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Eliminate Fungal Infections and Athletes Foot with Garlic Remedies

Edited by Shalom, Robbi, Lynn, Eng and 7 others

Roman gladiators ate garlic, believing it would make them stronger and capable of great fights. Yes, they too are afflicted with athlete's foot. The ancient Greeks were not spared as depicted by wall paintings on the early Olympic Games. This is to say that Athlete's Foot is a condition endured since ancient days. Medicines to treat their Athlete's Foot are not yet available then. Would they have been using garlic already to treat their Athlete's Foot?

Let's get familiar with Athlete's Foot first.

Contents

1 What is Athlete's Foot?
- 1.1 How to spot and know you have Athlete's Foot
2 Causes of Athlete's Foot
3 How to prevent Athlete's Foot
4 Facts about Athlete's Foot
5 Usual Treatment of Athlete's foot
6 Facts About Garlic
7 The Anti-fungal Properties of Garlic
8 Garlic as Remedy Tested and Proven
9 How to Use Garlic for Athlete's Foot and other Fungal Skin Infection
10 Tips, Tricks and Warnings
11 Questions and Answers
12 Comments

What is Athlete's Foot?

It is a dry and painful condition of the feet usually accompanied with a burning sensation between the toes.

How to spot and know you have Athlete's Foot

1
Visually, you can easily say you have this if your feet have those wet, flaky skin hanging and peeling off.
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2
While a small, red rash is visible, there is also a white or a pale spot involved.
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3
Itchy
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Causes of Athlete's Foot

Tinea Pedis, a microscopic fungus
This fungus lives in a warm and wet atmosphere, so it is there with you in the shower and your bathtub.

How to prevent Athlete's Foot

1
Clean and dry bathing area regularly, including the shower curtain.
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2
Use ordinary household bleach
.
It is very effective in terminating and preventing the growth of the athlete's foot fungus.
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3
Have frequent baths or showers and clean the affected areas and dry it well.
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4
Treat it at the first sign of it.
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5
Wear shower shoes or clogs in the gym shower.
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Facts about Athlete's Foot

1
You may get it from your pet.
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2
1 in 10 people who regularly participate in sports activities have Athlete's Foot in North America.
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3
Men tend to develop Athlete's Foot more than women and adults more than children.
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4
There are 3 kinds of Athlete's Foot
:
1. Moccasin-type
2. Vesicular or blistered type, and
3. Interdigital or ulcerative type
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5
It is called Athlete' Foot because the majority of athletes are afflicted by it.
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Usual Treatment of Athlete's foot

Creams and ointments to relieve itchiness and dryness.
Foot powder to prevent perspiration thus maintaining dryness.
Foot spray has antibiotics and use to spray the inside of your shoes.

Aside from these modern ways of treating Athlete's foot, many are resorting to the use of Garlic to control and remedy Athlete's Foot and other fungus infection. Let's find out about garlic and how effective it is as a less costly, homeopathic alternative remedy.

Facts About Garlic

1
Believed to originate from Central Asia.
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2
Garlic is mentioned in the Bible in the Egyptian times as included in the food fed to the Hebrews building the Pyramids.
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3
Garlic is one of the spices used during the reign of the Romans.
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4
Garlic has been used in Chinese medicine thousands of years ago.
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5
Louis Pasteur, dating back to 1858, recognized the antibacterial activity of garlic in both World Wars 1 and 2 among wounded soldiers.
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The Anti-fungal Properties of Garlic

1
Result of a research study published in 1993 (World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology) has confirmed the ability of garlic extracts to hasten the growth of many microorganisms when it was added to the growth media
.
All microorganisms tested became responsive to garlic, including bacteria, yeasts, fungi and a virus.
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2
Allicin is that component of garlic that renders its antibiotic property in its raw, crushed state
.
Allicin is released when garlic is freshly crushed.
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3
Allicin is destroyed when garlic is cooked and becomes ineffective as an antibiotic
.
Yet it still retains its other health benefits.
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4
Other research papers confirmed the findings regarding Allicin.
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5
Studies have shown that garlic is widely used to fight fungus, and more effective in treating Candida albicans than using prescription drugs.
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6
There is also another compound looked into
.
It is called Ajoene. It gets its name from the word "ajo", which is garlic in Spanish. Ajoene appears effective against the fungus Tinea or Athlete's Foot and Candida albicans or thrush
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Garlic as Remedy Tested and Proven

1
The fungus acting on the irritating problem of Athlete's Foot has been shown to be susceptible to garlic extracts.
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2
The use of garlic is also advocated for minor skin fungus infections such as ringworm and jock itch
.
Other fungus infection affected areas occur in the nails and scalp.
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3
In year 2000, a study was reported in The Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology
.
About 50 persons with Athlete's Foot were treated to compare the effectiveness of a mild garlic extract solution with that of Lamisil, a popular drug.
A twice a day treatment was done for two months.
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The result: The garlic solution with 1% Ajoene yielded a 100% cure rate. The Lamisil treatment had 94% cure rate. Other studies report similar results.

How to Use Garlic for Athlete's Foot and other Fungal Skin Infection

Commercially, Ajoene solutions and creams are not available. Just follow these steps at home.

1
Add a few, finely crushed cloves of garlic to a foot bath
.
Immerse the infected foot for 30 minutes. Towel dry feet and in-between toes. Wash towel at once.
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2
For ringworm and jock itch, apply the affected area with a garlic gel containing 0.6% Ajoene.
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3
A Garlic Solution
1. Ingredients:
  1 clove garlic
  
  Olive Oil
2. Materials:
  Small cup
  
  Mortar and Pestle
  
  Cotton balls or cotton tips
3. Instructions:
  Crush or mince garlic cloves.
  
  Transfer to the cup.
  
  Put some drops of olive oil and blend well to make a paste.
  
  Dip the cotton ball or tip. Apply to the feet, toe nails or the skin infected with fungi.
  
  Leave on for 15-30 minutes.
  
  Clean off with warm, soapy water.
  
  Dry feet or skin area thoroughly.
  
  Repeat daily.
  
  The fungus has a tendency to activate again, continue treatment for several weeks until the fungus completely recede.
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Tips, Tricks and Warnings

Side effects are not very common and generally mild.
Since garlic is used as topical, the strong garlic smell is evident. There are persons who aver the smell of garlic.
Too hard rubbing of garlic on the feet and the skin can start blisters from irritation or even 3rd degree burns.
Allergic reactions in some people.
Athlete's Foot can spread - to the toenails, palms of your hands, groin, even underarms. This is through touching your feet, then touching an area of your body.
Treat your pet too. They respond well to treatment.

Questions and Answers

How to get rid of athletes foot?

What's the fastest way to remove athletes foot and toenail fungus? I have tried: Vinegar tee tree oil anti-fungal cream rubbing alcohol and more. I think it was caused by: Has poor foot hygiene at one point