Working men and women are the backbone of the USA. Their work in fields such as welding, mining, and other such industries is physically demanding, and we all owe them our thanks for their contribution to our lives.
Their hard work takes quite a toll on their feet in the form of toenail fungus.
We often don’t think of welders, miners, and other workers doing the hard work of making our lives better and more comfortable as having health problems with their feet.
We know their feet get hot, sweaty, tired, and sometimes injured but don’t think about foot health.
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What Conditions Cause Industrial Worker’s Foot Health Problems?
People working as welders and miners spend most of each day wearing heavy boots that get damp and warm, providing an ideal place for toenail fungus to grow.
These boots are made of thick leather and have steel toes to provide as much protection as possible from severe injuries to the foot. This, unfortunately, also prevents air from circulating, so feet sweat and stay damp and warm all day.
It isn’t unusual for these workers to be in their boots for 12 to 14 hours daily.
The footwear and lack of proper foot care lead to developing toenail fungus infections. These infections, if left untreated, make the toenails ugly and deformed looking and make the nail beds extremely painful. This makes it hard to maintain good foot hygiene.
Treatment Options
Though you could get prescription medication, it may be best not to. Those have harmful side effects and don’t clear up toenail fungus any faster. It is best to use over-the-counter medications that are natural. One of the best is a non-prescription remedy without side effects called EmoniNail.
Regardless of your treatment, keep in mind that clearing up fungus infections takes a long time. Depending on the severity of the conditions, it can take a few weeks to a few months to get rid of it. Sadly, the infection is very likely to return without taking preventative steps.
Enhancing the Effectiveness of Your Toenail Fungus Treatment and Preventing a Recurrence
The best course of action is to use natural methods to help your anti-fungal medication work better and use those same methods to keep from having a problem with toenail fungus again. Below are a few ways to go about this. Though it is best to follow them, you should do as many of them as possible.
Handling your boots and your socks
The place to start is with the things that helped promote the infection in the first place – your boots and socks.
Good work boots are expensive, so it might be challenging to do. Your shoes need time to dry out completely; this isn’t possible if you have only one pair of work boots. Have at least two teams, if possible.,
If you only have one pair of boots, try using a blow dryer on the inside to help them dry faster. Then sprinkle them generously on the inside with baking soda. Baking soda is naturally anti-fungal, so it will help retard fungal growth.
Copper antibacterial socks that wick moisture away from the skin will help keep your feet dryer longer. Before you put your socks on, sprinkle some baking soda inside them. Doing this will help keep your feet dry and help stop fungal growth.
Soaking your feet 15 minutes a day
To further boost your efforts in treating your infection and preventing reinfection, you can do a couple of other things. Treating your socks and boots is just the beginning. With these, you can do either or both on alternate days. Both will leave your feet feeling healthier and refreshed.
The first is to make a solution consisting of mixing equal amounts of warm water and apple cider vinegar, enough to cover your feet in a container large enough to put both feet into. Let your feet soak for 15 to 20 minutes. Thoroughly dry your feet and let them air for a while.
The second calls for mixing a cup of white vinegar, four tablespoons of baking soda, and 3 cups of warm water in a container sufficient to place both feet.
Soak your feet for about 15 minutes and then dry them with a towel. Allow your feet to air for at least half an hour. The combination of baking soda and vinegar will give your feet a feeling of being lightly scrubbed. You will likely notice your feet feeling quite refreshed when you are done.
Expose your feet to sunshine on weekends
The last thing you can do may be a bit more challenging to accomplish. Since your feet will be in your work boots most of the week, you may only be able to do this on days you aren’t working.
It is simple as far as doing it, as all you have to do is not wear shoes or socks during the day and expose your feet to sunshine as much as possible.
Maintain good health in your feet
While doing the above, apply the toenail fungus medication according to the directions on the label. Even though all these things will help clear up the infection, don’t expect a quick cure, as any fungal infection takes a long time to heal.
As hard as you work and as much abuse as your feet take, you need and deserve to know the best ways possible to maintain good health in your feet. Your feet deserve to be pampered after all those long hard hours stuffed in damp, dark boots.
Welders, miners and many others who work physically demanding jobs do so much for this country. These jobs aren’t just hard; they can be very dangerous.
Your ability to respond when an accident happens depends significantly on your feet and whether you are in pain. Painful feet can distract you at the wrong time, so you must take care of them.
