The fungus “Candida” is present in all our bodies.
Under certain circumstances, it can take root in different places or organs, spreading as if it were an “infection”. This infection is made visible by the presence of “white” discharge or some other infected material (in the case of the toes, a yellowing of the nail).
Candidiasis is the “infected” state of the fungus, which affects everything from dandruff to vaginal yeast discharge.
While there is nothing wrong with it from a purely health perspective, the underlying condition is often unsightly and can lead to further complications if left untreated.
Most importantly, the infection may not go away on its own. This means that if you have athlete’s foot (another form of yeast infection) or some other Candida-based infection, you’ll usually have to work hard to clean it up.
Solutions are quite plentiful… “Tiger Balm” (a stronger Vicks Vapor Rub) is one of them.
First of all, the important thing to keep in mind is that there are two types of Candida infection. It may have a growth on the surface of the skin or it may be embedded within the skin. The guy who has determined the remedy.
Second, ALL Candida responds the same way to various remedies. The only difference lies in accessing the root cause of the problem. If you have an embedded infection, it will usually require direct access through the top layer of skin (which is why laser treatment is used for toenail fungus).
The point is that if you can get to the infection (either on the surface of the skin or nearby), you can apply the active ingredient directly to it. In the case of the “cottage cheese” type substance for most fungal infections, this means you can apply dandruff shampoo, yogurt, or “Vicks Vapor Rub” to kill the fungal spores. This will be quick and painless.
If you have an embedded infection (heels/toenails/vagina) you need to be careful what you end up doing. Specifically, if the infection is below the surface of the skin, you need to remove the top layer to attack the fungus directly. This is where the likes of Tiger Balm come in.
Tiger Balm is nothing special. It’s just a stronger Vicks Vapor Rub without the eucalyptus. The most important thing is that it is powerful. Really powerful. And hurts.
The cream basically tricks the brain into “numbing” the pain receptors in your body. Creates “ice heat” – GREAT for muscle injuries, but basically means you should expect some discomfort when using it (search Tiger Balm on YouTube for more information).
To this end, if you want to get rid of a toenail infection, you need to be able to get rid of the surface layer of the nail first. This is best done by filing, or can be done by applying a cream to soften the nail before trying to remove all the infected layers on top.
Once you have removed the “crusty” layer of the nail, you should use products like Tiger Balm to kill the infection directly. Again, this can hurt, but you have to be absolutely stoic in your application: place it on the nail so that it completely falls apart. If it works, the new nail that forms should be completely “fungus free.”