Home remedy for athlete foot,
Gold- Medal Cures for Athlete's Foot.

YOU wouldn't want to live between your toes. The space is too small. Too dark. Too damp. Too stuffy. But to the fungus that causes tinea pedis, or athlete's foot, which usually has to camp out in shower stalls, on locker room floors, and on pool decks, your toes are prime real estate. They're the perfect place to settle down, multiply-and cause the hot, red, burning, itchy, flaking, peeling skin that is this troublesome tenant's trademark.

Eviction isn't easy. The fungus can penetrate the skin, burrowing too deep for topical fungus-killing medicines to work quickly and easily, but not deep enough for prescription oral fungicides to clean house. And even after weeks or months of daily treatment, when you think the fungus is gone for good, it can suddenly reappear.

If you're prone to athlete's foot, you should never wear the same pair of shoes 2 days in a row, and you should change socks during the day if your feet sweat. Here are some alternative remedies to help you get comfortably back on your feet.

YOGURT: A Little Dab'll Do You
Dabbing regular, plain yogurt on the infected areas can help reduce the symptoms of athlete's foot, says Morton Walker, D.P.M., a former podiatrist in Stamford, Connecticut. The yogurt is soothing to the skin, he says, and you can apply it as often as you need to for relief.

GARLIC: Rub Out Fungus with Oil
Rub two to three drops of garlic oil on the affected areas of your feet, says Stephanie Tourles, a licensed esthetician, reflexologist, and herbalist in West Hyannisport, Massachusetts.
"In my experience, this treatment works extremely well to kill athlete's foot fungus," she says. "It is absorbed underneath the skin, where the fungus has penetrated." But, she cautions, don't use the treatment if you're planning a romantic evening-unless, of course, your partner loves the smell of garlic. "The oil is absorbed into the bloodstream, so you'll have garlic odor on your breath approximately 30 minutes after you apply the oil,"

Tourles says. For maximum sociability, she recommends using the oil before bed time: Pierce two or three garlic capsules, squeeze the oil onto the fungus, rub it into the skin, put on a pair of socks (so the oil doesn't get on the sheets), and go to bed. You can use this treatment each night for 2 to 4 weeks.

GARLIC: The Real-And Raw-Thing
Garlic is one of the most potent antifungal herbs, Tourles says. The raw form is most effective, she says, because none of the fungus-killing allicin (the most active ingredient in the herb) has been removed by processing. She recommends eating four small cloves once a day and drinking lots of water (12 to 16 ounces) with the garlic to reduce stomach upset. Continue for 4 to 6 months or until you see results. Just be aware that treating yourself with garlic may upset others, since the garlic odor will permeate your entire body, warns Tourles.

If you (or your nearest and dearest) can't handle raw cloves, take the herb in capsule form, using four to eight capsules a day in three divided doses (three with breakfast, three with lunch, and two with dinner, for example). Continue for 4 to 6 months, or as long as you like, to ward off infection.
Tourles recommends the brand Kyolic, which, she says, has a standardized, reliable amount of allicin. And be sure to take the capsules with an 8-ounce glass of water to avoid intestinal upset.

ASTRAGALUS: The Herbal Fungus Killer
Take astragalus, a potent antifungal herb, three times a day for maximum effectiveness, recommends Steven Subotnick, D.P.M., a podiatrist and naturopathic doctor in Berkeley and San Leandro, California.

Divide the dosage recommendation on the label by three and take the herb with each meal. If the label recommends four capsules a day, for example, take two with breakfast, one with lunch, and one with dinner. Take this dose until your immune system is up to par, which should be in about 6 to 8 weeks.

Immunity Boosters
If you have recurring athlete's foot, it may be because your immune system isn't strong enough to beat it once and for all, say podiatrists who specialize in alternative medicine.

"Chronic athlete's foot indicates that the fungus-fighting T-cells of your immune system are weak," says Dr. Subotnick. Here's how to boost your immune system's fungus-fighting power.

REFINED SUGAR: A Must to Avoid
Refined sugar is a toxin for the immune system, and eating too many sweets and other sugar-rich foods allows athlete's foot fungus to flourish, says Gregory W. Spencer, D.P.M., a podiatrist in Renton, Washington. Thus, if you have a case of athlete's foot that you can't kick, he recommends cutting way back on your intake of refined sugar.

ECHINACEA: But Not Too Much

Echinacea is one of the best herbs for invigorating your immune system, says Dr. Subotnick. But if you take it every day, it can actually weaken immunity. Following the dosage recommendations on the label, take it for 3 weeks in a row, then take a week off.

VITAMIN C: For Supplemental Strength
Vitamin C is one of the best nutrients for strengthening the immune system, says Dr. Subotnick. To defeat athlete's foot, though, you need to keep blood levels constant, which is why he recommends taking the nutrient six times a day.

Start with 250-milligram capsules for the first week (for a total of 1,500 milligrams a day), increase to 500-milligram dosages the secondweek (for a total of 3,000 milligrams), then to 1,000 milligrams per dose the third week (for a total of 6,000 milligrams). If you develop diarrhea or loose bowel movements at either the 3,000- or 6,OOO-milligram level (a possible side effect of large doses of vitamin C), go back to the level at which you didn't have the problem.


Try This Natural Anti Fungal Treatment. Its Chemical Free and Good for Your Skin.
Over-the-counter remedies for athlete's foot may work, but they don't nourish or help heal the skin that's been traumatized by the fungal infection, says Stephanie Tourles, a licensed esthetician, reflexologist, and herbalist in West Hyannisport, Massachusetts. That's why she recommends using the following natural mixture of an herb and two essential oils. It not only kills the fungus but also soothes and heals your skin, she says.

Combine 2 teaspoons of tincture of benzoin, made from the resin of a tree grown in the tropics, with five drops of lavender essential oil and five drops of thyme essential oil. The tincture of benzoin or benzoin resin helps heal the fungal infection, reduces redness and burning, and dries skin that's too moist, says Tourles. Lavender essential oil also helps heal skin, and thyme essential oil is a powerful antifungal.

Each evening before bedtime, massage the mixture into the area of the infection and then over your entire foot. Let your feet dry for 3 to 5 minutes before walking around or getting into bed. Since the mixture is thin and watery, says Tourles, you may want to put a blow-dryer on the low setting and dry your feet for a minute or two.

A mild case of athlete's foot should heal in 2 to 3 months, says Tourles, while a severe case may take up to 6 months.