Ayurvedic and herbal products belong to the Alternative methods of treating any disease.

Can ayurvedic or herbal treatments Cure Athlete's foot?
Because Ayurveda believes that Human Body positively respond to the natural healing which includes natural remedies. It might take some long time(with compare to Allopathic methods) to achieve full cure from Athlete's foot with help of Herbal medicines, but when you are fully cured then it would last throughout your life. Herbal medicines dosn't make you dependent and the best part is that There is almost NO side effect in most of the herbal products.

What Is Athlete's foot?

Athlete's foot is a parasitic fungal infection of the epidermis of the human foot. The term "athlete's foot" refers to the disease and not the organism (fungus) that causes it. Several different fungi, called dermatophytes, can cause tinea pedis. Moreover, a fungi species that causes athlete's foot can also cause, for example, jock itch (tinea cruris). It is typically caused by a mould (but in some cases a yeast) that grows on the surface of the skin and then into the living skin tissue itself, causing the infection. It usually occurs between the toes, but in severely lasting cases may appear as an extensive "moccasin" pattern on the bottom and sides of the foot. The malady more commonly affects males than females. Tinea pedis is estimated to be the second most common skin disease in the United States, after acne. Up to 15% of the U.S. population may have tinea pedis.

Causes

The body normally hosts a variety of saprotrophic micro-organisms that rapidly cause infection. Athlete's foot is a layman's description of a skin fungal infection, and is medically referred to as tinea pedis. It may be associated with several different fungi, including yeasts. The most common fungi causing tinea pedis are Trichophyton rubrum and T. mentagrophytes. Fungal infections of the skin are called dermatophytosis. Dermatophytes may be spread from other humans (anthropophilic), animals (zoophilic) or may come from the soil (geophilic). Anthropophillic dermatophytes are restricted to human hosts and produce a mild, chronic inflammation. Zoophilic organisms are found primarily in animals and cause marked inflammatory reactions in humans who have contact with infected cats, dogs, cattle, horses, birds, or other animals. Geophilic species are usually recovered from the soil but occasionally infect humans and animals. They cause a marked inflammatory reaction, which limits the spread of the infection and may lead to a spontaneous cure but may also leave scars. Infections or infestations occur when dermatophytes grow and multiply in the skin.

Athlete's foot causes scaling, flaking and itching of the affected skin. Blisters and cracked skin may also occur, leading to exposed raw tissue, pain, swelling and inflammation. Secondary bacterial infection can accompany the fungal infection, sometimes requiring a course of oral antibiotics.

The infection can be spread to other areas of the body, such as the armpits, knees, elbows, and the groin, and usually is called by a different name once it spreads (such as tinea corporis on the body or limbs and tinea cruris (jock itch) for an infection of the groin).

Tinea pedis most often manifests between the toes, with the webspace between the fourth and fifth digits most commonly afflicted.

Athlete's foot can usually be diagnosed by visual inspection of the skin, but where the diagnosis is in doubt direct microscopy of a potassium hydroxide preparation (known as a KOH test) may help rule out other possible causes, such as eczema or psoriasis. A KOH preparation is performed on skin scrapings from the affected area. The KOH preparation has an excellent positive predictive value, but occasionally false negative results may be obtained, especially if treatment with an anti-fungal medication has already begun.

If the above diagnoses are inconclusive or if a treatment regimen has already been started, a biopsy of the affected skin (i.e. a sample of the living skin tissue) can be taken and histological examination of the tissue performed.

A Wood's lamp, although useful in diagnosing fungal infections of the hair (Tinea capitis), is not usually helpful in diagnosing tinea pedis since the common dermatophytes that cause this disease do not fluoresce under ultraviolet light. However, it can be useful for determining if the disease is due to a non-fungal source.

Treatments FOR Athlete's Foot

There are many conventional medications (over-the-counter and prescription) as well as alternative treatments for fungal skin infections, including athlete's foot. Important with any treatment plan is the practice of good hygiene. Several placebo controlled studies report that good foot hygiene alone can cure athlete's foot even without medication in 30-40% of the cases. However, placebo-controlled trials of allylamines and azoles for athlete’s foot consistently produce much higher percentages of cure than placebo.

Conventional treatments of Athlete's Foot

Conventional treatment typically involves daily or twice daily application of a topical medication in conjunction with hygiene measures outlined in the above section on prevention. Keeping feet dry and practicing good hygiene is crucial to preventing reinfection. Severe or prolonged fungal skin infections may require treatment with oral anti-fungal medication.

The fungal infection is often treated with topical antifungal agents, which can take the form of a spray, powder, cream, or gel. The most common ingredients in over-the-counter products are Miconazole nitrate (2% typical concentration in the United States) and Tolnaftate (1% typ. in the U.S.). Terbinafine, marketed as Lamisil is another over-the-counter drug. There exists a large number of prescription antifungal drugs, from several different drug families. These include ketaconazole, itraconazole, naftifine, nystatin, caspofungin. Studies show that Allylamines (Terbinafine, Amorolfine, Naftifine, Butenafine) cure slightly more infections than azoles (Miconazole, ketaconazole, Clotrimazole, itraconazole, sertaconazole, etc.).

The time line for cure may be long, often 45 days or longer. The recommended course of treatment is to continue to use the topical treatment for four weeks after the symptoms have subsided to ensure that the fungus has been completely eliminated. However, because the itching associated with the infection subsides quickly, patients may not complete the courses of therapy prescribed.

Anti-itch creams are not recommended as they will alleviate the symptoms but will exacerbate the fungus; this is due to the fact that anti-itch creams typically enhance the moisture content of the skin and encourage fungal growth. For the same reason, some drug manufacturers are using a gel instead of a cream for application of topical drugs (for example, naftin and lamisil). Novartis, maker of lamisil claims that gel penetrates the skin more quickly than cream.

Some topical applications such as carbol fuchsin (also known in the US as Castellani's paint), often used for intertrigo, work well but in small selected areas. This red dye, used in this treatment like many other vital stains, is both fungicidal and bacteriocidal; however, because of the staining it is cosmetically undesirable. For many years gentian violet was also used for bacterial and fungal infections between fingers or toes.

Undecylenic acid (castor oil derivative) is a known fungicide that can be used for fungal skin infections such as athlete's foot.

If the fungal invader is not a dermatophyte but a yeast, other medications such as fluconazole may be used. Typically fluconazole is used for candidal vaginal infections moniliasis but has been shown to be of benefit for those with cutaneous yeast infections as well. The most common of these infections occur in the web spaces (intertriginous) of the toes and at the base of the fingernail or toenail. The hall mark of these infections is a cherry red color surrounding the lesion and a yellow thick pus.

Athlete's Foot Herbal cure and treatments

Witch hazel

Witch hazel has been known to cure athlete's foot in as few as three days.

Topical oils

Symptomatic relief from itching may be achieved after topical application of tea tree oil or crocodile oil, probably due to its involvement in the histamine response, however the efficacy of Tea tree oil in the treatment of athlete's foot (achieving mycological cure) is questionable.

Onion extract

A study of the effect of 3% (v/v) aqueous onion extract was shown to be effective in laboratory conditions against Trichophyton mentagrophytes and T. rubrum.

Rubbing alcohol and hydrogen peroxide

Direct application of rubbing alcohol and/or hydrogen peroxide after bathing can aid in killing the fungus at the surface level of the skin and will help prevent a secondary (bacterial) infection from occurring.

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