Athletes Foot

by Chad Harrington
(United Kingdom)

I suffer from vesicular tinea pedis (athletes foot with little blisters).

Because of this, I itch on my feet quite often. I also like to burst the blisters with a pin and squeese the fluid out and steralize the area.


The other day I was doing this and as I was squeezing, two parasite looking things emerged from two separate holes underneath the blister domes. I got these parasite things by getting a bit of porous paper and let the paper soak up the fluid which the parasite things then stuck to the paper. I let the fluid dry out.


The next day I put the parasite things under my microscope and took some pictures of them. I cannot see on this site an option to send the pictures to you. I will of course leave you an email address so if needs be you can contact me.


So what I will do is try and describe them to you as best as i can.


They look a bit similar to a tadpole at first glance. The tail end of the parasite has got a round flattened end which looks like a paddle. It then has a long body which looks like a tadpole head. On closer examination I noticed that the head part looks like squid tentacles.


Now because of the dehydrating of the parasite thing the tentacle things seem to have been withdrawn in towards the head of this thing. The colour of this strange parasite is mainly translucent but it has what I can only describe as a blue vein wrapped around its body and continues all the way down to the tail end.


I have pictures of this strange parasite and I even have the original thing on a microscope slide. Any ideas please.

Thank you.

---

Hi Chad,

Athletes foot (vesicular tinea pedis) is definitely a parasite infection, but it's the result of a fungus rather than a worm. The fungi are also known as dermatophyte.


If your little strange parasites were indeed "worms" then that would be a different parasite that is also bothering you.


By the way, you can send photos. There was/is a place in the form you filled out with your question for uploading a photo. If you prefer, you can just email it to me at angie @ allaboutparasites.com (take out the spaces).


There are SO many different types of parasites that can affect humans that it is difficult to identify them all. You may find it helpful to go to the Center for Disease Control and other government websites and browse through their photos to see if you can identify what you have seen if that is your goal.


My concern would be more on helping you to get rid of the athletes foot and any other parasites that are unfriendly to your body.


I don't know what you have tried so far, but you should consider using both topical and internal natural remedies.


Internally:

Cleanse your system with a good herbal cleanse.

There are a number of antiparasitic and antifungal herbs that will help your body to eliminate troublesome parasites. I would suggest you try Herbal Fiberblend because it has 17 different cleansing and healing herbs as well as psyllium fiber to help push the parasites out of your system. It's available in the UK, so that's a plus.


Garlic is also anti-fungal and is a good support to the Herbal Fiberblend. Try Bear Paw Garlic. Bear Paw Garlic is a particular form of garlic that is stronger and more effective than the bulb garlic of most capsules. That should also work to help you control and eliminate the athletes foot.


Finally, internally, you should also look for some good quality probiotics at your local health food store. I prefer Florafood, but it isn't available in the United Kingdom. Look for a combination that contains acidophilus, bifidum, and longum if possible. These good bacteria will help to boost your own immune system and fight off parasites so that your body can get the fungus under control.


Externally:

There are anti-fungal creams on the market that many people use to treat tinea pedis, but they are not always effective.


If you are interested in trying to treat the fungi naturally, consider trying tea tree oil, neem oil, oregano oil, or even garlic oil. Each of these oils are known for their antifungal properties.


Another option is organic apple cider vinegar (cloudy with the "mother" in it). ACV has wonderful health benefits and healing properties, both internally and externally.


Whichever topical treatment you decide to use (don't try them all at once - grin), be sure to use a fresh cotton ball or cotton bud for each application. You don't want to contaminate your oil or vinegar by 'double-dipping.'


I assume you know to wash your sheets and other places where your feet touch so that you don't keep re-infecting yourself. Something as simple as that can determine how long you'll suffer from the athlete's foot.


The good news is that you shouldn't have to live with tinea indefinitely. When you give your body what it needs to fight off the fungus and parasites, it will do just that.


If you then concentrate on keeping your immune system strong (perhaps start adding some whole food supplements to your diet), your body will stay healthy enough to keep from recurrence.


I hope this helps some. I'd love to hear back from you to see how you go with treating your athletes foot.


To your good health!
Angie