As many know athletes foot, or tinea pedis, is a very stubborn and difficult fungal condition to get rid of. People with this are often cursed with a persistent itch and even pain when the skin starts to crack. Unless properly dealt with, athletes foot can persist for many years, which was certainly the situation for a patient I just recently helped.
This patient had actually been working with a Naturopathic doctor for the previous two years, trying everything from dietary restrictions to internal anti-yeast medications, without any success or relief. We can say that this poor fellow was determined, especially if he was able to stick it out for so long without any result! The Naturopath realized his patient was not responding to his treatment approach and so referred him on to me.
Upon the first visit I took note that the patient had very moist and peeling skin in between his fourth and fifth toes, which is the most common site for athletes foot to affect. The thinking is that these toes become quite jammed together in ones shoes and thus have the most moisture build up in between them, allowing for the fungus to persist. There was no redness or signs of the fungus spreading to other parts of the patient’s foot. The patient did complain that his toes become extremely itchy and that he would also experience pain when the area started to crack.
Tinea pedis is a fungal condition that is “caught” from the outside world, being transmitted from one person to another, usually by walking barefoot in moist areas like swimming pool showers. The fungus takes hold in the outer layers of the skin, living and growing from there. It is usually seen as an external disease, without a systemic or internal origin.
Other than this patient’s bothersome foot condition, he was healthy. I decided that the best approach was to primarily use external medicines that would literally kill off the fungus. Internal herbal medicines are not usually needed in treating fungal conditions, unless the disorder is very severe and recalcitrant to external treatment. This patient had already tried changing many things in his diet, strictly avoiding sugar, without any noticeable effect, so I wasn’t going to put the same restrictions on him.
Plain ol’ white pickling vinegar was the main herb used, as it is very anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, and pretty much anti-everything – a reason it works so well for preserving pickles! He was to soak in this for 20 minutes everyday, pat dry and then sprinkle a mix of powdered Chinese herbs over top. One of the herbs was indigo which, in combination with other herbs, is a wonderful herb to use externally for many types of skin conditions.
I asked this patient to wear sandals whenever he could, to allow better air circulation to his feet. When he did wear socks and shoes, I encouraged him to make sure his feet stayed dry and that he wore socks made of natural materials and that he never wore his socks and shoes for too long at once – basically to avoid the build up of heat and humidity. He also had to ensure that he dried his feet really well every time he bathed.
About three weeks later this patient reported back to me that his feet were in good shape. For the first time in several years he had no sign of the athletes foot and he was very happy.
This case is an example of why it is important to properly understand the nature of the problem at hand. Athletes foot usually responds to external medicines quite well, without having to do too much in the way of dietary control and/ or internal medicines. With the proper approach I was able to help this individual without having to drag him through years of agonizing treatments. 3 weeks of a little vinegar and some chinese herbs was all it took.
Dr. Trevor Erikson
Copyright © 2019 Dr. Trevor Erikson