DEAR DR. GOTT: A columnist in my local paper claimed that you had endorsed Vicks VapoRub for treatment of nail fungus. She thought that the thymol found in the petroleum jelly was the answer. Several months ago, I tried Vicks on my minor case of nail fungus, with some success noted. My last experience with the smell of the vapors from this concoction was more than 30 years ago, when my children were young. I know the smell comes mostly from the eucalyptus oil; however, it brought back another, even older memory of when I was a child and my mother would put Campho-Phenique on a cold sore. Sure enough, camphor is one of the active ingredients in Vicks VapoRub. Much to my surprise, Campho-Phenique is still available at my drugstore in its pure form. Applied with a cotton swab, the camphor oil penetrated easily under and around the nail. Twice a day, and in very short order, my nail was clear. I would recommend using the active ingredient, camphor, full strength rather than dealing with the petroleum jelly. Is this safe?
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