Threads – http://mytangledthreads.blogspot.com

 A Quick, “No B.S. study about toenail fungus cures.

Health Care Stores

 The medical term for toenail fungus is “onychomycosis,” pronounced on * EE * ko * my * KO * sis. “Onycho” means pertaining to the nails and

Toe fungus photo

“mycosis” refers to a disease caused by a fungus. The fungus causes the nails to become thickened and yellow. Sometimes they appear white and splotchy, and sometimes yellowish-brown. Six to 10 million Americans have toenail fungus, although estimates are as high as 40 million.

The nails can curve in at the sides and thicken substantially at the center. The thickening can be seen in the picture above, along with the brittleness. Many times the nail will peel off layers, chip or break, leaving jagged edges as can be seen here. The pictures shown here are more severe cases of toenail fungus. Milder cases typically start with splotchy white patches or mild discoloring towards the tip of the nail.   

The most commonly affected nail is the big toenail. But, any of the nails can be affected. The big toenail and the 5th toenail can be the first two nails affected. This is believed to be caused by rub and irritation from the shoes on these toes, causing some breaks in and around the nail, leaving these nails more susceptable to fungus infection.

Many times the nails can be uncomfortable, cause pain or result in ingrown toenails. The thickness from the fungus can cause pressure on the toe, resulting in pain or inflammation. Diabetics, and those with depressed immune systems, have a higher risk of developing toenail fungus and about a quarter of all diabetics have toenail fungus. Others with an increased risk of developing toenail fungus are the elderly, athletes and individuals with sweaty feet. The risk of developing toenail fungus increases with age

Advice on Foot Care

Fungus medication, plant Fungus Treatment, Fungus Treatment home remedies,  skin Fungus Treatment, Treatment toenail Fungus, mold Fungus Treatments

Lip Fungus Treatment nail bed, lip and hand Fungus Treatment, see more Fungus pictures …
Fighting Nail Fungus