Athlete’s foot is a common and stubborn fungal infection affecting mainly your feet and nails. Because the fungus thrives in warm moist areas it is often picked up in swimming pools and changing rooms or by sharing towels and bathmats. The most obvious signs are dry flakes of skin between the toes and over the feet with redness, itching, and possibly oozing in moist areas. When nails are affected they will thicken and discolour and may crumble. So what can you do naturally to avoid or address this irritating condition?
Prevention
Let your skin breathe:
Ensure that your feet are left exposed to air as often as possible.
Use natural fibre socks.
Ideally wear shoes made from natural materials.
Manage your contagion risk:
Wear clean footwear.
Use flip flops or canvas shoes when using public areas such as showers and pools.
Dry your feet and toes really well after getting wet.
Add powdered anti-fungal herbs such as lavender, to your socks, in order to soak up any sweat and keep your feet dry.
Dietary changes
- Minimise consumption of refined foods as these are devoid of the micronutrients necessary for optimum immune function.
- Go for organic, whole and some raw food to retain phytochemicals and enzymes. Plants have to fight fungus themselves, so various properties in plants will be naturally fungicidal.
- Flavour your foods with garlic, cloves and oregano for their excellent taste and antimicrobial properties.
- Increase consumption of vegetables and low glycaemic load (GL) fruits, such as berries and pears, to increase vitamin C, bioflavonoids and beta carotene for skin repair.
- Increase intake of almonds and sunflower seeds, plus seafood such as sardines, to increase copper and selenium needed for fungicidal action and immunity.
- Reduce consumption of alcohol and any foods that are problematic to you. Minimising digestive strain keeps energy for repair and immune function.
Topical applications for flare-ups
Garlic can decrease local fungal levels when applied to affected skin daily. Add a whole clove of garlic to a little oil and allow it to sit for a few days. You can rub this oil into the skin a few times a day. Or simply add a single drop of garlic essential oil to a natural foot cream and use at night.
Many essential oils have anti-fungal properties and tea tree essential oil is renowned for this. As an alternative to garlic, use a little of the neat essential oil diluted in a cream.
Including a range of antibacterial oils into your daily bath routine will soothe and calm inflamed skin.
Choose organic products wherever possible, for eating, drinking, and putting on your skin.
Jill R Davies is a Naturopath and Herbalist, and lectures at CNM.
