Is Your Nail Fungus Caused By Your Occupation?

There are many ways for nail fungus to spread, as well as many ways to prevent it.

But what if your job is causing your nail fungus?

A new study in the latest edition of Advances in Public Health, Community and Tropical Medicine identifies one common occupation that results in a much higher frequency of nail fungus than most others.

The study was performed among food handlers in several markets and universities. The researchers collected nail clippings from 100 females and 62 males whose job it was to prepare and cook food and clean up afterwards.

The researchers asked them to complete a questionnaire to provide information regarding their age, cleanliness habits, nail care, and job roles.

They took the nail clippings to the laboratory for testing within 24 hours and found what they were expecting:

1. Overall, 59% of participants had nail fungus.
2. The proportion of people with nail fungus increased with age: 43.5% of those between 16 and 22, 48% of those between 23 and 29, 63% of those between 30 and 36, 65% of those between 37 and 43, and 74% of those between 44 and 50.
3. The most common organisms were candida albicans (21%), candida non-albicans (16%), trichophyton rubrum (14%), and Aspergillus species (9.3%).

The reason that food handlers so frequently develop nail fungus is simple. They frequently submerge their hands in water and engage in lots of activities like cooking, dishwashing, cleaning, and cutting that can damage the protective skin around the nail.

There are many solutions to this problem:

1. Food handlers can wear gloves while they work, which may require occasionally removing the gloves and washing and drying the hands.
2. They should cut their nails so that they do not extend beyond their fingertips. This will prevent gloves from tearing and will prevent food from sticking under their nails.
3. They should disinfect the instruments used to cut their nails.
4. Hand lotions must not cause allergic reactions and should be absorbed completely so that the hands are dry.

This is good advice for all of us, but especially if you often work in water.

Now, if you have already developed nail fungus (on your hands or feet), you’ll be thrilled to know that you can easily get rid of it for good, using the simple and natural method explained here…