Athlete's foot fungus
What is athlete's foot?
Symptoms of athlete's foot
Causes / sources of athlete's foot
Prevention / remedies / treatment for athlete's foot
References
What is athlete's foot?
Athlete's foot (tinea pedis, foot ringworm, foot fungus) is a fungal infection of the skin of the foot. It usually occurs between the toes, but in severe cases may appear as an extensive moccasin pattern on the bottom and sides of the foot.
An estimated 15% of the population in the USA suffers from tinea pedis, and it is the second most common skin disease in the USA, after acne.
The infection is usually caused by fungi in the genus trichophyton. They start growing on the surface of the skin, and then grow into the living tissue. The same fungi can infect other parts of the body, including the nails or groin (jock itch also known as tinea cruris).
The fungi need a warm moist environment in which to grow, such as warm damp areas or the inside of a shoe. You tend to pick up the fungus by walking barefoot in a wet infected area or sharing infected towels, socks or shoes. If you remain barefoot immediately after the initial infection, this lets your feet dry properly and the infection will not take hold. This is why people who live bare foot all the time are rarely infected. (1)
Symptoms of athlete's foot
- Scaling, peeling, flaking, blisters and cracking of the skin. In severe cases this can expose raw tissue, leading to inflammation and pain.
- Unpleasant characteristic smell.
- Itching.
Causes / sources of athlete's foot
- A warm damp environment, which is not allowed to remain dry and get healthy sunlight. Example: a damp sock or shoe.
- Athlete's foot is typically transmitted in moist areas where people walk barefoot, such as wet shower and bathroom floors. Foot towels are another common source.
- Athlete's foot is very easy to transmit, so there is little point in curing it unless you take precautions to prevent re-infection.
- Do not pick at the skin of a fungal infection - it makes it spread much faster.
- Candida overgrowth.
Prevention / remedies / treatment for athlete's foot
- Go barefoot as much as possible, particularly for a few hours after being in an infected area. Otherwise try to wear open shoes, sandals or thongs.
- Enclosed, damp or sweaty shoes are not good. The infection can remain in the shoes, so air them out and disinfect them with borax, boric acid or a foot powder.
- Do not share towels, socks, shoes.
- Use a separate towel for drying infected skin areas.
- Frequently wash bath towels, socks, bed sheets etc. in water at a temperature of 60C / 140F to kill the fungus.
- In public bathing places, wear shower shoes or slip-on thongs.
- Wash feet thoroughly with soap, and dry thoroughly.
- Disinfect your bathroom floor.
- DMSO. It may be taken internally, applied directly to washed and dried clean skin, or applied to clean skin in combination with aloe vera.
- Apple cider vinegar.
- Berberine.
- Borax.
- Tea tree oil.
- Garlic.
- Cloves.
- Flowers of sulphur.
- Gum turpentine.
- Kerosene.
- See details of remedies recommended by Grow Youthful visitors, and their experience with them.
Effective natural home remedies
References
1. Daniel Howell.
The Barefoot Book.
Hunter House, 2010.