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Athlete’s foot is an infection caused by fungus. The medical name for athlete’s foot is Tine pedis. Athlete’s foot is found occurring in between the toes.
Athlete’s foot starts with a lot of itching and then develops innumerable white lesions. These are mainly found in between the fingers. There is a lot of burning, blisters and the skin gets inflamed. There is a dirty and pungent smell that comes from the toe. The toe becomes red and scaly.
Thus the athlete’s foot remedies are predominantly based on the principle of reducing the pain and healing the itch.
Athlete’s Foot Remedies
Most of the home remedies for Athlete’s Foot are easily available and form a part of day to day use.
- Tea tree oil: Tea tree oil has antifungal properties. So application of this oil gives a lot of relief.
- Water and white vinegar: A solution having one five parts of vinegar and one part of water is made. The feet should be soaked in this mixture for twenty to thirty minutes every day. This helps to ease the pain.
- Baking soda: Baking soda is a good agent for Athlete’s foot remedies. This has the same effect as an antifungal powder.
- Listerine: Sometimes even a bottle of Listerine comes of use to cure Athlete’s Foot. This is dropped in a tub of water thus forming a good foot massage preparation. Soaking the feet in it for some time surely helps in easing out the discomfort.
- Corn Starch: Corn starch has the capacity to soak moisture. Thus sprinkling corn starch on the infection helps to ease the itching sensation.
- Fruits and vegetables: Sometimes only medicines don’t help. It is better to balance the medicinal intake with a well balanced nutritional diet with the focus on improving the immunity and reducing any such kind of infections of the skin. Garlic is a spice with a lot of antifungal property. So consumption of garlic helps to reduce the trouble caused by Athlete’s Foot.
Athlete’s foot Remedies – Caution
In spite of treatment, medicines and diagnosis, sometimes it is also important to keep a watch on the actions of the patient. Care and caution should be taken on regular daily habits. These habits sometimes lead to Athlete’s Foot. The following are ways we could help to keep the foot clean:
- Always to keep the feet dry. This avoids any kind of fungal infection from developing again. Fungus grows in a moist atmosphere. Thus keeping the feet dry ensures that you don’t invite further infection. For this, a hair dryer can be used.
- Use of antifungal powder while wearing shoes is a good habit. It is important to use cotton socks and clean shoes. Shoes should always be cleaned from the inside after each use.
- It is always better to use a mild soap. Any kind of detergent is avoided.
- Hands should always be washed with soap and water each time after you have touched the area.
- It is most prudent to use an antiseptic cleaner daily in the bathroom.
- Socks are the storehouse of bacteria and germs. The socks should be washed well and thoroughly till the dirt comes out. So extra hot water kills the spores in the socks. It is not at all a good habit to wear the same pair of socks next day.
- To avoid Athlete’s foot it is better to wear thongs in public washrooms etc.
- The infection catches very fast. Thus it is imperative to keep the area clean always.
- Keep away from moisture: Keeping away ensures that we are not encouraging the fungus to grow. This fungus easily grows on a moist, dark, warm surrounding. Thus the foot should not be exposed to continuous moisture.
- The feet should also be dried thoroughly so that no further question of any kind of fungus arises. Similarly, it is important that the feet be washed twice daily.
- Since a closed environment is what creates the fungus, it is advisable that you do not wear shoes always. As much as possible try to avoid shoes. Besides, when you are at a meeting sitting on the table, you can just take it off and sit. Going barefoot exposes the foot thus avoiding conditions like the Athlete’s Foot.
- Most of the medicines that we get for Athlete’s Foot are effective. But it is always advisable to take doctor’s advice before doing anything. It is better to be careful.
