ATHLETE’S FOOT: PREVENTION AND REMEDIES
Athlete’s foot, or tinea pedis is a fungal infection of the top
layers of the skin. The species of fungi infecting the skin go by the
collective name of dermatophytes. Like most fungi, these thrive in damp,
warm places. Other vulnerable areas are the groin (jock itch, or tinea
cruris), and the head (ringworm, or tinea capitis).
The fungi that cause athlete’s foot can also infect the nails. Usually
trauma (a nick in the nail or crush injury) occurs, giving the fungi an entry
point. The nail yellows and thickens. Diagnosis is usually made by inspection,
plus or minus microscopic examination of scrapings from under the nail. These
infections are contagious.
The sign of athlete’s foot is red, flaky, itchy skin on the soles and
heels. The toe webs may be involved. The skin may also blister and crack. The
main treatment for fungal skin infections is application of an over-the-counter
antifungal cream, such as miconazole or clotrimazole. It can take up to a month
for skin to heal. Fungal nail infections, however, are more difficult to clear.
HISTORY: Australian Aborigines had long knowledge of Tea tree oil as
good for treating a number of ills, including athlete’s foot and other fungal
and skin infections. It is found that a relatively strong solution of tea tree
oil inhibits the fungi that cause athlete’s foot.
TEA FOR TWO FEET
1 tablespoon (15 ml) unscented body lotion
1 teaspoon (5 ml) tea tree oil
Preparation and Use: Blend the lotion and tea tree oil in a small, clean jar
or bowl. Apply to affected areas on the feet. Wash your hands afterward. Tea
tree oil can be powerful stuff, so take care in mixing and applying this remedy
as noted below. It is found that creams containing between 10 and 50 percent
tea tree oil help resolve athlete’s foot.
Warning: Keep your
bottle of tea tree oil out of the reach of children. Internal use can be toxic.
If you are allergic to Tea tree oil, stop using it.
THYME AND OREGANO FOOTBATH
1 quart (946 ml) water
2 tablespoons (5 g) dried thyme leaves
2 tablespoons (6 g) dried oregano leaves
¼ cup (72 g) salt
Preparation and use: Boil the water in a saucepan. Turn off the heat, add the
herbs, cover, and steep for 20 minutes. Stir in the salt. Reheat over low heat
until the water feels warm but not scalding. Strain into a basin big enough for
your feet. Soak your feet for 15 to 20 minutes until the water is no longer
warm. Dry your feet, including between your toes, with a clean towel. Then put
the towel in the laundry to wash (do not reuse without laundering). While it
fights athlete’s foot, this footbath delivers delicious relaxation. In order
from highest to lowest fungicidal activity were oregano, thyme, cinnamon, lemongrass,
clove, palmarosa, peppermint, lavender, geranium, and tea tree. Adding salt and
heat to the essential oil solution amplified the fungicidal power.
Note: Alternatively,
you can put hot-to-tolerance water and salt in the foot basin. Stir in 5 drops
of essential oil of oregano. You can use thyme essential oil instead, but only
if you select the linalool type. The others are irritating to skin and mucous membranes.
Other alternatives include peppermint and lavender oil.
FOOT-FRIENDLY VINEGAR TINCTURE
¼ cup (60 ml) white, distilled, or apple cider vinegar
5 drops tea tree essential oil
5 drops peppermint essential oil
2 to 3 drops eucalyptus essential oil
Preparation and use: Combine all the
ingredients in a jar and shake. Soak cotton balls in the mixture and apply,
covering the affected area. If you have any solution left over, cap the jar
tightly to prevent the evaporation of the plant essential oils. Vinegar
contains acetic acid, which discourages fungal growth. Consistent application
has often been met with success in clearing up fungal infection. It may take
several weeks, even months, but many people swear by it. Adding the plant
essential oils, all of which have direct antifungal activity, may accelerate the
process.
Recipe Variations:
•
Pour enough vinegar into a small
tub to immerse your toes or feet. Mix in the essential oils above. Soak for 2
minutes. Then rinse your toes and dry thoroughly with a clean towel. (Do not
reuse the towel without laundering it.) Apply twice daily until the itch
disappears. Then continue application for one additional week.
•
Because vinegar is acidic, it may
irritate the skin. In that case, dilute the vinegar, using one part vinegar to
three parts water. Mix in the essential oils. Soak for 15 minutes three times a
week. When finished, rinse and dry as above.
•
Some people are also sensitive to
plant essential oils. If you have sensitive skin, try the vinegar or diluted
vinegar solution alone. If you have no reaction, try one essential oil at a
time. Don’t combine the three until you know your skin can tolerate it.
GARLIC FUNGAL CHASER
1 garlic clove
1 to 2 teaspoons (5 to 10 ml) olive oil
Preparation and Use: Mash the garlic and
olive oil together into a paste. Apply to the infected area. Remove after 1
hour. Garlic is a microbe-slayer. Its action includes antifungal
power. Two studies have shown that ajoene, a compound found in garlic, heals
athlete’s foot.
Warning: Don’t use the garlic alone, as this strong herb can
irritate the skin. The olive oil creates a protective coating. Most people can tolerate
1 hour. Remove sooner if you have sensitive skin or the application causes
discomfort. Be sure to test this strong antidote on a patch of skin before
covering your feet with it.
Note: The antimicrobial chemicals in garlic contain sulphur.
Some of them absorb across your skin, into the bloodstream, and across the air
sacs in your lungs. If you dislike that smell (or others do), chew parsley
leaves or fennel seeds.
PROBIOTIC FOOT FIX
2 to 3 tablespoons (30 to 45 g) plain yogurt (Make sure it has live
cultures of acidophilus.)
Preparation and Use: Apply to the infected
areas—toe webs, heels, and so on—for 15 to 20 minutes. Rinse off and dry feet thoroughly
before putting on socks and shoes. Yogurt’s live ingredient, acidophilus,
makes lactic acid, which helps fight fungus. Daily application can soothe and
help heal the infected area.
CLOVE AND CINNAMON SOOTHER
¼ teaspoon cinnamon or clove essential oil
2½ teaspoons (13 ml) olive oil
Preparation and use: Mix together the
essential oil and olive oil. Test a little on a patch of skin before doing
full-blown foot therapy. The essential oil versions of these holiday spices are
helpful healers when diluted in a soothing olive oil mixture and applied to
your feet.
TEA BAGS FOR HAPPY TOES
1 quart (946 ml) water
6 black tea bags
Preparation and Use: Boil the water and
steep the tea bags in it. Pour the water and tea bags into a small tub. When
tea has cooled enough to be comfortable, immerse your feet. Soak for 15 to 20
minutes. Rinse your feet after soaking and dry thoroughly before putting on
your socks. Black tea contains tannic acid, which is antifungal. Use this
quick and easy treatment to soothe athlete’s foot burn and boost the healing
process.
CORN-STARCH ~ DRY FEET
½ cup (64 g) corn-starch
Preparation and Use: Preheat the oven to
325°F (170°C, or gas mark 3). Spread the corn-starch across the bottom of a clean
glass baking dish. Bake for 3 to 5 minutes until just browned on top. Remove
from the oven and let cool. Rub onto affected areas before putting on your
socks and shoes. Corn-starch absorbs foot moisture that can help launch
fungal infections. Corn-starch right from the box is a good start; but a quick
browning in the oven removes its moisture, allowing it to take in more moisture
from your feet. You’ll love the drying effect of this starchy flour made from
corn. Note: Shake a teaspoon (3 g) of the toasted corn-starch into
your shoes to coat the insides—another way to absorb moisture.
COCONUT FUNGAL FIGHTER
¼ cup (56 g) coconut oil
1 teaspoon (2 g) ground turmeric
Preparation and Use: Over low heat, melt
the oil in a pan. It happens in a matter of seconds. Whisk in the turmeric.
Turn off the heat. Pour the mixture into a clean dish. When cool, spread on the
affected area. Allow to soak in for 15 to 20 minutes. Rinse off and dry the area
thoroughly. Virgin coconut oil is a African folk remedy for treating such
fungal skin infections as athlete’s foot and ringworm, has antifungal
properties. Likewise, turmeric is an antifungal agent.
VICKS-EN TOENAIL TREATMENT
Hydrogen peroxide
Vicks VapoRub
Preparation and Use: In the evening, shower and wash your toes carefully or soak and wash your
toes in a small tub of warm water. Dry them thoroughly with a clean towel
(launder the towel after each use). Wet a cotton ball with hydrogen peroxide
and apply to each toenail, using a fresh cotton ball for each nail so as not to
spread infection. Let your toes air dry or pat them dry after the peroxide foaming
subsides. Make sure they are thoroughly dry, and then coat each toenail with
Vicks. Cover your feet with cotton socks (which you must wash after wearing); this
keeps the Vicks working on your toes and off your sheets. Hydrogen
peroxide is antifungal. Vicks VapoRub contains essential oils from plants with
antifungal activity, specifically thymol from thyme, menthol from peppermint, eucalyptol
from eucalyptus, and camphor from a relative of cinnamon (Cinnamomum
camphora).
LIFESTYLE TIP
To prevent
athlete’s foot, practice good hygiene:
•
Keep your feet dry. If your feet sweat, change your
socks. Put talcum powder or corn-starch in your shoes.
•
Wear socks that absorb and wick away moisture. Although
many doctors recommend cotton, a good alternative is wool, which you can now
find in all styles and thicknesses.
•
In hot weather, wear sandals or other shoes with good
ventilation.
•
Air out shoes after each use.
•
Don’t share socks, shoes, towels, or nail clippers with
someone with athlete’s foot or a fungal nail infection.
•
Sprinkle baking soda in your shoes to absorb moisture.
Your feet will stay drier longer. Like corn-starch, baking soda will absorb
sweat and hinder the fungi that thrive in damp conditions.
•
Eat garlic. To complement the garlic salve recipe for the
outside of your feet, try this simple treatment to attack from the inside, too:
Mince one to two garlic cloves and stir into your food, whether eggs, rice, soups,
or mashed potatoes. Or pop a 500 to 600 milligram capsule of garlic each day.
WHEN SIMPLE DOESN’T WORK
•
A traditional Mexican treatment
for athlete’s foot involves the topical use of a plant called Ageratina pichinchensis (commonly known as snakeroot and previous
classified as Eupatorium pichinchense or E. aschenbornianum). Studies
have shown that topical applications of a special extract from this plant
worked as well as the antifungal drug ketoconazole. Extracts have also been shown
to be therapeutic in fungal nail infections.
•
If home remedies aren’t working
for you, you can try antifungal creams available over the counter at drugstores
and supermarkets: terbinafine (Lamisil AT), tolnaftate (Tinactin), clotrimazole
(Lotrimin AF), and miconazole (Micatin).
WHEN TO CALL THE DOCTOR
•
You can’t clear the infection
after two weeks of using home remedies or over the counter antifungal creams.
It may be time to try a prescription antifungal medication.
•
The fungal infection is
spreading.
•
The soles of your feet begin to
blister.
•
Your skin becomes cracked,
reddened, swollen, and painful.
•
You see pus or red streaks
extending from the infected area.
•
You develop a fever.
•
You have diabetes and have any sign of infection on your feet.
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