Athlete's Foot

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Causes

The body normally hosts a variety of saprotrophic microorganisms, including bacteria and fungi. Some of these are useful to the body. Pathogenic or diseasukcgflvu gllvjne causing organisms or the overgrowth of saprotrophic ones can multiply rapidly and cause infection. Athlete's foot is a layman's description of a skin fungal infection. Fungal infections of the skin are called dermatophytosis. Dermatophytes may be spread from other humans (anthropophilic), animals (zoophilic) or may come from the soil

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.

Treatment

Traditional remedies for athlete's foot include tea tree oil or crocodile oil in a topical application on the affected area. Users report instant relief from itching allowing lesions to heal. Proponents of urine therapy claim that urine is very effective at killing athlete's foot. Urea, the "active ingredient" in urine, is already used in many drugs and treatments made by pharmaceutical companies to treat athlete's foot. This controversial treatment method recommends urinating on the infected area once a day in the shower. According to supporters, urine therapy not only kills existing fungi, it prevents new fungi from growing in the infected area.