Overcoming Onychomycosis™ By Scott Davis If you want a natural and proven solution for onychomycosis, you should not look beyond Overcoming Onychomycosis. It is easy to follow and safe as well. You will not have to take drugs and chemicals. Yes, you will have to choose healthy foods to treat your nail fungus. You can notice the difference within a few days. Gradually, your nails will look and feel different. Also, you will not experience the same condition again!
How does onychomycosis impact people with diabetes?
Onychomycosis, or infection of the nails with fungi, exerts a significant impact on diabetics due to several problems with immune response, circulation, and overall health. Here’s why it impacts them that much:
1. Susceptibility to Infection
Impaired immune function: Diabetics, especially if they have poorly controlled blood sugar, have a lessened immune system, making infections such as onychomycosis harder to overcome.
Slower healing: Diabetes can impair circulation, particularly in the extremities, leading to slower healing of any skin breaks or nail damage that might provide entry for fungal infections to establish themselves.
2. Diabetic Foot Health Complications
Onychomycosis is often limited to toenails and can lead to thickening, discoloration, and brittleness of the nail. This will be painful to walk or further pressure sores or injury, which is especially inconvenient for diabetic neuropathy patients (nerve damage) since they may not feel the injury.
Infected nails provide a fertile ground for bacteria, which can lead to secondary bacterial infection, which could be difficult to treat in a diabetic individual.
3. Circulation and Nail Growth
Diabetic peripheral artery disease (PAD) compromises blood flow to the extremities, leading to delayed nail growth and poor oxygenation of the nail, which can increase the susceptibility to infection or delay healing.
4. Increased Risk of Life-Threatening Infection
In individuals with uncontrolled blood glucose levels, fungal infections can sometimes spread and lead to severe conditions like cellulitis (infection of the skin) or more invasive fungal disease. This can lead to an increased risk for amputation in advanced cases.
5. Difficulty in Treatment
Oral antifungal therapy (such as terbinafine) that is taken to cure onychomycosis has side effects, including liver toxicity, and interacts with other medications often used for diabetes.
Topical antifungals will not be as effective if there is deep infection of the nail, especially if circulatory issues prevent the medicine from reaching the infection area.
6. Monitoring and Prevention
Regular foot examinations by a physician are important in diabetics to detect fungal infections early enough before they can develop.
Correct foot hygiene (washing feet and drying them, wearing dry socks, and wearing proper shoes) can reduce the risk of infection.
Effective control of blood glucose levels also reduces the risk of infections overall, including fungal infections.
Would you like advice on how to manage onychomycosis when a patient has diabetes, or information about prevention?
Onychomycosis, fungal infection of the nail (most commonly of the toenails), can affect mobility and physical function in several different ways, depending on the severity of the infection and the presenting symptoms. Here’s how:
1. Pain and Discomfort
Thick, brittle nails: Toenails are frequently thickened, yellowed, and brittle due to onychomycosis. Wearing shoes may be painful as a result of the infection resulting in nail lifting or separation.
Pain: In the most severe cases, the infection will be painful or tender, especially when force is applied to it (e.g., running or walking). This pain will limit activity and cause people to alter their gait to avoid putting force on the infected toes.
2. Effect on Footwear
Onychomycosis patients can also find tight-fitting shoes, prevalent when one is physically engaging in exercise or sport activities, a little troublesome to wear. They then go for sandals or loosely fitting shoes, which provide insufficient support when, say, going for running or hiking.
Forcing one’s self into ill-fitting shoes in the attempt to include the nails can also help create blisters, calluses, or corns, all compounding mobility impairments.
3. Impaired Balance and Stability
In cases where the nail is severely compromised and there is significant nail deformity, the toe is more susceptible to injury or trauma. The deformed toe structure or toenail can undermine balance, especially in high-impact activities (e.g., running, jumping, sports).
Lifting or dislodgment of the nail exposes the toe to damage, making it more difficult to engage in physical activities requiring foot stability, such as dancing, cycling, or activities that involve frequent changes in direction.
4. Secondary Infection Risk
Onychomycosis can predispose the toenail to secondary bacterial infection, which can cause swelling, redness, and additional pain. This can also interfere with mobility and risk developing complications if not treated.
In sportspeople, specifically, there is a risk of exercise-induced trauma (e.g., running, ball games) which can worsen the infection or lead to dissemination of the fungus.
5. Psychological Effects
Other people may also feel self-conscious or embarrassed about the appearance of their nails and thus avoid activity in such tasks as swimming, exercising at a public gym, or going about barefoot.
These social annoyances also may further enhance the wish not to participate in bodily activities even if there is very little pain attached to bodily movement.
6. Risk for Chronic Infection
Unless treated, onychomycosis develops into a chronic condition and more difficult to cure with the lapse of time and more restrictive of physical activity. Chronic conditions lead to permanent nail damage and ongoing mobility impairment.
Onychomycosis is capable of hindering mobility and physical activity due to pain, discomfort, shoe difficulty, loss of balance, and secondary infection risk. The conditions are able to cause limited participation in high-impact or foot activities and therefore treatment becomes important for maintaining an active life.
Would you like information about treatment options for onychomycosis or tips on coping with onychomycosis when being physically active?
Overcoming Onychomycosis™ By Scott Davis If you want a natural and proven solution for onychomycosis, you should not look beyond Overcoming Onychomycosis. It is easy to follow and safe as well. You will not have to take drugs and chemicals. Yes, you will have to choose healthy foods to treat your nail fungus. You can notice the difference within a few days. Gradually, your nails will look and feel different. Also, you will not experience the same condition again!