Athlete's Foot & Jock Itch

[crackerjake]

I've been battling these two for well over a year now, and I'm sick of 'em. Anyone have any suggestions?

[Dark Waters]

Both are fungal infections, and sometimes one causes the other. It has been said if you have athlete's foot it can be tranferred to the groin area and become jock itch if you put on your underwear before putting on socks to cover the feet. Be aware no matter what you use, once the fungi is established, it will take time to clear up.

An important step is to keep the infected areas clean and dry as the fungus will thrive in moist areas. Use a hair dryer on infected areas after shower/bath if necessary. And it does transfer to fabrics so it important to keep changing and thoroughly cleaning/drying socks, towels, floor mats, etc. and use disinfectant on tiles. If you use public pools or school/gym showers make sure to wear sandals at all times.

If they Over-the-counter stuff isn't working for you or you do not wish to use chemicals they are made of, some options include onion or garlic extract applied topically, a foot soak of 1 part white vinegar/4 parts water or dissolved epsom salts 2-3 times a day for at least 10 min.

If it continues for an excessive period or gets too large, go see a doctor.

[Kystar]

Marjoram Essential Oil. Marjoram, a relative of Oregano, is an herb with powerful anti-fungal properties. (It does a slew of other things, but the only ones I can remember are anti-bacterial and anti-microbial...basically if it's a microscopic icky, Marjoram kills it!) You want to make sure it's diluted in something, though, because the oil itself is capable of doing some bad things to skin by itself. In your case, I'd get some and add it to some unscented body wash (You can get the carrier body wash stuff at a craft store. Not the BEST stuff, but it's cheap and it doesn't have commercial scents b/c it's there to be scented) and let it stay on for a few moments in the shower.

Dark Waters is right about the moisture thing, so you don't want to put it into a cream...but maybe a salve? I don't know exactly what these do...as I've never had them...always taken much care to avoid infections in my feet. Does it dry out the skin? A medicinal salve might be useful if it does, so long as you don't use too much. Lavender is good for general healing...so if you make a salve, that might be a good thing to add. You might be able to find a few products to help...if you don't like to or can't make things yourself. I know "Burt's Bee's" is a pretty good commercial brand of herbal health/beauty products.

And, again, I agree with DW, if you don't get it cleared up soon, see a Dr b/c you probably need stronger stuff. Good luck.

[Crazy Healer Lady]

Tea tree is a great essential oil. Anti-bacterial, anti-fungal. We used it on our horse exclusively for an abcess in her hoof, and it cleared it better than any medication. My dad and sister have both used it with great success for athlete's foot. When you wash your clothes, add about 15 drops to the machine; helps get rid of smells, too. Apply the oil directly to the affected areas except mucous membranes or really sensitive areas. Use it consistently, twice to three times per day.

Other than that, baking soda in your shoes, and on the groin area as well. Use a make-up blush or powder brush if this is more convenient. Baking soda will suck up excess moisture while the tea tree will kill fungus and bacteria.

Another consideration for athlete's foot is nail polish. While my sis got rid of the itch, she couldn't get rid of the fungus in her nails, and it completely mutilated them. She used nailpolish consistantly for about six months, and the fungus has never returned. If you are a man, you can use clear.

Hope that helps

[Lotus]

I second the Tea Tree oil advice. They make soap with tea tree oil and using that would help a good deal. They even make a special tea tree oil nail polish for this precice reason.
However since this has been a battle for about a year I would still see a doctor assuming you have used over the counter products before.

BB
Lotus