Tried all and nothing seems to work? Anti-fungal creams, laser treatments and pills all prove ineffective or invite a relapse? Well, this solution is here to stay, given by the researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, uses cold air plasma remedy for fungal infections. They described their work earlier this month at the Gaseous Electronics Conference in Honolulu.
Fungi thrive in the moist area between your toes. The comparatively less circulation on your feet make it longer for the immune system to make its way over to the fungus there. Infections (known as ocychomycosis) typically start as white or yellow spots, and then dig deeper under the nail, causing discoloration, crumbling around the edges, and in extreme cases, pain and, um, a distinctly foul odor. The traditionally recommended treatments involve lengthy, expensive procedures that have side effects and only temporarily get rid of the fungi.
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The startup company, Device Farm, working towards introducing this treatment in form of medical devices is performing tests on those fungi using cow hooves and nails from human cadavers, according to CEO Jeff Roe. The Berkeley scientists reported a significant reduction in e coli populations following the application of cold plasma, and Device Farm reported success as well, although it took a bit longer to kill the fungi than the e coli. FDA approval on the following is still pending.
Cold plasmas have be seen in the past as capable of killing bacteria, removing dental plaque, loosening the connections between tissue cells, helping coagulate blood and reducing bleeding, and perhaps one day even removing cancerous tumors.
Although, the recovery time varies individual to individual, the patient can look forward to a 45-minute weekly session at the doctor’s. This method is pretty painless, as Roe bears testament to the fact. He suffered fromonychomycosis, on 9 of his 10 toenails. After the treatments, “All nine nails showed clear nail growth,” he reported. The fungus has since returned in two of his toes.
Author: Technology Blog
