Fungal infections are common on both fingernails and toenails. Toenail fungus also known as onychomycosis is caused by a group of fungus called dermatophytes. These fungus are harmful because as they grow they feed on the keratin that makes up the surface of the toe nail. The two fingers that are more likely to be affected are the big toe finger and the little toe finger. Toenail fungus causes dis-figuration and discoloration of the nails. It is a contagious disease and some times it may be hereditary. Now we look at some potential toenail fungus home remedies that you can try at home.

Symptoms for Toenail fungus

Toe Nail Color Changes, Others
Symptoms of toenail fungus are quite obvious. The affected nail will get yellow or brown in colour. It may become so thick and overgrown that it may be painful to wear shoes. Foul-smelling debris may get accumulated under the nail. The nail may crumble and eventually fall off. Sneaks or spots can be seen down the side of the nails of the affected person.

Toe Nail Fungus Symptoms, Causes, Remedy and Diet

Toenail fungus caused due to damp areas, contact with others affected
You may get affected by the toenail fungus in damp areas such as public gyms, shower stalls or swimming pools. Toe nail fungus can spread from one toe to another or to other body parts. Athletes and people who give trauma to their toe by wear tight-fitting shoes or tight hosiery are at great risk of toe nail fungus. Other reasons may be abnormal pH level of the skin, not drying off the feet thoroughly after bathing or exercise, and decreased immunity.
Causes for Toe Nail Fungus

A lack of personal hygiene can be another major contributing factor, as wearing socks and shoes for prolonged periods creates the perfect environment for fungal growth – a moist and warm habitat. Sharing footwear and other personal items also poses a significant risk.

Remedies for Toenail fungus

Toe Nail Fungus home remedies and natural cures, Questions and answers

Toe nail fungus remedy using tea tree oil
Tea tree oil is a potent natural antiseptic and fungicide that will help fight your fungus. Apply undiluted tea tree oil with olive oil to the affected toe nail. Alternatively you can put few drops of tea tree oil on toenails and rub it thoroughly every day.
Using Listerine mouthwash

Soak your toes in Listerine mouthwash. The powerful antiseptic leaves your toe nails looking healthy.
Curing toe nail fungus using warm water and natural apple cider vinegar

Soak your toenails for 15 - 20 minutes in basin full of warm water and natural apple cider vinegar mixed in equal proportion. When done, dry your toenails thoroughly. Use a hair dryer on warm setting to absorb all the moisture in and around the toes
Tea tree oil and Lavender oil

Put equal amount of tea tree oil and lavender oil on a cotton ball or swab. Dab it under the top edge of the toe nail and surrounding area 2 or 3 times a day. Tea tree oil is natural antibiotic and lavender will help fight the infection and prevent skin irritation
Using Oregano and Olive oil

Blend 2 drops of Oregano essential oil with a tsp of olive oil. Apply this mixture on the affected area daily for NOT more than three weeks. Oregano essential oil has antiseptic, antibacterial, antiparasitical, antiviral, analgesic and antifungal properties
AHA creams

Lather AHA (Alpha Hydroxy Acid) creams on to your feet before going to bed. This will flush the rough scaly skin from your feet that is more prone to growing fungus

Toe Nail Fungus : Home Remedies suggested by users
Diet for Toe nail fungus

Diet plays a very vital role in curing any ailment. People suffering from toe nail fungus should include more probiotics – good bacteria, in their diet. This will help your body to get rid of the fungus. Yogurt and kefir are good sources of probiotics. Reduce intake of refined carbs like sugar, dairy products and vinegar. Olive leaf extract is an excellent internal anti-fungal agent.

Suggestion for Toenail fungus
Wash your feet after visiting public places like swimming pools

The fungus thrives in warm moist areas like spas, swimming pools, showers or locker rooms. If you step on a warm puddle or floor, you can pick up the infection. After using such public places, it is ideal to wash your feet thoroughly and dry them well.
Wear cotton socks

Wear cotton socks to absorb moisture from the feet that happens from sweating
Dry your feet

If your socks are damp, take them off and dry your feet before wearing a fresh pair of dry socks.
Do not share linen with affected people

Avoid sharing towels, washcloths, shoes or any other personal items of those people who have already contracted this disease
Trim nails and avoid nailpolish

Keep your nails cut short, and don’t use nail polish. Trim your toenails regularly. Trim them into a straight line and then smooth the edges with a nail file.

The ear is one of the most important part of the human body and is divided into three different sections: The outer ear, the middle ear and the inner ear. Hearing and balance are the two main functions performed by the human ear. Each section of the ear is used either for hearing or for balance. The most sensitive part of the ear is the ear drum. Earache is a common problem among children and adults. In this post we will be looking at various earache home remedies.

Symptoms for otitis externa and otitis media
Depending upon the symptoms we can know which section of the ear has problem. Both otitis externa and otitis media have different symptoms. Symptoms of otitis externa are mild itching or pain, swelling, thick discharge from the ear, hearing loss. The most common symptom of otitis media is mild pain in the ear. Besides this, some other symptoms are fever, hearing loss and occasional discharge from the ears. Infants may show symptoms like diarrhea, poor feeding, irritability and so on.

Earache Symptoms, Causes, Remedy and Diet

Otitis externa and Otitis media

The two main causes of earache are the infection of the outer ear and the middle ear called otitis externa and otitis media in medical parlance. Otitis externa is the skin infection of the ear canal which often occurs after swimming. It is also called swimmer’s ear. Otitis media is the infection of the middle ear and eardrum. It is commonly seen in infants and children. Ear ache may also be caused due to ear infection or any ear disease, nose, mouth, or throat infection, injury to jaw bones, an insect in the ear, fungus growth in the ear, wax buildup in the ear and so on.

Earache home remedies and natural cures, Questions and answers

Use of garlic juice
Pour some garlic juice in the paining ear; its antibiotic qualities will help to relieve the pain. If your earache is due to rise in altitude than just chew gum or yawn. This will contract the muscles and open the Eustachian tubes. For swimmer’s ear, put some mineral oil in both ears before going in the water. Apply some heat to your aching ear using a heating pad or a warm cloth. Put few drops of hydrogen peroxide in the aching ear. Put two drops of holy basil leaves’ juice in the aching ear.

Vitamin C Diet
Most commonly earache is a result of an ear infection. Take Vitamin C to boost your immune system. It is a natural antibiotic and antihistamine that helps to reduce inflammation and fever. Include zinc in your diet because it reduces ear infection. Certain foods, more commonly dairy products like milk, butter, cheese etc tend to aggravate ear infections, so it is better to avoid them during an ear infection.

Other suggestions
Clean your ear professionally regularly. This will remove all the dirt or any object which must be residing in and may cause problem later on. Use ear plugs during swimming to avoid water from entering your ear.

Home remedy for Acne
Acne treatment (naturally at home or otherwise) is the most sought after treatment among the younger generation. Acne is a common and chronic skin disorder. It is an inflammatory condition of the sebaceous glands and hair follicles. The lesions are usually found on the skin of the face, neck, chest and shoulders. Nearly six out of ten young people between the ages of twelve and twenty-four suffer from some degree of acne. Acne causes a great deal of embarrassment at an age when people tend to be sensitive about their personal appearance. Read about how yoga can cure acne.

Acne Vulgaris Symptoms
Comedones, pimples, superficial sebaceous cysts
Acne Vulgaris is characterized by the presence of comedones or blackheads, pimples, small superficial sebaceous cysts, and scars. There are over half a dozen types of acne, the most common being blackheads. The areas chiefly affected are the forehead, temples, cheeks, chin, chest and back. In rare cases, almost the entire body may be covered with acne accompanied by extensive scarring.

Causes of Acne Vulgaris
Acne Symptoms, Causes, Remedy and Diet
Acne can be caused by wrong eating habits and chronic constipation

Wrong eating habits can be the root cause for all types of acne. Irregular hours of eating, excessive starch consumption, too much of sugar, fried and fatty foods are also common causes of acne. Chronic constipation is another cause of acne vulgaris. If the bowels do not move properly, the waste matter is not eliminated as quickly as it should be and the bloodstream becomes surcharged with toxic matter. The extra efforts of the skin to eliminate excess waste result in acne and other forms of skin diseases.
Devitalised condition of skin

Acne is also caused due to a devitalised condition of the skin which is a result of unhygienic living habits, excessive consumption of tea, coffee, alcohol or tobacco, and sedentary habits, which lead to indigestion and general debility.

Home remedies for Acne: Treatment and Medicine
Acne home remedies and natural cures, Questions and answers
Acne Vitamin Treatment

Two vitamins, namely, niacin and vitamin A have been used successfully to treat acne. Vitamin therapy should comprise the intake of 100 mg niacin, three times daily, and 50,000 international units of vitamin A, three times daily. Vitamin E, 400 mg, should be taken once daily. Continue this therapy for a month.
Zinc Treatment for Acne

Zinc is another effective remedy in the area of nutrition that seems to offer new promise of help for acne. It has shown dramatic results in some cases. Take zinc in therapeutic doses of 50 mg three times a day. Zinc is available in tablet and in capsule form. In tablet form, it is available as Zinfet - 200 mg. The patient can take a quarter tablet so as to get 50 mg of zinc. In capsule form, zinc is available as Ulseal 220 mg. One-fourth of the powder inside the capsule can be taken as a single dose. The patient can take a dose of 50 mg daily upto one month or till there is noticeable improvement and then reduce the dose to 25 mg.
Orange Peel Remedy for Acne

Homemade Acne Treatment with orange peel has been found very effective. Pound the orange peel with water on a piece stone and apply on acne affected areas.
Lemon Cure for Acne

A simple remedy at home for acne: Apply lemon juice regularly to reduce pimples and acne. This has proven beneficial results
Garlic Remedy for Acne

Garlic has been used successfully to cure acne. Rub with raw garlic several times a day. Garlic is known to cure the toughest of acne problems. The external use of garlic helps to clear the skin of spots, pimples and boils. To cure acne further, eat three seeds of raw garlic once daily for a month. This purifies the blood stream and ensures basic cleansing of blood & keeps acne away.
Coriander and Mint Juice Therapy for Acne

A teaspoon of coriander juice, mixed with a pinch of turmeric powder, is another effective home remedy for pimples and blackheads. Apply mixture on the face after thoroughly washing it every night before retiring. Use mint juice in a similar manner as coriander juice.
Acne Fenugreek Treatment

Fenugreek is another useful remedy for acne. Make a paste of fenugreek leaves and apply over the face every night before going to bed. Wash off with warm water in the morning. This prevents pimples and blackheads.
Acne Cucumber Treatment

Grated cucumber applied over the face, eyes, and neck for fifteen to twenty minutes has been found effective. It is the best tonic for your complexion. Its regular use prevents pimples and blackheads.

Acne diet
All-fruit Acne diet

To begin with, the patient should take only an ‘all-fruit’ diet for a week, taking three meals a day, of fresh juicy fruits, such as apples, pears, grapes, grapefruit, pineapples, and peaches. Only unsweetened lemon or plain water, either hot or cold, should be drunk and nothing else.
Well-balanced Acne diet

After the one-week, all-fruit diet, the patient can gradually adopt a well-balanced diet with emphasis on raw foods, especially fresh fruit and vegetables, sprouted seeds, raw nuts, and wholegrain cereals, particularly millet and brown rice. Further short periods of the ‘all-fruit’ diet for three days or so may be necessary at a monthly interval till the skin’s condition improves.
Avoid strong tea/coffee, soft drinks and processed foods

Meats, sugar, strong tea or coffee, condiments, pickles, soft drinks, candies, ice cream, refined and processed foods should be avoided as far as possible.

Other Acne natural treatments
Warm-water enema

During the initial one week ‘all-fruit’ diet, a warm-water enema taken daily cleanses the bowels. Apply hot fomentation locally to open up the pores and to bring out the waste matter. Then rinse the affected parts with cold water.
Hot Epsom salts bath

A hot Epsom salts bath twice a week is beneficial in all cases of acne. This bath is prepared by adding 1 ½ kg of Epsom salts to 60 litres of water having a temperature of about 37.8° C. The patient should remain in the bath tub for 25-35 minutes till he sweats freely. After the bath, the patient should cool off gradually.