Fungus on the legs (feet) is one of the most common mycoses. According to statistics, every fifth person is a carrier of the causative agent of this disease. To combat the fungal microflora on the foot, antimycotic drugs are prescribed, which are intended for external and internal use. In the initial stage of the disease, it is appropriate to use alternative methods of treatment.
Why do fungi appear?
Fungus is an infection that enters the skin/nails in the home way: using common personal hygiene products, visiting swimming pools, saunas, beauty salons.
If the virus reaches the skin, it is likely that the disease will not enter the subcutaneous cells, because a healthy body has a strong resistance to such microbes.
There are a number of factors that stimulate the development of fungi on the skin or nails:
- Intense sweating of the feet caused by uncomfortable shoes of low quality;
- Mechanical damage to the legs (scratches, wounds on the feet, spines);
- Weakened immunity due to bad habits, serious diseases: AIDS, diabetes, hepatitis, neurosis, flu.
Perhaps the feet are the most delicious place for fungi to parasitize. The main reason is that the foot is the one that affects the shoes the most and has hundreds of micro cracks.
There are several types of ringworm infections that are parasitic on the toenails, between the toes or feet.
The method of suppressing fungi, regardless of whether it is the intervention of drugs or traditional medicine, depends entirely on the site of infection.
According to statistics, more than 60% of the population has a ringworm problem, and the main reason is that this virus is incredibly resistant to external influences and quickly "jumps" from one infected body to another.
Without proper chemical cleaning of shoes/clothing, flex can live in it for up to 5 years, as an active infection.
Family members who already have an infected person are particularly susceptible to the disease. In this case, you simply cannot do without daily wet cleaning using intensive detergents and chlorine.
How to recognize the fungus?
In the first stages of infection, it is almost impossible to recognize flexibility. On the skin / nails appear barely noticeable white spots of small size that do not cause discomfort.
During evolution, the virus grows, causing the following symptoms:
- Unbearable itching and burning;
- The nail plate becomes rougher and more careless;
- Brittleness and delamination of nails;
- Cracks appear on the feet caused by dry skin;
- A white coating appears on the itchy places / on the nails;
- An unpleasant pungent smell spreads from the feet.
Why is mycosis dangerous?
Mycosis appears to be a fairly harmless infection that does not pose a threat to human life.
Undoubtedly, fungi between the toes cannot be deadly, but they negatively adapt to the immune system, psychological and social condition of a person, and can cause a number of serious diseases.
So, the negative consequences of mycosis can be attributed to the following factors:
- Social - ban on visiting swimming pools, bathrooms, saunas and other places where a sanitary inspection is required;
- Psychological - the feeling of itching causes self-doubt, deformed skin/nails do not allow wearing open shoes, strong smell from the feet does not allow taking off shoes outside the house;
- Physiological - general depletion of immunity, causing infection with viral colds and the appearance of allergies.
Fungus treatment: folk remedies or drugs?
Modern medicine has an impressive arsenal of drugs that can treat foot fungus, but do not forget about the current methods of traditional medicine, which were treated by several generations of ancestors.
The choice of treatment for this disease depends entirely on the stage of its neglect: if we are talking about the manifestation of all the symptoms described above, then it is more appropriate to pay attention to medical intervention, because its effect will be more visible in a short time.
If the disease recently parasitized the skin and the virus did not have time to spread through the legs, then folk recipes for fungi will be of great help.
Fortunately, the treatment of foot fungus with folk remedies is absolutely affordable, and the ingredients for the remedy can be found in the home first aid kit or the refrigerator.
Fungus between the toes can be treated with the following remedies from the first aid kit:
- Potassium permanganate.
- 5% iodine solution (treat infected areas 2-3 times a day).
- Boric acid (take a shower with warm water, dry your feet, sprinkle painful places with boric acid, wrap yourself in warm socks. By repeating the procedure every day for 10 days, you have a real chance to get rid of the annoying ailment. Important! The feet must be dry, otherwise they will cometo acid burns).
- Ammonia (dilute in a ratio of 1 tablespoon to 1 cup, moisten the bandage, wrap the legs overnight).
- Iodine, glycerin, vinegar (mix the ingredients in equal parts, dilute with 2 parts of water. Wash the fungal areas with this tincture every day before going to bed).
Simple remedies from the first aid kit will help to eradicate the fungus within 10 to 20 days, with systematic use.
A pleasant moment is that the above-mentioned means are quite cheap, you can buy them at any pharmacy and they will not affect your budget.
Folk remedies for dermatomycosis
It has already been mentioned that fungus is one of the most common diseases, but in the knowledge base of traditional medicine there are many measures for its effect. For example, even those foods that are in your refrigerator every day can have an intense effect on the virus.
Such products are effective against mycosis:
- Lemon;
- Onion;
- Garlic;
- Apple and wine vinegar;
- egg;
- Coffee
- Soda;
- Leaves of orena / nettle.
Let's take a closer look at each option on how to cure foot fungus with folk recipes in the shortest possible time.
- Lemon.Cut the citrus fruits into not very thin slices, attach them to the infected areas, wrap them in cellophane film. Keep the compress for 30 minutes and repeat the procedure for 10 days. A striking advantage of this method is that lemon not only destroys mitosis, but also saturates the nail plate with vitamins, removes white streaks and blocks unpleasant odors from the feet.
- Onion.Prepare the onion mash, squeeze the juice into a separate container. Apply a thick layer of the paste to the affected area, wrap it with a film, leave it for 10-15 minutes. If there is mechanical damage to the skin, add vaseline oil to the mash in a ratio of 1: 1. After 15 minutes, rinse the compress with warm water, wipe with a towel, apply onion juice and wait for it to be absorbed into the skin. It is not necessary to rinse the feet after the juice.
- Garlic.There are 2 options for compresses: cut the clove into 2 parts, roll it in food salt, rub the foci of the fungus; prepare the porridge, add butter in equal proportions, apply to the skin. In any case, it is not recommended to keep garlic on your feet for more than a quarter of an hour, as its juice can cause burns. Rinse the dressings with warm water, repeat the procedure at intervals of at least 8 hours.
- Apple vinegar. 4 tbsp. mix spoonfuls of vinegar with 150 grams of sea salt (possibly with additives) and pour over 5 liters of hot water. Wait for the water to cool down a bit and bathe your feet.
- Wine vinegar.Perhaps the simplest folk treatment for fungus: lubricate the diseased skin with undiluted wine vinegar. It is necessary to wait until the vinegar is completely absorbed, there is no need to rinse the feet, and you can repeat such measures 4 times a day.
- An egg. In order to prepare the fat, you need to: cover a raw egg with vinegar, cover it with transparent film, a plastic lid and put it in a cool, dark place. Wait for the moment when the egg shell is completely melted, add 1 teaspoon of butter to the jar and carefully put it until a homogeneous substance appears. Apply the ointment to dry, clean skin, wrap it in a foil / bag and keep it warm for an hour. After removing the bandages, the feet should be washed with warm water.
- Coffee.One of the best and fragrant remedies for foot fungus. Coffee can be used as an exfoliant or as the main ingredient in a foot bath. If you are used to brewing natural black coffee, then use the remaining residue as a scrub. Apply the residue to the inflamed areas, rub the coffee residue into the skin. Another option is to brew coffee and pour it into the bathtub in a ratio of 2 coffee: 1 water. The second option is financially more expensive. The advantages of coffee are that after such procedures the rough skin will peel off, and the new one will get a healthy color, softness and tenderness.
- Soda.A universal remedy that is suitable for poultices and baths. Prepare a paste with the addition of soda and water in equal proportions, apply to the nails / feet / space between the toes for 20 minutes, wrap in cellophane. After the specified time, rinse with warm water and sprinkle with talcum powder. In addition, you can prepare baths with the addition of sea salt, soda and cedar oil / eucalyptus / menthol or propolis.
- Rowan.Oren, like nettle, has antibacterial properties, so it is recommended in the fight against athlete's foot. Plant leaves must be collected in ecologically clean areas and only young growth must be selected. Rub the leaves to a pulpy state and apply to the area of inflammation. The compress should be left overnight.
Phytotherapy - a method of combating fungi
Effective folk remedies for foot fungus are reflected in herbal medicine guides.
Despite the fact that representatives of science do not particularly approve of alternative medicine methods, herbal medicine deserves some attention and respect, because they clearly indicate their safety and effectiveness.
We will tell you how to get rid of foot fungus with folk remedies with the help of herbs.
Folk remedies for fungus between the toes are prepared from decoctions of plants such as celandine, calendula, mint, thistle, sage, wormwood, St. John's wort and dozens of other plants.
- Celandine.Decoction with 4 tbsp. spoons of dry celandine and 1 liter of water boil for 5 minutes, leave to soak for 30 minutes. Use the baths every day before going to bed for at least 21 days.
- Sagebrush.Wormwood is also used for baths, but there is also a more effective remedy: a decoction of wormwood, plantain, thistle and yarrow is soaked for 9 hours and drunk 3 times a day before meals. In just a week, you will be able to get rid of the obvious signs of fungus.
- Calendula.Pour boiling water over a package of marigold flowers (usually 250 grams) and leave for 1 hour. Rub the inflamed skin with herbal extract 3-4 times a day for a month.
- Velcro.The compress is prepared from fresh burdock leaves. It is necessary to mechanically act on the sheet so that it releases the juice (beat off with a hammer / make small cuts) and wrap the legs, apply a bandage, put on warm socks. Leave the lotion on overnight.
- Mint, nettle, sage.This treatment with folk remedies involves mixing dry herbs, pouring them into a warm sock. It is necessary to wear the dry mixture during the day and repeat the complex as soon as possible, but at least 3 times a week.
The above folk remedies against fungi are sold in every pharmacy both in the form of dry herbs and in the form of essential oils. It is recommended to buy several essential oils and a foot bath with the addition of fragrant elixirs.
Folk remedies for foot fungus are effective measures, but they require quite long use, so their variety should be combined and alternated.
Treatment with folk remedies is the safest, but long-term method that does not cause allergic and inflammatory reactions.
Shoe care for fungus
The answer to the question: "How to treat fungus? " is not only providing a series of recipes for effective folk remedies, but also a reminder to treat all your shoes.
A 25% vinegar / 30% formalin solution is used to disinfect footwear from fungal infections. It is necessary to moisten a cotton swab with the solution and wipe the inside of the shoes.
Important! You must wipe absolutely all the shoes you put on: from slippers to boots. Those pairs of shoes that you wear all the time must be treated at least once a week.