This latest post is nothing to do with being a copywriter or even hiring one, but it might be of interest to somebody...
For about 7 years, I have tried to get rid of a fungal nail infection in my toe. When I first noticed it, I wasn't even sure what it was, but the itching was driving me crazy. Right at the base of the nail, it would itch really bad and get hot. Then, after a while, my nail became yellowed and thicker. When I cut my nail, it was crumbly, almost like old cheese (though thankfully it didn't smell!). It didn't continue to itch, but every couple of months or so, it would irritate me and now and again, the skin at the bottom of the nail would become sore and inflamed, and would eventually form a blister.
I put up with this for a long time, but then decided to try and treat it (I didn't want to take the liver busting drugs the doctor suggested). The first 'cure' I came across was virgin coconut oil. I ordered some from abroad and applied it to the nail directly for a period of 2-3 months. While the nail did improve slightly, I could never seem to get rid of the fungus at the base and it would continue to flare up.
Next, I tried smothering the toenail daily in Vicks vaporub. This had absolutely no effect.
By this time, the nail was getting worse and was now thick and crumbly right across the top of the toenail. I decided to cut it away and see if applying the vaporub to the exposed nail bed would help. It didn't - the manky nail kept growing back just as infected as before.
The next treatment I tried was paraffin. Yes, paraffin, the type you can buy in B&Q for heaters. I painted this onto the nail every day for three weeks and it started to have an effect - the fungus definitely started to fade and the condition of the nail improved a little.
Then I read about another treatment - combining tea tree oil with Vaseline. So I tried this to see if it would finish off the job that the paraffin had started. For a week, I applied tea tree oil and Vaseline to the toenail once a day. After a few days, the nail started to change colour, with solid white/yellow patches appearing. As one of these was at the top of the nail, I tried to cut it - it broke away very easily.
I continued using the tea tree and Vaseline and larger sections of the nail changed colour. Again, I cut it away with ease, until the top half of the nail was gone completely! I continued with the tea tree oil and Vaseline, and suddenly the skin at the base of the nail became looser, detached from the nail. Then the skin flaked and started to break away, almost like sun burned skin. I carefully peeled it away and carried on with the tea tree oil and Vaseline, trying to get as much of it onto the nail bed and down the base of the nail as possible.
Three weeks later, and the nail is growing back normally! The yellow patches at the base of the nail are gone, and although the toenail is slightly darker than it used to be, it looks healthy. There's been no more itching and the skin at the base of the nail seems to be in much better condition too.
So it looks like the tea tree and Vaseline cure worked for me. If you have a fungal nail infection, maybe it will work for you too (be careful when cutting the nail away though).
