Athlete's Foot and Ringworm

Disclaimer.  I am not a licensed health practitioner.  This is just another post on knowledge and understanding you might wish to acquire in advance of a disaster in case no higher care is available.  As long as our society is functioning, you should leave anything more substantial than applying a Band-Aid to the professionals.  No medication, including those available over the counter, should be taken without consulting a physician.  Information shared here is for educational and entertainment purposes only.  It is not medical advice nor a substitute for licensed medical care. 

Both athlete's foot and ringworm are generally considered minor irritations and thus not often addressed in off-grid medicine literature.  However, these fungal infections can be a portal for the entry of more serious bacterial infections like cellulitis and should be taken seriously. Athlete's foot and ringworm are contagious infections easily passed through the sharing of shoes, socks, clothing, bedding, linens, and combs and brushes, as well as in bathrooms and showers.

ATHLETE'S FOOT
There are two types.  The moist variety is more common and occurs between the toes.  The dry type appears on the soles of the feet as dry, flaky, cracked, peeling skin that may or may not itch.  It is more common in older patients and diabetics.  Both types may also occur on other parts of the feet or hands, especially between the fingers.

Athlete's foot is more likely to develop in individuals who wear closed shoes for long hours, have their feet wet a lot, and/or sweat a lot. 

Identifying athlete's foot is usually pretty easy.  There is flaking skin between the toes or fingers that is reddened and itches or burns.  The nails may be discolored, and there is fluid drainage from skin blisters and flaking due to repeated scratching. 

The treatment is also pretty basic:  Keep the feet clean and dry.  Use topical antifungal ointments such as miconazole, tolnaftate (Tinactin), clotrimazole (Lotrimin), and terbinafine (Lamisil).  These must be applied twice per day until the rash disappears, plus one additional week.  If the patient is also taking an antibiotic, the cream should be continued for one week after antibiotic use is concluded.  Diabetics must keep their blood sugars in control to eliminate fungal infections.  If the nail is also infected, the rash will probably return.  Oral prescription antifungals like Diflucan may be needed to eliminate more severe infections.[1]

Other recommendations for treatment and prevention include:

• Avoid anti-itching creams.  These keep the skin moist and delay healing.[2]
• Use tea tree oil in a foot bath for 20 minutes, and then apply tea tree oil directly to the affected area twice per day.  Keep the feet as dry as possible between treatments.[3]
• Apply tea tree oil every week.[4]
• For nail infections, use Vicks VapoRub once a day for several months.[5]
• Stock up on cotton socks that can be bleached and good shoes that allow the feet to breathe.[6]

RINGWORM


Ringworm is not actually caused by a worm, but rather by the same fungus that causes athlete's foot, just in different parts of the body. The round or oval elevated rash spots are usually dry, slightly pink, and sometimes itchy.  While they are most often found on the extremities, they may occur anywhere.  With time, the center of the spot often clears, leaving behind a ring-like lesion that is darker on the outside.[7, 8] Ringworm may cause bald patches if it occurs in a hairy area.  Like with athlete's foot, scratching will cause blistering and oozing.[9]

Washing the affected area twice per day with soap and water may resolve the infection.  The same creams listed for athlete's foot will work on ringworm.  Additional measures to take include:

• Keep the affected areas dry and exposed to air and/or sunlight.  
• Change underwear and socks frequently if these areas are affected.
• Wash sheets daily.
• If you do not have any antifungals, a cream of sulfur and lard in a 1:10 ratio may work.
• Avoid tight-fitting clothing over affected areas.
• Severe infections causing large swollen patches with pus should be managed with warm water compresses.  All hair from the infected patch must be pulled out.[10]

Links to related posts:
Diflucan

References:
[1] Joseph Alton, The Survival Medicine Handbook, 188.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Cynthia Koelker, Armageddon Medicine, 220.
[6] Ibid.
[7] Ibid.
[8] The Survival Medicine Handbook,189.
[9] Ibid.
[10] David Werner, Where There Is No Doctor, 205.

 2 september 2020