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Health

Athlete’s foot

Not the most pleasant of symptoms or popular dinnertime conversation, athlete’s foot is certainly not limited to athletes. It is clearly more common in this population due to easy breeding and transfer in locker room showers. Fungi love warm, wet breeding environments. They especially like breeding on one person’s skin and then travelling to a new unsuspecting host. Essentially people in professions where their skin (especially feet or hands) are exposed to excessive warm, wet spaces or those that frequent public environments are more likely to attract and breed this lovely little fungi.

As a general recommendation, there are bugs all around us. The main reason why some people attract the nasties and others don’t is often related to their immune response. Some people’s immune systems are simply not functioning as well as others. If someone is more prone to these infections the first and most important priority is to ensure that they avoid environments that exacerbate the condition. For example thongs in the gym shower should be an essential part of one’s hygiene. When you get out of the shower dry your body with your main towel and then have a second towel just for drying your feet. Be meticulous with it – dry in between your toes really well. Remember moisture + warmth = tinea multiplication.

It’s a stubborn organism so often creams (even pharmaceutical ones) are generally ineffective. Targeting the bug in multiple ways seems to be the only way to properly eradicate it. Seriously strong tea tree oil on its own or tea tree oil with thyme oil and or palmarosa oil works well with some. Iodine paint works well with others. Above all stop feeding the bugs through the lifestyle measures before but also through your diet. Cut out all sugar and yeast – including alcohol.

If its recurrent, the problem may be more systemic. Seeing a Naturopath to ascertain if you have systemic candida is a good idea. Common symptoms may include a thick white coating to the tongue, bad breath or a bad taste in the mouth, poor digestion or other thrush symptoms such as in the genital area or as ringworm on the skin.