*Natural* treatment to cure athlete's foot fungus?

[wide eyes & laughter]

My dh has athlete's foot. Doc says treat it w/Lotrimin or equivalent of - basically, there is no cure. Dh uses tea tree oil products to minimize itching, switches shoes every other day to allow air drying time, and wears cotton socks.

 

I thought I'd try our luck here to see if anyone knows of a natural treatment (cure or to minimize symptoms). Anyone?

 

Many thanks,

Cheryl

[milovany]

I had a recent bout and just used Hydrogen Peroxide applied with a Q-tip. It's all gone now! No cure? I don't understand that ... it's all gone. Maybe I didn't have athlete's foot???

[wide eyes & laughter]

You say you had a recent bout - so that wasn't an ongoing or recurring condition? Still interesting that hydrogen peroxide worked. I'll mention this to dh. Thanks :)

 

 

:bigear::bigear::bigear: Anyone else?

[Heidi @ Mt Hope]

I've heard that Raw Apple Cider Vinegar works, but I haven't tried it. Here is a link for you.

[Guest Virginia Dawn]

Not exactly natural, but... antiperspirant.

 

Dh suffered with athletes foot for years. Think combat boots and wool socks year round in the military. He read about the antiperspirant in a remedy book and tried it. Wa la! He hasn't had athletes foot for 10 years. He just sprayed it on his feet after his shower everyday.

 

Now, if it was me, I would try an apple cider vinegar soak every day for a while. It is a fungus and the vinegar should kill it.

 

I've also heard that periodically sticking your feet in water as hot as you can stand it helps kill the fungus.

[Pster]

A vinegar solution works wonders!! (stings a little - but just for a bit)

[Guest Virginia Dawn]

I had a recent bout and just used Hydrogen Peroxide applied with a Q-tip. It's all gone now! No cure? I don't understand that ... it's all gone. Maybe I didn't have athlete's foot???

 

I have not substantiated this, but I recently read that the FDA has made the following statement: "only a drug can cure, prevent or treat a disease." So a doctor can not state something is a cure if it is not approved by the FDA.

 

So if you had scurvy, eating citrus fruit would not be a "cure" but a "remedy," the same with vinegar. Hydrogen peroxide and apple cider vinegar can not be called cures by the medical profession or they would have to be approved by the FDA.

 

This is why there are disclaimers on some alternative medicine sites that say they do not claim that their remedies will definitively cure, prevent or treat specific ailments.

 

My mother encountered this mindset when she was being treated for cancer. The nurses would sometimes make natural suggestions on the side and when my mother asked the doctor about them he would say, "it can't hurt." She thinks it was a kind of subtle way to help her.

[sweetbaby]

I'm passing this on to dh who needs this. Thanks!

[Adrianne]

Has he tried daily use of Gold Bond powder? Once he has the infection gone, (or minimal). He can just apply powder daily. It does wonders for keeping your feet dry and clean.

[LizzyBee]

Not natural, but tinactin is an anti-fungal that is awesome. When I have athlete's foot, I usually only have to use it 2-3 days. I haven't had an outbreak in years, so it really does work. My oldest dd has also had athlete's foot once, and she only had to use tinactin 2-3 days to get rid of it.

 

I don't see why a doctor would say there is no cure for athlete's foot. It's a fungus, and there are lots of anti-fungals available OTC or by rx.

[wide eyes & laughter]

I have not substantiated this, but I recently read that the FDA has made the following statement: "only a drug can cure, prevent or treat a disease." So a doctor can not state something is a cure if it is not approved by the FDA.

 

So if you had scurvy, eating citrus fruit would not be a "cure" but a "remedy," the same with vinegar. Hydrogen peroxide and apple cider vinegar can not be called cures by the medical profession or they would have to be approved by the FDA.

 

This is why there are disclaimers on some alternative medicine sites that say they do not claim that their remedies will definitively cure, prevent or treat specific ailments.

 

My mother encountered this mindset when she was being treated for cancer. The nurses would sometimes make natural suggestions on the side and when my mother asked the doctor about them he would say, "it can't hurt." She thinks it was a kind of subtle way to help her.

 

 

Thanks for sharing this - makes a whole lotta sense re: drs and alternative medicine. I've actually had some recent (last couple years) experiences with drs (shocking) who validated alternative medicines. They were both young (20's & 30's)... as opposed to our much-older family doctor (who really isn't our doctor any more!) Anyway, thanks for pointing this out.

 

Vinegar is definitely now on the list to try, after all of your suggestions! Thank you!!

Cheryl

[wide eyes & laughter]

Has he tried daily use of Gold Bond powder? Once he has the infection gone, (or minimal). He can just apply powder daily. It does wonders for keeping your feet dry and clean.

 

 

I'll also put this on the list as more of a preventative for recurrence.

 

Thanks!:)

[nmoira]

I've had it once and used tea tree oil. Worked like a charm.

[littleleadvillelady]

I second the apple cider vinegar but it should be the raw organic kind so that it really does it's job. You can use it as a soak and also take it internally. We have even used it on our horse when he was struggling with foundering and it worked wonders! No joke! The other thing you might consider is that it might be a yeast over-growth problem. When there is too much yeast in the body it can cause bad fungus as I can testify to in my own family. Too much yeast is often caused by use of anti-biotics which kill everything including the good bacteria that keep the yeast at bay. If you go on a de-yeasting diet and take pro-biotics and grapefruit seed extract..... fungus disappears. In fact, my sister's oldest had terrible trouble with foot and toenail fungus. Then she started having chronic sinus infections. She was diagnosed as having a yeast overgrowth, put on a certain diet and everything cleared up, including her acne!

 

Amy

[wide eyes & laughter]

I second the apple cider vinegar but it should be the raw organic kind so that it really does it's job. You can use it as a soak and also take it internally. We have even used it on our horse when he was struggling with foundering and it worked wonders! No joke! The other thing you might consider is that it might be a yeast over-growth problem. When there is too much yeast in the body it can cause bad fungus as I can testify to in my own family. Too much yeast is often caused by use of anti-biotics which kill everything including the good bacteria that keep the yeast at bay. If you go on a de-yeasting diet and take pro-biotics and grapefruit seed extract..... fungus disappears. In fact, my sister's oldest had terrible trouble with foot and toenail fungus. Then she started having chronic sinus infections. She was diagnosed as having a yeast overgrowth, put on a certain diet and everything cleared up, including her acne!

 

Amy

 

I will do a search on this - dh has *not* been on any anti-biotics for years but does still suffer acne:sad:at age 38 but no chronic infections, etc. Interesting info to tuck away though!

 

He has tried over-the-counter stuff for years. Here (MN) in winter, it clears up. But warmer weather has always meant painful outbreaks for him. I told him about the shoe drier idea and *organic* apple cider vinegar. We have probiotics on hand.... but he's never taken them. Yep, I'll be doin' some Google on this!

 

Thanks to everyone for suggestions/input!!

[teamturner]

I second the apple cider vinegar but it should be the raw organic kind so that it really does it's job. You can use it as a soak and also take it internally. We have even used it on our horse when he was struggling with foundering and it worked wonders! No joke! The other thing you might consider is that it might be a yeast over-growth problem. When there is too much yeast in the body it can cause bad fungus as I can testify to in my own family. Too much yeast is often caused by use of anti-biotics which kill everything including the good bacteria that keep the yeast at bay. If you go on a de-yeasting diet and take pro-biotics and grapefruit seed extract..... fungus disappears. In fact, my sister's oldest had terrible trouble with foot and toenail fungus. Then she started having chronic sinus infections. She was diagnosed as having a yeast overgrowth, put on a certain diet and everything cleared up, including her acne!

 

Amy

 

I've dealt with yeast overgrowth in my family as well. The naturopath that I took my dd (who was 2 yo at the time) to prescribed several things (including the yeast free diet)

 

Probiotics (taken 3x daily)

Colloidal Silver (sprayed directly on the fungus and taken orally)

Oil of Oregano (a drop mixed with coconut oil 2x daily)

Coconut Oil (this is a great antifungal and you can cook with it, put it in your coffee, eat it off a spoon)

 

There was some other stuff but these are a good place to start. Tea Tree oil and vinegar are also anti-fungals that would work as well. If it is a fungus overgrowth, often when you begin treating it, it gets worse before it gets better. Especially if you treat it too agressively too quickly. There's some good books out there on yeast and probably some good websites too.

 

Blessings

[kewb]

Not natural but when I was a kid mom had us soak our feet in a bleach/water solution. Worked every time.

[Camy-7 boybarians 1 lady]

My husband and sons swap a bit of grapefruit seed extract in the areas on their feet that are affected by athletes foot. Dh says it has helped a lot.

 

Here's a link to our resource: Beeyoutiful

 

Blessings,

Camy

[wide eyes & laughter]

I've dealt with yeast overgrowth in my family as well. The naturopath that I took my dd (who was 2 yo at the time) to prescribed several things (including the yeast free diet)

 

Probiotics (taken 3x daily)

Colloidal Silver (sprayed directly on the fungus and taken orally)

Oil of Oregano (a drop mixed with coconut oil 2x daily)

Coconut Oil (this is a great antifungal and you can cook with it, put it in your coffee, eat it off a spoon)

 

There was some other stuff but these are a good place to start. Tea Tree oil and vinegar are also anti-fungals that would work as well. If it is a fungus overgrowth, often when you begin treating it, it gets worse before it gets better. Especially if you treat it too agressively too quickly. There's some good books out there on yeast and probably some good websites too.

 

Blessings

 

Thank you so much! Are you saying to cook with (ingest) Oil of Oregano and Coconut Oil or swab this solution on the feet? Thanks!

 

Cheryl

[wide eyes & laughter]

My husband and sons swap a bit of grapefruit seed extract in the areas on their feet that are affected by athletes foot. Dh says it has helped a lot.

 

Here's a link to our resource: Beeyoutiful

 

Blessings,

Camy

 

Thanks for the link!

[Mom-ninja.]

You can also make a paste with the probiotics and apply. This works well for moms having problems with thrush too. Also, for a vaginal yeast infection simply insert a capsule of probiotics at night for several nights. Works great.

[Guest MarcusHough]

I suffered from athlete's foot before, and it certainly is not a good experience. Have you tried using crushed garlic cloves? You can scrub the infected areas using crushed garlic cloves. Leave it for at least a minute or two and then rinse the feet well. Do this at least twice a day. A friend of mine also suggested that I used a topical cream called ZeroFungus and somehow it worked for me. Just remember to continue treatment consistently even if the skin appears to have healed, since incomplete treatment frequently results in reinfection.

[wapiti]

Another Grapefruit Seed Extract - got it at my local vitamin store. Whole Foods should also have it. http://www.amazon.com/Nutribiotic-Gse-Liquid-Concentrate-liquid/dp/B000M7OOPS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1308788619&sr=8-1

 

Note that it is grapefruit seed extract, not grape seed extract.

 

I believe with athlete's foot, you put it directly on the affected area. Other uses involve diluting it substantially, but not for this. It also killed the wart on dd's foot that had already survived two freezing treatments, among other things.

[Ottakee]

Thank you so much! Are you saying to cook with (ingest) Oil of Oregano and Coconut Oil or swab this solution on the feet? Thanks!

 

Cheryl

 

Not the original poster but I was going to say, as weird as it sounds, coconut oil. We bought it as a "massage" oil and after several days using it on dh's feet, they are MUCH better and he says they don't itch.

 

Worth a try.