New Toenail Fungus Home Diagnostic Kit

Woodward Laboratories, an Aliso Viejo, California company that produces hand, foot, and skin antimicrobial products has launched the Mycocide Nail Fungus Test Kit. Mycocide is the first screening kit that can be used at home to diagnose fungus in finger and toe nails. As part of their product launch, Woodward gave away 10,000 free test kits.

Fungus Business

The advantages of Mycocide are many in that the kit gives patients a more convenient way to check if they have nail fungus. An at-home kit means that testers don't have to leave home, don't have to pay a premium to see a specialist, and nobody but you gets to know your nail fungus business. The test comes with a nail clipper, with which you take a sample of your suspicious-looking nail—it may be yellow or discolored and misshapen. You mail the sample to Woodward Laboratories in a prepaid, pre-addressed envelope provided inside the kit.

At Woodward, the nail is tested and a podiatrist (medical foot doctor) looks at and confirms the diagnosis. The results of the test are mailed to the customer and should the test be positive for fungus, a coupon is included with the test results for another Woodward Laboratories' product: Mycocide NS. This product is considered the leader in over-the-counter (OTC) antifungal treatments.

Woodward Laboratories' CEO, Dr. Ken Gerenraich says, "People think nail fungus is simply cosmetic, so they ignore going to the doctor to have it checked. However, nails are a window to a person's health and if nail fungus goes undiagnosed, there can be significant health issues—especially for diabetics. The Mycocide Nail Fungus Test Kit allows people to diagnose the presence of nail fungus without spending money on co-payments, lab fees and doctors and they can do it in the comfort and privacy of their own home."

Very Contagious

Nail fungus is a very contagious condition which can be transmitted from person to person contact as well as from surfaces at home, in hotels, nail salons, gyms, and other areas where the public congregates. Over 35 million US citizens have nail fungus, but only 2.5 million bother to get diagnosed.  The medical name for nail fungus is onychomycosis and the condition can only be diagnosed with 100% accuracy by a medical doctor. The Mycocide kit checks for the presence of dermatophytes. If the results are negative, patients are advised to double-check with a physician.