If you have been affected by toenail fungus you are certainly not alone as an estimated one out of every four adults will experience onychomycosis at least once before the age of 40 making nail fungus treatments a growing business. The over the counter market is currently crowded with creams, sprays, powders, and lotions intended to kill the microscopic organisms that cause nail fungus and there are also a handful of prescription medications to consider, not to mention a list of some home remedies that some swear by.

You may have seen conflicting advertisements or reports touting various products or ways to treat nail fungus so which ones really offer the best results and which ones are simply a waste of time?

Using Prescription Drugs to Treat Toe Nail Fungus

Currently there are three different oral medications prescribed as nail fungus treatments and all of them come along with a list of potentially serious side effects including liver damage. Lamisil, an oral drug taken for at least 12 weeks for treating toenail fungus, seems to offer the best chance for success but frighteningly enough, it also causes the worse side effects.

Even topical prescription medications must be used for months at a time and they too may cause side effects. And what’s even more discouraging is that topical drugs for treating nail fungus have an even lower track record of success as viable nail fungus treatments in comparison to their oral counterparts.

Using Home Remedies to Treat Nail Fungus

Because prescription drugs are largely ineffective for most people while causing a number of health problems in the process, more and more of us are turning toward alternative methods for our nail fungus treatment which includes a collection of curious but seemingly simple home remedies.

Alcohol-based mouthwash and chlorine bleach are two products that have been used mixed with ordinary water for treating toenail fungus but neither method is recommended or safe for usage in this capacity. Mouthwash can cause quite a bit of pain if you have even the slightest cracks or cuts on your feet and bleach contains corrosive chemicals that will cause serious damage to skin. Inhaling the fumes from chlorine bleach may also damage the lungs and cause blindness if it comes in contact with the eyes.

Soaking the feet for days and weeks on end in dark beer or different types of vinegar, two more rather unorthodox ways to treat toe nail fungus, are not only ineffective methods but they can also be expensive after months of buying enough beer and vinegar to fill up basin after basin.

If you are interested in home remedies because of the supposedly safer items used, the better choice would be opting for over the counter products featuring all natural ingredients.

Using Over the Counter Nail Fungus Treatments

If you are in the market for an over the counter product to treat toe nail fungus you will definitely have plenty to choose from. The key is weeding out the bad products from the good and finding the best, most effective option for your money.

Relying on established, trusted healthcare companies who specialize in creating all natural products for conditions such as nail fungus would be the wiser choice as opposed to a fly by night outfit with no knowledge of what causes onychomycosis or how to best treat it. Also keep in mind that if you want to use products with only natural ingredients, remember that they must be blended in certain proportions and used in therapeutic dosages for the optimal results.

Whatever toe nail fungus treatment you ultimately choose, be sure to carefully read all labels and familiarize yourself with the ingredients being used. It is also wise to deal with companies who have done extensive testing on their products and therefore able to back up claims of effectiveness with actual clinical results.

Save your time, effort, and money, not to mention your toenails, by learning more about fungal infections that affect the nails and how to keep them from reoccurring while using only products with all natural ingredients that cause no side effects. Treatment for nail fungus doesn’t have to be an effort in futility provided you make smart choices when it comes to getting rid of this incredibly stubborn condition and once again finally be able to enjoy clear, fungus-free nails.

>> Read our comparative review of the most effective treatments