Battle With Athlete's Foot

Battling an itching, burning case of athlete's foot? Let's fight back with some natural inexpensive ways.

What You Need:

Vinegar and baking soda.

What You Do:

1. Soak your feet in equal parts vinegar (white or apple cider) and water for fifteen minutes twice a day.  If the infection is severe and the skin is raw, the solution will sting.  Dry your feet thoroughly after each soak.
2. Place your shoes out in the sun to kill any fungus that's inside them.
3. Add a cup of white vinegar to your wash loads, and wash on the hottest setting to kill any fungus that's present on your socks.
4. Repeat the process until the infection is gone.

Why This Works:

The acetic acid in vinegar kills fungus and soothes itching – just what you need to treat athlete's foot.

Benefits of Treating Athlete's Foot with Vinegar:

Inexpensive no harsh chemicals all natural.

Tips and Warnings:

1. Consult your doctor if this is the first time you've had athlete's foot or if the symptoms persist or worsen.
2. Wash your hands after touching your feet to avoid spreading the infection to other parts of your body.
3. Sanitize any surfaces that your bare feet come into contact with to avoid infecting others and re-infecting yourself.
4. To prevent reoccurrences, sprinkle baking soda inside your shoes each night. This will help to dry up any moisture – something fungus needs to thrive.
5. Keep vinegar out of the reach of children.

Other Tips:

Cornstarch. Rub cornstarch, which absorbs moisture, on your feet. Very lightly browned cornstarch is even better because any moisture content already contained in the cornstarch is removed, allowing for better absorption. To brown, sprinkle cornstarch on a pie plate and bake at 325 degrees for just a few minutes, until it looks brownish. Then dab some on your feet and toes.

Garlic. Eat some garlic! It has antifungal properties. You can also swab the affected area with garlic juice twice a day. If your toenail appears to have the fungus, use this recipe:

Crush 1 clove garlic and mix with a few drops of olive oil to make a paste. Apply to the nail and leave on for 15 to 30 minutes, then clean off in warm, soapy water. Dry feet thoroughly. Repeat daily. Because the fungus can return, you may wish to continue this treatment for several weeks after the fungus has disappeared, just to ward off another fungal visit.

Immune-boosting foods. Low immunity can make you more susceptible to a fungal infection, so include some of these immune-boosting foods in your diet: broccoli, red meats, and scallions.

Cinnamon. A good soak in a cinnamon tea foot bath will help slow down the fungus. Boil 8 to 10 broken cinnamon sticks in 4 cups water, then simmer for five minutes. Let steep for another 45 minutes. Soak your feet for 15 to 30 minutes. Repeat daily, as needed.

Yogurt. One of the greatest of all fungus-fighting foods in your fridge is yogurt that contains live acidophilus. The flavor isn't important as long as the yogurt contains the active bacteria. (Commercial yogurts with live culture now carry a seal indicating this; a live culture is crucial!) Acidophilus helps control vaginal and oral yeast, but it may give other fungi a pretty good fight, too. And if nothing else, it tastes good and is good for you.

Lemon. This remedy will help you in the sweaty foot-odor department. Squeeze the juice from a lemon and mix it with 2 ounces water. Rinse your feet with the lemon water.

Tea. The tannic acid in tea is soothing, helps to dry the foot, and helps kill the fungus. Make a foot soak by putting 6 black tea bags in 1 quart warm water.

Salt. Soak your infected foot in warm salt water, using 1 teaspoon salt for each cup of water, for 10 minutes.

All information above is extracted from various web sites.