Most people would not put tourettes and nail fungus infections into the same category – unless they were talking about health in general.  But while they two diseases have many differences – for starters tourettes is a neurological disorder while Onychomycosis is a nail fungus infection – there are some similarities when considering the emotional effects of the disease.

Lets start with a brief description of each:

• Tourettes: The key symptoms of tourettes are repetitive involuntary movements and vocalizations.  These “tics” are normally first noticed between the ages of 3-6.  Around 200,000 people in the US have the severe form of the disease while approximately 1% of the population will exhibit milder symptoms.  The movements and vocalizations generally worsen in stressful environments.
• Onychomycosis – The condition affects around 1 in 10 people.  It is a fungal infection related to athlete’s foot, but instead of the skin around the toes being infected, the fungus lies underneath the nail.  If left untreated, the fungus will spread to encompass the entire nail, often resulting in its complete destruction. Initial symptoms are yellow, thickened and distorted nails.  An unpleasant smelling debris can collect under the nail. Nail fungus treatment is a protracted affair due to slow growing nails and the fact that the fungus is hard to reach.

Far too often nail fungus infections are dismissed as purely cosmetic in nature.  After all the condition is not life threatening and in early stages causes no pain or impaired movement.  But the psychological effects of having ugly looking, distorted, crumbly yellow nails are real.  Sufferers experience a real loss in quality of life with psycho-social implications that should be taken seriously. 

Tourettes, although a much more serious condition, is also generally not life threatening.  Individuals with tourettes have a normal life expectancy and often experience an improvement in symptoms as they age.  But the psychological effects of tourettes can be very severe indeed.  For example children suffering from tourettes may find the condition interfering with their ability to learn or make friends.  A compassionate setting is needed, often involving smaller classes and flexible arrangements.

Its quite common for the conventional health community to dismiss the wider psychological affects of disease, so focused are they on the condition itself and it’s symptoms.  Alternative health professionals often dismiss the lack of a holistic approach to dealing with health that can be present in wide swathes of the medical professionals.