Natural Remedies to Treat Athlete's Foot Effectively

Urine

Posted by Rob (Robertsville, MO) on 05/02/2009
★★★★★

i had athlete's foot so bad i would pull large chunks of skin and my feet would bleed my cousens girlfriend told me her grandpa told her brouther to pee on his feet when he first got in the shower then wait till last to wash them i started doing this that night and it took about 2 weeks its been about 4 years cince ive had any problem with my feet

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by J-Rod (Houston, TX) on 05/14/2009

Hi, I just read some of these feedbacks and was wondering what could help my husbands stinky shoes? My husband has athletes foot really bad. I mean I hated washing his nasty yellow crusty hard socks. I want to try this beacuse I've tried everything over the counter and his parents have bought him some package they saw on t.v. It worked but it had too many steps and of course he has to go to work. So if we try this do you think the smell in his shoes will go away as well?

Urine

Posted by Scott (Anaheim, CA) on 03/04/2009
★★★★★

I tried everything OTC and nothing worked well. Literally everything. I am even put VICs on my feet before sleeping for 1 month. It cleared up the nails, but it came back really quickly after stopping. The nails started to get dark again. I did vinegar soaks and that didn't help either.

Finally, I decided to PEE on my feet twice a day (morning pee and night). I remembered a few years back, I had this bad headache that wouldn't go away and I ended up drinking my own morning urine for a week after trying everything else. It fixed that headache. Its really amazing, but it cleared up my feet in a matter of days, not months or 1 year. Don't believe those that say it doesn't work. Urine has thousands of nutrients, many of which can't be detected with our equipment. It literally cleared it up in 1 week. I also resorted to spitting on my feet and rubbing in the SALIVA letting dry. Remember dogs and cats always licking their paws? Its Saliva they are spreading and used to clean their paws.

Dietary Changes

Posted by Cheryl (Chicago, IL) on 02/23/2009
★★★★★

Remember that fungus is systemic. When you treat your AF topically, its going to keep recurring because its fungus that circulates all over your body. Try taking garlic capsules, we get them at Costco. Also, everyone with AF or nail fungus should research candidiasis which is a polysystemic fungal infection. Due to overuse of antibiotics (which also kills off good bacteria) and our bad diets (sugar, sugar substitutes, high fructose corn syrup in almost everything-- read food labels and all high glycemic foods), creates perfect environment for candidiasis. Also take probiotics to replace the good bacteria in the GI tract. I recommend changing to the candidiasis diet (no dairy, no sugar or sugar substitutes or any other high glycemic foods), taking garlic tablets, caprylic acid (from the health food store), take high fiber capsules to clean out the colon (fungus lives on our waste) and finally drink a lot of water. Unless you clear the fungus out of your entire system internally, the AF fungus is always going to come back.

Our daughter is diagnosed with candidiasis, our osteopath put her on anti-candidiasis diet. We parents decided to go on the same diet to be supportive, now all three of us are feeling much better. As an unexpected bonus, my AF fungus and nail fungus is dramatically improving after only 3 weeks. Its SYSTEMIC, gotta change your diet to beat it. Here's your diet: eggs, organic meats, fish, low glycemic mostly green vegetables, salad. Once you change your diet, you'll feel so much better, you won't mind this. You will also lose weight. Also seems like what clogs up the system, so no bread or any other food product with yeast. Check canned soup labels, many of them contain yeast.

Dietary Changes

Posted by Lyle (Gaborone, Botswana) on 05/14/2013
★★★★☆

Yes Cheryl, dietary changes work too. I thought I had cleared the athlete's foot. But when I stopped rubbing the garlic on my feet, it came back after about 3 months.

I then got a herbal tea mix of the these herbs: garlic bulb, barberry and milk thistle. Within two days of taking this, the funugs dried on the skin under my feet. It took about a month for the skin to fall off. After about a month, I ran out of the tea and the fungus attacked again within two weeks. I guess there are lots of spores in my body.

I intend to take this herbal tea for the whole year in a bid to clear the spores from my system. I am much happier with the tea since it doesn't smell. Also, I like prefer tea (compared to rubbing on the body) since I can drink it cold in the summer and warm when its cold, it cleans the body from inside, just what I need. Man, I havent been to the gym in ages now due to this fungus.

I probably need to get rid of my shoes and socks as well so I dont get re-infected.

This herbal tea was formulated to treat Thrush, but it works for both thrush and athlete's foot.

Dietary Changes

Posted by Len (Berkeley, Ca) on 06/03/2013

How often and how much of the tea were you drinking? Did you change your diet as well??

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Keith Warren (Totnes, England) on 01/06/2009
★★★★★

I have suffered from the above off and on for many years and get really bad attacks of athletes foot. I have tried many remedies, non of which have proved very satisfactory until I tried Cider Vinegar and Vapour Rub. What can I say? Within a week its like having a new pair of feet, I simply cannot thank the people who posted these remedies enough, they have been the proverbial life saver as I am in the building trade and have to wear safety boots and my feet were so very painful. Thank you one and all for your suggestions.

Topical Silver

Posted by Melissa (Lawton, OK) on 12/31/2008
★★★★★

Remedy - Topical Silver
Ailment - Athletes Foot

My husband had athletes foot for months and was desperate for a cure. He tried all over the counter applications with nothing working. Next he tried apple cider vinegar internally and externally which helped for the first few applications but then it came back in full force. He then tried a qtip soaked in silver and put on his badly cracked red skin. He has been applying for a week now and the crack is gone and the itching soreness of athletes foot is gone!

EC: Topical silver treatments and silver dressings are typically used for contaminated or infected wounds.

Oregano Oil

Posted by Ameer (Barcelona, Spain) on 12/28/2008
★★★★★

Oregono oils is great, keep using it. if you like do a combination treatment. the key is do not wear socks. it will go away faster if it is aired out. fungus grows in warm damp places. the best way to get rid of atheletes foot is to buy open toed sandals and wear them until the fungus is gone. this is difficult to do in the summer time. if it is really cold in your country then make sure you take off your shoes and socks as soon as you get home. also if you are going to an event or party or will be at a place for a long period of time put on the oregono oil with foot powder and salt in between the toes to keep it as dry as possible. take a pair of sandals with you and change into them in the bathroom when you are in from the cold. if it is warm just wear sandals till they are gone. they professional looking sandals if you have to work in a professional atmosphere. it only takes a minute for this discusting parasite to grow back.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Kira (Saratoga, NY) on 12/23/2008
★★★★★

I don't even need to soak my feet in Apple Cider vinegar (ACV), just wet a cotton ball with ACV and run over feet.

Be careful, it can really burn raw spots!

After the ACV dries, it feels so good to massage a little coconut oil on my feet (anti-fungal and moisturizing).

I find my biggest problem is I wear socks all the time and when they get moist, the intense itching begins.

My b/f did find when he wears cheap socks (like I do) his athlete's foot is worse.

Urine

Posted by Rosy (Orlando, Fl) on 12/23/2008
★★★★★

This is going to sound nasty but it works. I got athletes foot once from a pair of combat boots I bought at and army navy surplus store. What you want to do is pee in a paper cup and then poor this over your althetes foot. Let it set for a few minutes then wash off. I used to do this in the morning and evening. It cleared up in about a week.

Bleach

Posted by Steve (Roanoke, Va, Us) on 03/15/2012
★★★★★

Bleach works! Long story short, I suffered with this condition for nearly a year thinking that I simply had a really bad case of dry winter skin that started on my finger tips and toes. To my horror skin moisturizers exacerbated this to the point where the soles of both of my feet, my legs, hands and unmentionables were covered by this "plague" (athletes foot, ringworm, jock itch are all the same thing). Once diagnosed I tried most remedies mentioned here - some suggestions here helped to some degree but nothing cured it, it simply kept coming back stronger than ever.

This is the method I used. Start by filling a spray bottle with a 1/10* (bleach/water) ratio.

*IMPORTANT: If you have cracked/peeling/inflamed skin you may need to start with a lower bleach to water ratio and work your way up otherwise you can chemically burn your skin! Once my skin fissures healed up I was able to use a higher ratio all the way to full strength. But this was me, everyones different - use common sense please.

Once a day (twice is even better) while in the shower and after having thoroughly saturated yourself with water (I felt that saturating my skin with water kept any absorption of the harsh chemicals marginalized). Once soaked, just spray the infected areas and gently rub it in, let it sit just a minute or so and then rinse VERY well with warm water. If you have peeling flaking skin, use a round (egg shaped) pumice stone and gently rub the dead skin off being careful not to hurt any live skin. Dry THOROUGHLY and then apply some virgin coconut oil to moisturize.

Note, I felt that the pumice stone was crucial, especially if you have thick calloused skin like I did. My hands were especially stubborn to clear up, the fungi sends tendrils or roots into the deeper layers of skin, these in turn usually allow the fungi to make a comeback if you let your guard down even for a day. Keep this up until your skin returns to its normal soft and supple state. If your skin toughenshardensthickensreddens whatsoever its not gone and you will need to spray and rub some more- persistence pays!

Salt Water

Posted by Jay (Altona, Fl) on 11/05/2008
★★★★★

Salt water cured Athletes Foot and Foot Odor

I keep a spray bottle in the bathroom filled with a mixture of salt and water. After showering I spray my feet with the saltwater and leave it on all day. By that I mean that I do not wash it off at all. This cured a case of athletes foot that was resistant to all OTC drugs I tried. I also spray the saltwater into my tennis shoes and that kills the fungus that is in the shoe.The saltwater also eliminates foot odor. I use about 1/2 (one half) cup of salt in the bottle.

Listerine

Posted by Megan (Jacksonville, FL) on 10/24/2008
★★★★★

I tried soaking my feet in Listerine after seeing a posting about toe nail fungus. It not only works on toe nails, but will get rid of athlete's foot issues very quickly. And this is much easier than pressing onion, etc. I love this site! I found it looking for Ted's Mange Cure, which is fabulous. Thanks!

Baker's Yeast

Posted by Francis (Montreal, Canada) on 07/25/2008
★★★★★

As a kid I use to have such a severe Athlete's Foot problem that I could not walk and my mother needed to drive me to school near by. Large bleeding wounds between toes puzzled the doctor who prescribe foot bath with baking soda but it just did not do anything. An old neighbor told my mother to find bakers yeast and mix it with water and apply a thick coat on my feet covered wit a plastic bag for the night.

After 1 week it was all gone, that was 40 years ago and never came back. I am not talking about the little dry yeast. This stuff is only available from bakeries and it comes in pound brick packed just like butter. Mix with water to have a tick goo, magic.

Garlic

Posted by Gnosos (Austin, Texas) on 07/08/2012
★★★★★

Taking a tip from the "Green Pharmacy" book I own.

I soak my feet in a garlic blend I make with my home blender, and add 1/2 cup ice (to lower sting), and 1 cup of strong licorice root tea (I brew it very dark). In Austin I can get the broken up licorice root from my health food co-op. Works very well 'cos the licorice root is an anti-fungal and soothing to the skin, and the allicin in the garlic is a strong anti-fungal also. I do it about every 3 weeks---soak my toes in this natural "slurry" for about 30 minutes at night, let it dry on the skin, and then wear socks all night. At the same time I eat 2 cloves raw and chase 'em with cold whole milk to get the fungus systemically. Strangely, I don't smell much like garlic and it works very well!

But be careful, blending in more than about 4 cloves with the licorice and ice could burn your skin. I used a whole bulb once and overnight lost the itching and burning--but I had mild garlic burns on all my toes. But it was still worth it to have my pink skin back!

Apple Cider Vinegar and Hydrogen Peroxide

Posted by Margaret (Tallahassee, Florida) on 07/10/2008
★★★★★

Every summer I frequently get Athletes Foot and have spent numerous dollars on different medicines. They work for a while and then it returns. I decided to try a 1/2 and 1/2 mixture of Hydrogen Peroxide and ACV dabbed on all areas of my feet.Within 1 day all areas started to clear up and have healed completely!!!!!!! Now as a precaution I dab on a little each day, especially going out and walking through wet grass to water my plants. No more athletes foot problems! This really works!!!!

Nu-Stock

Posted by Jean (Franklin, WI) on 07/06/2008
★★★★★

A number of years ago, we acquired a German Shepherd with a severe case of mange, covering about 1/3 of his body. The vet's expensive prescription products hardly touched it. After a lot of study, I found a product generally used for horses to heal wounds and rashes. It's called Nu-Stock. It cleared the mange up after only 2 applications and it has never returned. His hair grew back very quickly, and although he wasn't too thrilled with the first application, he WANTED the second one very much. The itching stopped immediately.

A couple years later, my daughter had a rash that no doctor seemed able to get rid of. We tried the Nu-Stock and it cleared right up and hasn't returned.

I've had a problem with athlete's foot for years. I tried all the other remedies and it got rid of "most" of it, but there was a spot on the ball of one foot, including two toes where it just wouldn't go away. One day it occurred to me to try Nu-Stock. After just a couple of applications, the skin was back to normal, all itching gone, and it appears to be healing permanently. I think this is going to finally kill it!!!

Doing a little studying, I've found that Nu-Stock is 73% sulphur, 25% mineral oil, and 2% pine oil.

I've also discovered that there are other health products made for pets that aren't available for people. For instance, in the local Farm & Fleet, you can buy a cheap package of electrolytes for your pet's water. 16 oz. of DMSO was only $5. And there were other things as well, most of them in the section for horses! Isn't it amazing that you can buy products for your pets, cheaply, and you can't get prescription products that work for yourself???

EC: Yes, agreed! Years ago we bought a 5 lb container of glucosamine at a tack shop in Burbank, CA for about $45 to give to our dog for his arthritis. The tack shop also sold chondroitin in large containers too.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Teresa (Minnesota, USA) on 05/01/2008
★★★★★

Yes, ACV does cure dundruff but do you know it can cure athlete foot too... Just put acv on your affected foot 2x a day, do not rinse- let it dry.. yes it will sting but it will cure the athlete foot.you will see improvement on the first try by 2nd to 3rd day it will all be gone.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Mike (Houston, TX) on 11/05/2007
★★★★★

Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) really works! I was skeptical at first because I have tried just about everything for a stubborn case of athlete's foot that I've had recurring for about the last 4 years. The antifungal creams and lotions I bought from the drugstore were a huge waste of time and money. If I had only known about ACV sooner. After reading some of the testimonials on here I went to my local health food store and purchased a bottle of unfiltered, organic, apple cider vinegar. I wet a q-tip with the full-strength ACV and dabbed it on the affected areas on my foot, I reapeated this for a minute or so, as to saturate the skin. Then I let it air dry. I reapeated this once a day for 3 days. The ACV kind of stings and burns a bit, but I guess that lets you know it's working. It's been about 10 days now and the stubborn athlete's foot fungus is gone! The skin where I had the worst of the fungus is still healing, but each day that passes, the skin looks clearer and smoother. ACV has made a believer out of me. I'm so glad I found this site. By the way I am also a believer in organic, unrefined, virgin coconut oil. It is a great anti-fungal remedy. It just couldn't do the trick with the stubborn athlete's foot I had. I still apply some coconut oil as a preventative measure and it keeps the skin soft and supple also. THANK YOU!

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Bluebell (Acton, MA) on 11/14/2008

cool to hear you mention the coconut oil. I have used the oregano oil, after trying the tea tree oil and the ACV. They all made a difference and finally I put coconut oil all over my feet and that made a difference, too. I have lots of foot pain, too, such as plantar fascitis/spurs and I thought the coconut oil at night made them feel a bit better in the morning. Also, a cream with calendula in it made the inflammation feel better by morning when it was applied at night.