My toenails have fungal infection and they have become discolored. I have taken several oral antifungal medications such as terbinafine, grisofulvin, and itraconazole, but the infection doesn’t heal. I have read on a print ad a medicine that is applied like a nail polish. Is this medicine available locally? The situation has worsened and seeing my ‘dirty” nails is really embarrassing.

The two most common causes of fungal infection in the nails are from Candida, a yeast-like fungus, and from tinea fungus, which is also responsible for ringworm infection in the skin. Candida infection of the nails is called paranychia, making the nails greenish or brownish. This infection invades the under portion of the nails, causing the underlying and surrounding skin to thicken and redden.

Tinea infection of the nails, on the other hand, is called onychomycosis. The infection starts at the free end of the nails, making them thick, irregular, and whitish to yellowish. The infected nails are not only unpleasant to look, they usually snag on clothing because of the ragged edge they form. Forty percent of the time, there is also a concomitant fungal infection on the other parts of the body. The toenails, rather than the fingernails, are more frequently affected,

Fungal infection often occurs because of moist or wet surroundings. Those who handle wet work are the most commonly affected by paronychia, while those who perspire a lot; wear enclosed and tight shoes; or have diabetes mellitus, cancer, or are malnourished are also predisposed. A crack on the skin can start the infection.

Diagnosis can be made by examination under the microscope or fungal culture. Most of the time, the characteristic lesion will already help in the diagnosis.

I suggest that you consult a dermatologist since treatment is quite tedious and frustrating. Treatment for chronic cases may last up to six months or more, but the success rate may be up to 70 percent only.

By the way, there are nail lacquers available in the pharmacy, which need to be applied once a week for several months. Oral antifungal agents are also available and can be taken especially if there is an infection on the other parts of the body. If these treatments are not still effective, removal of the affected nail is the best solution. This can be done by either chemical nail avulsion or surgical removal of the infected nails.

Intelligence is a trait sought-after by many schools and teachers, as well as employers. Companies and schools employ standardized tests to identify those superior in EQ. Many believe that screening for intelligence benefit companies in the long run, because EQ is passed on genetically and therefore cannot be learned.

As early as the 70’s however, social scientists and business researchers have shown proof that IQ by itself is not a sufficient predictor of success. As higher levels in organizations and for certain positions such as sales and customer service, what differentiates superior performers from the average are emotional competencies—the ability to manage oneself and to work well with others. Emotional intelligence includes the ability to recognize, discern, and identify one’s emotions (self awareness), to control and master these emotions (self-regulation), and to utilize such information to produce desirable results in one’s interaction with others.

It is commonly accepted that EQ remains unchanged throughout life. The question for trainors of soft skills is this: Can emotional competencies or EQ be enhanced? Daniel Goleman, the foremost guru on EQ point out that there is an old-fashioned term for EQ and that is maturity! In the normal course of life, people mature ‘through life experiences and grow in self- awareness, self-regulation and the in some cases, the ability to influence and lead others.

In today’s fast-paced and demanding work environment however, and in sunrise industries where young people in their late twenties and thirties need to step up to leadership positions, the normal course of emotional maturity needs to be supplemented by emotional competence training.

The good news, Goleman points out, is that although maturity that comes with age remains an advantage (“it is harder to teach young dogs new tricks”, he says), it is possible to enhance EQ through training interventions.

Soft skills training however requires a different model of learning. Unlike cognitive training where understanding is often enough, the retooling of habits, attitudes and behavior (what we call the acquisition of “soft skills”) requires a rewiring of the neural circuitry in the brain. This requires motivation, feedback and extended practice, which explains why many leadership programs do not have long-lasting results.

Social-networking sites can provide a safe place for kids to exchange messages and connect with friends. But if your child’s profile isn’t set up so that only trusted friends can see the content, it’s possible that everything he posts maybe seen by anyone who’s online. “About six months ago, I was contacted on Facebook by a guy in his 20s or SOs who had the same last name as me,” says Courtney Mannak, 18, a recent high school grad from Jupiter, FL. “He said that we were related, and he was able to determine which one of his uncles was my father and even tell me what my sister’s name was, all from information that was pieced together from my Facebook account. It turned out that he was legitimately related to me, but it was still scary having a stranger know so much about me.”

The two giants of social networking, MySpace and Facebook, have improved their privacy practices in recent years, giving users much better tools for controlling who sees what. Those age 18 and under who set up profiles, for instance, are now given fairly strict privacy settings as a default, assuming they’re honest about their ages. But many teens (not to mention their parents) don’t know how to fine-tune their settings to keep themselves as safe as possible.

Arnold Bell, assistant chief of the FBI’s Cyber Division Strategic Outreach and Initiatives Section, recommends sitting with your child when he sets up a Facebook or MySpace page and looking at the privacy settings, so you can make sure he chooses wisely. Experts advise using the strictest privacy settings (which are now generally automatic for kids 18 and under) from the start.

To do this on Facebook, go to the “Privacy Settings” link under “Settings” at the top right-hand corner of any page. Make sure all the menus under “Profile” and “Search” are set to “Only Friends”—meaning that only friends your child has approved can access his profile, photos, and other information—or possibly “Friends of Friends” if his goal is to connect with a broader group. On MySpace, find the privacy settings by clicking on the “MyAccount” link in the upper right-hand corner of any page. Then click “Privacy,” and look for a heading that says “Profile View- able By.” Click on “My Friends Only.”

You can also customize other options—such as not allowing photos of your child to be shared or e-mailed by others—on the same page.

If your child already has an online profile, check to see if it’s public by Googling his name or searching for him on Facebook or MySpace (you don’t need to be a member to do so). Better yet, says Vila, do it together: “Say, ‘I understand that these days anything that’s posted online is very tough to keep private. Why don’t we Google you to check if there’s anything that you don’t want out there?” Also Google a friend or two of his, to compare and contrast. “You can say, ‘This person has chosen to have this stuff about her online—what do you think about it?” says Vila. “It’s an opportunity for you to discuss what are the right values for your family.”

Word to the wise- Also step in if your child is using Twitter, the micro-blogging service where users post short updates, known as tweets. Many kids don’t realize these are completely public, akin to posting on a virtual global bulletin board. Help your child click on the “Protect My Updates” setting to control which members can follow what she posts. And if a stranger starts following her updates, she can restrict that person’s access by using the “Block” tool.

Randy Jackson is everywhere—judging American Idol, producing the MTV series America’s Best Dance Crew, playing bass guitar, producing music, and even trying his hand at designing with his Randy Jackson Eyewear line. But the place he’s happiest is at home, hanging out with his wife, Erika, and three children—daughters Taylor, 18, and Zoe, 13, and son Jordan. 11. Since losing over 100 pounds with the help of gastric- bypass surgery in 2003, Jackson has been on a mission to improve his family’s health, insisting on more activity for everyone and lightening up all their Southern-fried favorite foods. And he’s helping others do the same. “I wrote my book (Body With Soul) because I wanted people to hear from someone in an ongoing battle,” he explains, “and people have really responded. They said, ‘Finally, this is something for the regular person—who’s going to birthday parties and eating sweets.’ You have to be realistic.”