Athlete’s foot is a common fungal infection of the skin of the foot.

What are the symptoms of athlete’s foot?

Symptoms include itching, burning, small blisters, inflammation and cracked, scaly skin between the toes. If blisters break, they will expose small raw areas of tissue that can swell and cause pain. Itching and burning may worsen as the infection spreads. Athlete’s foot can migrate to the soles of the feet and the toenails. If you scratch the infection and then touch yourself elsewhere, you can infect other parts of the body such as the groin and underarms. The fungus can also be transmitted to other parts of the body from contaminated bedding, towels or clothing.

What are the causes of athlete’s foot?

Athlete’s foot is caused by the tinea fungus, which you can pick up by touching a person who already is infected or from walking on damp floors in public showers or locker rooms. It’s also possible to catch a fungal infection from dogs and cats, or from farm animals. A sign that animals are infected is a patch of skin with missing fur. Men are more likely to develop athlete’s foot than women. Risks are highest among people with weakened immune systems.

What is the conventional treatment of athlete’s foot?

For mild cases, physicians may recommend an athlete’s foot cure such as over-the-counter antifungal medication in powder, lotion or spray form to be applied to your feet. These include Terbinafine (Lamisil AT), Clotrimazole (Lotrimin AF) and Miconazole (Micatin). These drugs must be used for one or two weeks after signs of the infection have disappeared to make sure that it doesn’t return. If this treatment isn’t effective, or if your infection is severe, you may get a prescription for an oral antifungal drug such as Itraconazole (Sporanox), Fluconazole (Diflucan), and Terbinafine (Lamisil). Penicillin or another antibiotic may be prescribed for secondary bacterial infections that can develop as a result of scratching infected skin.

Recommended self-care includes keeping your feet clean and dry and taking the following precautions:

• At home, take off your shoes and expose your feet to the air.
• Wear all cotton socks, and change them daily.
• Dry your feet carefully (especially between the toes) after using a locker room or public shower.
• Avoid walking barefoot in public areas. Instead, wear “flip-flops,” sandals or water shoes.
• Throw away worn-out exercise shoes. Never borrow other people’s shoes.

What therapies does Dr. Weil recommend for athlete’s foot?

Expose your feet to fresh air and sunlight. Keep them clean and dry – instead of closed shoes, wear sandals if you can. An excellent natural remedy is tea tree oil, extracted from the leaves of Melaleuca alternifolia. This works as well as or better than pharmaceutical antifungal products. Apply a light coating to the affected area two or three times a day, and continue to apply it for two weeks after signs of the infection have disappeared to make sure the fungus is eradicated. Tea-tree oil will also clear up fungal infections of the toenails or fingernails, conditions that are usually difficult to cure, even with strong systemic antifungals. You’ll find tea-tree oil products at health-food and herb stores. Be sure to select brands that are 100 percent tea-tree oil.

You also could try grapefruit-seed extract, which is reported to have significant antifungal effects. It is available at health food stores. Apply the extract (full strength) two to three times a day to the affected area.

An additional measure that may help is adding a clove or two of garlic (raw or lightly cooked) to your food. Garlic has natural antifungal activity.

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Bunions are bony protrusions located at the base of the big toe that develop when the toe is slanted inward or overlaps the next toe. They can be very painful. Bunions form when the movement of the big toe influences the angle of the bones in the foot. The changes gradually develop into the characteristic bump, which over time becomes more and more noticeable.

What are the signs and symptoms of bunions?

In addition to the typical bump, signs of bunions can include red, calloused skin along the foot at the base of the big toe. With bunions, you may also develop calluses on the big toe, sores between the toes, ingrown toenail, and restricted motion of the toe. Some bunions are small and painless and some are large and extremely painful. Pressure from shoes worsens the problem.

What are the causes of bunions?

The main cause of bunions is excessive pressure being placed on the front of the foot, and is usually the result of wearing high-heeled shoes with pointed toes. A study by the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society found that 88 percent of women in the United States wear shoes that are too small and that 55 percent of them have bunions. Overall, bunions are nine times more common in women than men. In some cases, bunions are hereditary; they also may be caused by arthritis or polio.

What is the conventional treatment of bunions?

Making sure that shoes don’t press against the bunion worsening the pain is the first line of treatment. Protecting the bunion with felt or foam pads or devices to separate the first and second toes at night may be recommended as may cutting a hole in a pair of old, comfortable shoes to take the pressure off the bony protrusion. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may be recommended to help relieve toe pain. In rare cases, physicians may administer injections of corticosteroids to treat the inflamed bursa (fluid-filled sac located in a joint) sometimes seen with bunions. Custom orthotic devices are another option that may be beneficial in some cases.

If bunions are causing severe foot pain or inflammation and swelling that limits daily activities and doesn’t improve with rest, medication and comfortable shoes, surgery may be required. More than 100 surgical options are available for painful bunions. Some realign the foot’s anatomy by cutting notches from the metatarsal bone or the bone of the big toe. The bones can then grow back without the slant that promotes bunion growth. The operation is usually done on an outpatient basis, but afterward, you probably will have to stay off your feet for a few weeks. Recovery takes about six weeks. Surgery is not recommended for a bunion that doesn’t cause pain.

What therapies does Dr. Weil recommend for the treatment of bunions?

• Wear comfortable shoes that don’t squeeze your toes together. Sandals are ideal in warm weather.
• Cushioning the bunion with a donut-shaped bunion pad sold at drugstores can prevent any direct rubbing against your shoes.
• Have your shoes stretched to give your foot more room or consider switching to footwear customized to relieve pressure on the affected area.
• Soak your foot in warm water to help lessen the pain after a day on your feet.
• Apply ice packs several times a day to reduce swelling of painful and inflamed bunions.
• Take aspirin or ibuprofen for the inflammation and pain, and try supplementing with anti-inflammatory herbs such as ginger and turmeric (these work more slowly than the drugs).
• See a podiatrist for specially fitted shoes or orthotic devices that may help.
• Sometimes, surgery is necessary. Seek a second opinion before scheduling any operation.

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