Ten weird and wacky fungal nail 'cures'

We're constantly amazed at the number of home remedies out there for fungal nails. Many people who come into our clinic for laser therapy for their fungal nails have tried - and failed - at least one 'grandma' cure.

About 80 per cent of our patients are cured of their fungal nails. And this success rate ties in with the statistics being collected by German company ARC Laser, who designed our laser. Their research with podiatrists world wide is showing the same success rate.

But, here's a look at some weird and wacky ideas. Some of them sound very involved and very smelly!

First grandma cure - garlic

One 'cure' says to put garlic cloves in your bed socks.

This home remedy says to use either whole garlic cloves, crushed garlic, garlic oil or garlic powder to treat your toenail fungus.

It says to sprinkle your toes with powdered garlic or crushed garlic, finding a way to keep it in place on your feet for 30 minutes each time.

And if your infection has only just started, wear socks to bed, with garlic cloves next to your toes.

At least it'll keep the vampires away!

Second grandma cure - lemon

Coat your nails in lemon juice as often as possible - several times each day.

Third grandma cure - henna

This home remedy says it works best when your fungal nail infection has only just started.

Grind some fresh henna leaves and add lemon juice and turmeric until you have a paste.

Then somehow you're supposed to 'apply' this paste to your nails at night and wrap your feet up with a cloth so the paste doesn't just dry and fall off.

Keep doing this night after night until you see results.

Hmmm, I'm seeing disrupted sleep and henna- and turmeric-stained sheets.

Fourth grandma cure - sulphur

Mix sulphur with coconut oil to make a thick paste.

Again, coat your nails each night and find a way to keep the paste on your nails all night!

And keep doing this every night until the fungus is gone.

We've found that it can take a year to get rid of all signs of fungal nails because nails grow so slowly. So this would be a very messy year!

Fifth grandma cure - potatoes

The recipe for this 'cure' is to peel and grate half of a small potato and mix it with a teaspoon of turmeric.

Once again, you need to find a way to keep this past on your nails all night and keep doing the treatment every night.

Sixth grandma cure - turmeric

You can buy turmeric fresh or powdered.

Mix a small amount of turmeric with water or lemon juice.

And to add a new level of inconvenience, this recipe says to coat your nails with the paste twice a day for 30 minutes each time.

Seventh grandma cure - onion

This 'cure' says to coat your nails with onion juice every day or rub your nails with the cut side of an onion.

You can also mix the onion with lemon juice.

I don't know about you, but onion juice just makes me cry. I just hate the thought of this one.

Eighth grandma cure - apple cider vinegar

This 'cure' says to coat your nails in vinegar or to add some vinegar to a foot bath and soak your nails for 30 minutes every day.

Ninth grandma cure - neem oil

Coat your nail with a few drops of neem oil three times a day.

Tenth grandma cure - tea tree oil

Coat your nail with tea tree oil or add some of the oil to a foot bath and soak your nails for 30 minutes twice a day.

Do you have any other 'cures' to add to this list? We'd love to hear about them.

Do yourself a favour - as they say - if you think you have fungal nails and you're in the Canberra region, phone Capital Podiatry on 6293 3300 or email us with any questions - admin@capitalpodiatry.com.au.

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How to heal your ankle sprain

If you sprain your ankle, the first minutes are very important.

An easy way to remember what to do in an emergency is to follow the 'RICE' steps.

R Rest, very important so you avoid further damage.

I Ice, to ease the pain, inflammation and swelling. Remember to wrap your ice or ice pack in something like a thin towel or washcloth, so the ice doesn't touch your skin. Keep the ice on just for 15 minutes at a time just after your injury. Then for the rest of the day, apply ice every two hours.

C Compression - and this means firmly wrapping your ankle in a bandage to reduce any swelling.

E Elevation - prop your leg up at a slight angle, to help cut back on any swelling and bleeding.

We often see patients at Capital Podiatry who say that their ankle has never been the same after a sprain. This doesn't need to happen. We treat ankles with a combination of gentle hands-on manual therapy, stretches, strength and balance exercises.

By Nick Hepple, Capital Podiatry

Netball ankles

Netball is one of the most popular sports in the world, played in more than 80 countries by millions of people, and it's the most popular women's sport in Australia.

However, it's tough on ankles.

With lots of rapid direction changes and jumping, this fast-paced game leads to a lot of ankle injuries.

The most common injuries

One of the most common injuries is the 'lateral' ankle sprain, when your ankle rolls outwards and you strain or rupture ligaments on the outside of your leg. In more extreme cases, people even break the end off their ankle bone.

Ankle sprains are also very common in other sports with lots of stopping and starting - such as basketball, hockey or Aussie rules.

Unfortunately, most injuries are out of your control. The most common injuries are from accidentally stepping on another player's foot or landing on your foot after a jump.

Preventing an ankle injury

So wouldn't it be a good idea to prevent your ankle being injured in the first place?

The tried and true ways to prevent ankle sprains are to tape or strap your ankle, or to wear an ankle brace. Ankle braces are made from fabric or plastic and you can order them from Capital Podiatry. In fact Foot and Ankle International says that wearing an ankle brace reduces your risk of straining your ankle by up to 50 per cent.

We can help you with your ankles - whether it's advice, treatment or strengthening or balancing exercises.


Story by Nick Hepple, Capital Podiatry

Ankle injury? We'll pull out the big guns!

There's nothing like rolling your ankle to change you from sure-footed and confident to a hobbling

mess!

And one of the most common complaints we hear at Capital Podiatry is 'my ankle just hasn't been the same since I sprained it'.

But this doesn't have to be the case. If your ankle is holding you back, we'll pull out the big guns.

We've perfected our own technique of manual therapy. And we'll also use our combination of stretches and strengthening and balance exercises.

These balance exercises work to improve the nerve feedback from your feet and ankles.

It's a way of retraining your senses, so you're more aware of what your feet are doing.

It means that next time, you're better prepared and it may help prevent another injury.

Muscles need work too. In an ankle sprain, you'd most commonly injure the muscles on the outside of your leg. And our treatment would include massage, easing the knots or 'trigger points' in your muscles and making sure your muscles are back to working at their best.

Our three top tips to avoid fungal nails

A big part of our work each week is treating fungal nails.

But wouldn't it be great if you knew how to avoid getting a fungal infection in the first place?

It's hard to keep clear of fungus in your day-to-day activities. After all, it's embedded in carpets, locker room showers and sports shoes.

However, there are some sure fire ways to help you avoid fungal nails.

Our three top tips

1. Be quick. If you notice any fungal infection on your feet, treat it quickly. Contact your doctor or podiatrist when you first notice the infection. It's much easier to treat if you start early.
2. Boost your immune system. It makes sense - if you're run down, you're more likely to pick up bugs and that includes fungal infections. Look after yourself by eating fresh fruit and vegetables, they're rich in antioxidants. And get enough sleep.
3. Clean, dry toenails. Just think about mushrooms; fungus thrives in dark, wet places. So it's important to keep your toenails clean and dry. To do this, change your socks often and use a clean towel to dry your toes after a shower. In winter, it makes sense to have waterproof shoes like boots instead of gym shoes.

Heel pain - stopping kids in their tracks

We'll help your kids stay active.

Heel pain is one of the most common things that stops active kids in their tracks.

It's the main reason parents bring their kids into Capital Podiatry.

And we often find that it's Severs disease - which is the major cause of heel pain in children.

All too easily dismissed as growing pains, Severs disease is when kids have injured the growth plate of their heel.

Tips to help you recognise Severs disease

Often, your child will have had a growth spurt before their injury.

Your child may complain of heel pain and have a limp, only after sport.

And it's most common between the ages of 8-14.

Other causes of Severs disease

Other things that can contribute to a bad case of Severs disease include tight muscles, badly fitting shoes, training too much and just being clumsy and uncoordinated.

Kids' sport performance

With kids’ winter sports deep into the season and finals just around the corner, we’re treating quite a few kids. And with many of them, it’s so they can run just a bit faster.

The most common problems we’re seeing are kids who can’t quite keep up with their team mates, kids who tire faster, or kids who are uncoordinated or clumsy.

We’re also seeing kids who are playing at an elite or competitive level, who need that extra edge to improve their performance.

At Capital Podiatry, we check for a wide range of issues such as muscle tightness and imbalance, poor footwear, overtraining and check for strength and flexibility.

We check for issues such as muscle tightness and imbalance.

We use gentle, hands-on therapy to ease the pain. And we often support this with a set of targeted stretches and exercises to do at home.