6 Best Medicines for Fungal Infection
Dr Shweta Jeevan,
BHMS, CGO, CCH
Jeeva Homeopathy
A fungal infection, also called mycosis, is a skin disease caused by a fungus.
There are millions of species of fungi. They live in the dirt, on plants, on household surfaces, and on your skin. Sometimes, they can lead to skin problems like rashes or bumps.
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Fungal infections are one of the most common infections that affect humans. Fungal infections occur when a fungus invades an area of the body and furthers its spread mainly due to a weak immune system. Some fungi live naturally in the human body and like certain other micro-organisms, there are friendly and harmful ones. Once it infects a body, it spreads and gets adapted to the environment and makes it difficult to get rid of easily. These fungi grow well in moist and warm areas hence they mostly affect the area between the toes, thighs, vagina, and other areas that tend to sweat a lot. The hands, feet, nails, and groin region are also prone to such infections.
Symptoms
A fungal skin infection might cause:
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Irritation
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Scaly skin
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Redness
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Itching
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Swelling
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Blisters
Types of Fungal Infections
Fungal skin infections can happen anywhere on your body. Some of the most common are
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athlete's foot,
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jock itch,
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ringworm, and
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yeast infections
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An athlete's foot, also called tinea pedis, is a fungal infection of your foot.
The fungi grow best in warm, moist places such as shoes, socks, swimming pools, locker rooms, and public showers. They’re often found in the summer and in hot, humid climates. It happens more often in people who wear tight shoes, who don’t change their sweaty socks, and who use public baths and pools.
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A type of fungus called tinea causes jock itch. The infection is also known as tinea cruris. Tinea loves warm, moist areas like your genitals, inner thighs, and buttocks. Infections happen more often in the summer or in warm, wet climates.
Jock itch is a red, itchy rash that’s often ring-shaped.
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Ringworm, also called tinea corporis, isn’t a worm but a fungal skin infection. It’s named for its ring-shaped rash with a winding, worm-like edge.
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Is ringworm contagious?
Ringworm can spread through direct contact with infected people or animals. You can also pick it up off clothing or furniture. Heat and humidity can help spread the infection.
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Ringworm symptoms
Ringworm is a red, circular, flat sore that can happen along with scaly skin. The outer part of the sore might be raised while the skin in the middle appears normal. Patches or red rings may overlap.
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​Preventive Measures
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Keeping the feet clean and dry, by wearing sandals at home and outdoors.
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Wearing loose-fitting clothing also help to aerate and prevent infection.
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Cleaning the affected area and keeping it dry can also help kill the fungus.
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Avoiding skin to skin contact with person infected
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Avoid sharing personal items, such as towels and sporting equipment.
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Avoid sharing other person’s towels, objects like combs, brushes, blankets
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Avoid walking barefoot in locker rooms or other public places
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Avoid wearing tight clothing and synthetic clothing
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Keep the affected area dry and clean
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Try losing weight if overweight
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Blood sugar levels should be checked and maintained regularly
Homeopathic Medicines for Fungal Infection
Fungal infection can be treated with medicines in a very safe and effective manner as they boost the body’s self-healing mechanism. Homeopathy helps fight the fungal infection in a natural way, reducing the severity of the symptoms and clearing up the infection. Homeopathy for fungal infections helps heal the rashes and reduce symptoms like itching, burning, discharges, and pain. Sepia Succus, Tellurium, Silicea, Graphites, Antimonium, Thuja, Mezereum and Borax are the top remedies.
Sepia – For Ringworm in Isolated Spots
Sepia Succus is a medicine for fungal infections like ringworm of skin (tinea corporis). It is used to treat infections when there are circular, ring-shaped lesions on the skin in isolated spots. The lesions may be itchy and burn when scratched. The person may have a tendency of increased perspiration on the skin. Ringworm infection occurring typically in the spring season can be treated with Sepia.
Graphites - Tenia Cruris
Graphites Naturalis is a medicine for fungal infections like ringworm in the groin area, which is also known as tinea cruris or jock’s itch. The person needing this medicine has rawness, redness in the groin area, along with blisters. Oozing of watery, sticky discharge may be noticed from the blisters, and the affected skin area may also show cracks. There is intense itching in the affected area which gets aggravated at night.
Tellurium –Fungal Infections Forming Rings
Arsenic Iodatum is used when there is shedding of large scales from the skin eruptions. The skin is covered with inflamed patches with scales on them. There is persistent itching in the patches and the shedding of the scales leaves raw skin behind.
Mezerium - Fungal Infection of scalp
Mezereum is a medicine for fungal infections like ringworm of the scalp (tinea capitis). It is useful for both scaly eruptions on the scalp or crusty scabby eruptions with pus-like discharge. Matting of hair, intolerable itching on the lesions that gets worse from the warmth of the bed and hair loss are classic symptoms that indicate the need for this medicine.
Thuja - Fungal infection of beard
Thuja Occidentalis is a medicine for fungal infections that appear as ringworms in the beard, mustache, and neck area (tinea barbae). Pimples on mustache and beard area, hard nodes, itching, and burning that gets worse upon cold washing are indicative of this medicine.
Borax - Oral Fungal infection
Borax for thrush is used to treat fungal and yeast infections that occur in the mouth. Symptoms like whitish patchy growths in the mouth and tongue, tenderness in the lesions, soreness and redness in the mouth, bitter taste and dry-mouth indicate the need for this medicine.