Fungal Smear Tips

What is ringworm?

Ringworm is a fungal infection of the skin. The fungi live on the dead tissues on the top layer of the skin. The fungal infection of the skin of the body is known as tinea corporis. If it occurs in between the toes then its is called as athlete s foot, if it spreads to the groin then it is called as jock itch and ringworm of the scalp is known as tinea capitis.

Ringworm often spread through direct skin to skin contact with the infected person.

Risk factors

Risk of having ringworm are higher if:

You have close contact with the person having ringworm.
You live in a warm climate.
You have weak immunity.
You wear tight clothing.
You share your clothes, towel, bed with the infected person.
You don t maintain hygiene.
Complications

Ringworm rarely spread to the deeper layers of the skin thus there is no serious illness apart from people who have weak immune system require a long time to get rid of the infection.

Symptoms & causes

Symptoms

Red, itchy, flat and scaly rashes on the skin
The rash I d clear and flat at centre but raised at the borders forming a circular, irregular rough ring.
Causes

Ringworm is an infection caused by a fungus which is contagious. The fungi live on the topmost layer of the skin and thrive on the dead skin cells. It may spread through different ways:
Direct contact with infected person: skin to skin contact with an infected human would infect the other person as well.
Animal to a human: if you get in association with an animal having ringworm then you can contract the infection from it.
Poor hygiene: if you don t maintain hygiene then there are increased chances.
Contact with infected objects: clothes, towel, bed, comb, brush of the infected person can spread the infection to other people.
Diagnosis & treatment

Diagnosis

The appearance of the ringworm is enough for diagnosis. Although skin scrapings from the affected area can be examined under a microscope would confirm the diagnosis.

Treatment

Usual treatment is anti-fungal medication which would control the infection but homoeopathic medicines are much more effective in treating the fungal infection permanently and without any side effects. Anti-fungal creams and medication would just suppress it and ringworms would appear again.

Management

If you have a fungal infection then:
You should never share your personal things like clothes, bed, towel etc with anyone.
You should maintain hygiene so that the infection doesn t spread more.
Take a bath every day.
Wear clean cotton clothes.
Wear loose clothes like tight clothes would aggravate the condition.
Avoid contact with infected things, person, animals.
Avoid excessive sweating.
Educate yourself and others so that catching the infection and further spread could be prevented.
Take homoeopathic medicines.
Homoeopathic management

Ringworm could be very rigid and tough to cure. Anti-fungal medicines and lotion just suppress it temporarily. To get a permanent cure, homoeopathy is a good option as the medicines would treat the infection permanently.
Medicines like sepia, bacillinum, tuberculin, sulphur, cal carb etc are very good for the treatment of ringworm. But the medicines should only be taken after consulting a good homoeopath and self-medication could be harmful.
Do s & don ts

Do s

Maintain hygiene.
A bath every day.
Know about ringworm.
Wear clean clothes.
Keep the infected area clean and dry.
Wear loose clothes.
Don ts

Don t share your clothes, bed, towel with anyone.
Avoid contact with infected person.
Avoid excessive sweating.
Don t wear tight clothes.

Foot deformity is a broad concept which includes any problem that changes the structure and shape of the foot. This condition can be painful and damaging. It happens because of the misalignment of joints and bones. It can either be genetic or may be caused by some accident, weak bones, age factor, and others. These deformities can be treated to some extent with surgeries and medication.

Types of Foot Deformities-
There are various types of foot deformities which can be genetic, may develop with age, or may be caused by injury or infection.

Flat Foot: It is usually inherited but might be the result of years of wear and tear or due to being overweight. They often complain about pain in the feet, or walking and running difficulties. This deformity is easily diagnosed and can be treated to some extent with some medication and using special kinds of shoes.

Heel Spur: It is caused with the deposit of calcium underside the heel bone resulting in bony lump or protrusion. This kind of foot deformity can usually be seen among athletes. It develops over time due to age factor, extreme physical work, continuous standing diabetes or having high arches or flat foot. There are medications and exercises that can help in treating Heel Spur but if it becomes severe then surgery is needed.

Bunions: It is a bony bump that develops at the base of the big toe around the joint. The toe gets out of place and sticks out. They can be caused due to wearing narrow shoes, injuries, congenital deformities, and others. It is usually treated by medications but can need surgery depending upon the severity of the problem.

Clubfoot: It is often congenital where a newborn s foot is out of position and shape. In clubfoot, the tissues attaching the muscles to the tendons or bone are undersized. Expecting mothers are advised to avoid unhealthy habit and environment.

Hammertoe: This condition develops with an imbalance in the tendons, ligaments or muscles responsible to hold the toe straight. It is an unusual curve in the mid joint of the toe. It can be caused due to some trauma, disease or shoe type that one wear.

High-Arched or Cavus Foot: It is an ailment where the foot has a high arch than usual. Due to this unusual high arch, an extra amount of burden or weight is placed on the heel and ball of the foot. Cavus Foot can develop at any age and causes instability and pain.

Take Away-

Foot Deformities includes any condition that causes the feet of an individual to get out of shape and position. It can either develop with age or may be inherited or may be caused due to an accident. One should not avoid if he/she experience any regular pain in the feet or finds any deformity.

What is ringworm?
Ringworm is a fungal infection of the skin. The fungi live on the dead tissues on the top layer of the skin. The fungal infection of the skin of the body is known as tinea corporis. If it occurs in between the toes then its is called as athlete s foot, if it spreads to the groin then it is called as jock itch and ringworm of the scalp is known as tinea capitis.

Ringworm often spread through direct skin to skin contact with the infected person.

Risk factors
Risk of having ringworm is higher if:

You have close contact with the person having ringworm.
You live in a warm climate.
You have weak immunity.
You wear tight clothing.
You share your clothes, towel, bed with the infected person.
You don t maintain hygiene.
Complications
Ringworm rarely spread to the deeper layers of the skin thus there is no serious illness apart from people who have weak immune system require a long time to get rid of the infection.

Symptoms & causes
Symptoms

Red, itchy, flat and scaly rashes on the skin
The rash I d clear and flat at the centre but raised at the borders forming a circular, irregular rough ring.
Causes

Ringworm is an infection caused by a fungus which is contagious. The fungi live on the top most layer of the skin and thrive on the dead skin cells. It may spread in different ways:
Direct contact with an infected person: skin to skin contact with an infected human would infect the other person as well.
Animal to a human: if you get in association with an animal having ringworm then you can contract an infection from it.
Poor hygiene: if you don t maintain hygiene then there are increased chances.
Contact with infected objects: clothes, towel, bed, comb, brush of the infected person can spread the infection to other people.

Diagnosis & treatment
Diagnosis

The appearance of the ringworm is enough for diagnosis. Although skin scrapings from the affected area can be examined under the microscope would confirm the diagnosis.

Treatment

The usual treatment is anti-fungal medication which would control the infection but homeopathic medicines are much more effective in treating the fungal infection permanently and without any side effects. Anti-fungal creams and medication would just suppress it and ringworms would appear again.

Management
If you have a fungal infection then:

You should never share your personal things like clothes, bed, towel etc with anyone.
You should maintain hygiene so that the infection doesn t spread more.
Take a bath everyday.
Wear clean cotton clothes.
Wear loose clothes as tight clothes would aggravate the condition.
Avoid contact with infected things, person, animals.
Avoid excessive sweating.
Educate yourself and others so that catching the infection and further spread could be prevented.
Take homeopathic medicines.
Homeopathic management
Ringworm could be very rigid and tough to cure. Anti-fungal medicines and lotion just suppress it temporarily. To get a permanent cure, homeopathy is a good option as the medicines would treat the infection permanently.

Medicines like sepia, bacillinum, tuberculinum, sulphur, cal carb etc are very good for the treatment of ringworm. But the medicines should only be taken after consulting a good homeopath and self-medication could be harmful.

Do s & don ts
Do s

Maintain hygiene
Bath everyday
Know about ringworm
Wear clean clothes
Keep the infected area clean and dry
Wear loose clothes
Don ts

Don t share your clothes, bed, towel with anyone.
Avoid contact with an infected person
Avoid excessive sweating
Don t wear tight clothes

Ringworm is a type of fungal infection occurring on the skin of a person. Ringworm does not involve the presence of any kind of actual worms whatsoever. It is so named because of the circular scaly infection on the skin, which almost appears as if a worm is present beneath the skin.

Why the fungi arise on the skin is unclear. However, these skin infections are highly contagious, so people coming in contact with those already having the disease could naturally develop the ringworm lesions. The fungi also require warm and moist conditions to thrive in. People working in waterlogged conditions or those walking barefoot on wet floors near swimming pools; public washrooms etc could all develop ringworm based on their immunity levels.

Symptoms of Ringworm:

Reddish, scaly or white patches on the skin.

The lesions may appear raised and blistered.

The circular lesion might have a clearing in the center.

Hair loss is a common side effect of this disease. Ringworm of scalp especially is characterized by patchy hair loss where the hair might be bent and broken at an odd angle. Dandruff might also be present. Thankfully, there are many effective homeopathic remedies for ringworm on scalp.

Though mostly ringworm is treated with conventional medicines and allopathic treatment, there are certain recurring ringworms on which traditional medicines slowly lose effect. Such infections can be controlled and cured with the help of homeopathic medicines.

Homeopathy is based on the principle of like curing like . This means, the homeopath takes a bit of the plant material, deactivates it and just like a vaccine, infuses the patient s body with small quantities of it. Popular homeopathic remedies for treating ringworm are:

Some of the Homeopathic medicines are obtained from the ink of a squid. This has been found that contact with the squid causes symptoms similar to the ones caused by ringworms. Thus, Homeopathic medicines are remarkable cure for this disease. However, before actually administering any medicine, the homeopath doctor would ask several questions to understand the nature of the disease occurring to you. Such questions would include your sensitivity to heat and cold or how many times in the past has ringworm infected you. Only when the practitioner is sure of the fact about which homeopathic drug is the correct treatment for the particular patient, would he prescribe it to you. These are a great cure for ringworms occurring in children as well.

Ringworms not only affect a person on the skin of his/her body but it might also occur on the scalp. These ringworms can cause a lot of itching, irritation, hair loss, pus in the scalp, etc. For treating such types of ringworm, one can apply homeopathic creams or ointments on the affected area on the scalp. Homeopathic medicines are seen to help in fighting the ringworms and thus providing relief from all the itching and irritation on the scalp.

Homeopathic medicines are obtained when leaves of the poison ivy plants are distilled overnight. Contact with poison ivy leaves also causes similar symptoms as ringworms and thus, it is known to be a good cure for the disease.

Ringworms on Animals-

At times, even animals like cats and dogs can be affected by ringworms. Symptoms would include loss of hair in patches, itchy hair, white or blackish patches on the body and others. A specialised vet should be referred to for a medicated shampoo besides a homeopath. Medicines like Sepia or Chrysarobinum are administered to treat ringworms in animals.

Thus, ringworm is a very common form of a disease and is easily treatable whether in humans or animals. One would need to follow the course of their medicine and take to patience for getting it cured as soon as possible.

Athlete's foot is a common form of a fungal infection. It most commonly occurs between the toes and is medically known as tinea pedis. The most common cause are sweaty feet which when enclosed inside a tight-fitting shoe for a prolonged time leads to this condition. The most common symptom of athlete's foot is a scaly rash which causes itching and burning on your foot. It is a contagious disease and is most commonly spread through towels or clothing of people who have that disease. It can also be spread through the floors which people with athlete's foot walk on. Here is everything you need to know about athlete's foot.

Causes

1. Dirty wet socks inside covered shoes
As mentioned earlier, athlete's foot is a contagious disease which originates from wearing dirty wet socks inside covered shoes.

2. Infection
You may also get it by coming into contact with an infected person or their towels and/or clothing. Even walking on the same floor as they walk on may cause an infection.

Symptoms

1. Scaly red rash
There is usually a scaly red rash in between the toes when you have athlete's foot.

2. Itching
There will be severe itching throughout the persistence of this disease especially when you first take off your shoes.

3. Blisters and ulcers
This is not a very common symptom of athlete's foot. However, blisters and ulcers do occur on certain types of athlete's foot.

4. Chronic dryness and scaling
This occurs on the soles of the feet and then slowly starts spreading upwards. These symptoms only occur on the type of athlete's foot known as moccasin. Due to this, athlete's foot is often mistaken for eczema and sometimes even dry skin.

5. Spreading to the hand
Athlete's foot always starts in your legs and in some cases spread to your hands as well. The likelihood of athlete's foot spreading to your hand is increased if you scratch or pick at the areas of the foot infected.

Treatment

There are three stages of treatment and these depend on the severity of the infection.

1. Over-the-counter medicines
In the first stage of treatment, the doctor will simply prescribe over-the-counter antifungal ointments, sprays or powders.

2. Prescription medications
In the next stage of treatment, prescription medications need to be applied to your feet.

3. Antifungal pills
If nothing else works, only then should antifungal pills be prescribed.

Ringworm (Dermatophytosis) is a contagious disease, which affects the skin, nails and scalp. It is a fungal infection that can affect diverse areas of your body gravely. Tinea is a medical term for ringworm. It is not a life-threatening or fatal condition as such. It can very easily be treated with homeopathic treatments, all of which will have to prescribed by a doctor specifically. This skin condition is especially normal among teenagers. This condition is not that serious until the time it affects the scalp severely. There are distinctive sorts of ringworm influencing every body part.

Homeopathic cures the contagious disease and turns on the melanin creating cells in the skin. This further enhances the surface of the skin, trims down growth of new patches, and gradually returns to its typical condition without leaving any pigmentation or scars. As Homeopathy treats the scalp ringworms from the inside, when the protected treatment is finished successfully, it is impossible that the patches return again as compared to other kinds of treatments. Homeopathic cures are regular, delicate, safe and simple to take. The treatment might seem like it is not showing immediate effects but it will gradually eradicate the disease from its roots so that it never grows back.

Homeopathy is based on the standard of 'like curing like'. This means that the homeopath takes a touch of the plant material, deactivates it and simply uses it like an antibody or a vaccine. He or she infuses the patient's body with little amounts of it. Most effective and mainstream homeopathy solutions for treating scalp ringworm are:

Sepia: Sepia is acquired from squid's ink as contact with the ink creates the same symptoms as those delivered by the ringworms. The expert will put forward a few questions including those about your eating routine, past ailments, how often the ringworm has happened, and your capacity to handle the heat, cold and so forth. He or she will then recommend Sepia in the right intensity depending on your answers to the above-mentioned questions. Sepia is a very effective homeopathic solution for treating ringworms in children especially the individuals who tend to sweat a lot, especially during the evening.
Sulfur: Sulfur is an extremely powerful homeopathic cure used for treating ringworms in the scalp. It is perfect medicine for when the scalp ringworm infections cause itching, hair loss, pus discharge, blisters and sores. Sulfur-based homeopathy creams can also be used on the scalp to get rid of the ringworm.
Rhus Toxicodendron: This homeopathy solution for ringworm is usually obtained by refining poison ivy leaves overnight. They are distilled for hours. Poison ivy additionally delivers the same symptoms as those of ringworm, so Rhus Tox is perfect homeopathic medicine for treating scalp ringworm side effects like burning sensations, pain in the scalp, continuous itching and so on.

When skin is infected by a fungus, the resultant infection is called tinea corporis (ringworm). It is most common in athletes and children. The infection may appear on the scalp, beards, groin, in between the toes and other places.

Causes:

Tinea corporis can be caused by:

Skin contact
It is contagious, so if you use towels, bed linens and clothes of an infected person, you will get infected too.
Touching a pet infected by tinea corporis.
Signs and Symptoms:

The rash starts as a scant area of red, bumpy pimples and spots. Then the rash forms a ring, with raised, red borders and a clear middle. The border might look scaly.
The rash may show up on face, legs, arms or other body areas which are exposed.
The area feels itchy. It might also be flaky and dry. You might even experience hair loss in the infected area.
Diagnosis:

The skin in the area will be gently scraped off and the sample will be collected. Then, the sample will be viewed under a microscope. That will help discerning, which type of fungus is causing the infection.

Treatment:

The following treatment regime must be followed:

The skin must be kept dry and clean.
Fungal creams are best. Creams that contain miconazole, ketoconazole, clotrimazole or oxiconazole are excellent for fungal infections.
Only apply the cream on clean skin. You can use it twice in a day. Bandagingthe infected area is not recommended.
To prevent the infection from spreading, wash your towels in warm water and use clean towels every time you bathe. Also, clean the bathroom and wear freshly washed clothes.
If pets are infected, treat them as well.
The infection usually goes away under 4 weeks. The infection may branch out to the nails, groin, scalp and feet. Self-care is effective, but if symptoms persist, then do consult a specialist. Ringworms have certain complications, such as scratching the skin too much causes skin infections and other skin disorders, which may need further treatment.

Tinea or ringworm is basically a skin infection caused by fungus. Tinea can affect any part of the body. When the skin is affected it is tinea corporis, scalp (tinea capitis), feet (tinea pedis, this is also called as athlete's foot) and groin area (tinea curis, also known as the jock itch). This presents as several white patches on the skin.

Causes of Tinea

Tinea or the ringworm infection is not due to worms but caused by fungi dermatophytes. The fungus remains alive in the dead tissues of nails, hair and skin. Symptoms of Tinea are red circular patches on the skin along with itching.

As per the Ayurvedic philosophy, tinea is often diagnosed as dadru. The body type or the dosha involved is kapha and vata. Kapha, which is an Ayurvedic humor symbolizes mucus. It is usually dense, sticky and cold in nature. Vata, also an ayurvedic humor represents the wind. It is dry, mobile, subtle and cold. Both kapha and vata when present in the skin lead to accumulation of toxins. These toxins further collect in the deep tissues of the skin like rakta (Blood), rasa (nutrient plasma), lasika (lymphatic) and mansa (muscles).

The toxins lead to contamination of the deeper tissues thereby leading to the aggravation of the kapha-vata dosha, thus leading to ringworm. A third dosha which is involved is pitta. Pitta symbolizes heat or fire. It is often referred to as the tridosha disease, and the prime involved doshas are kapha and vata.

Diet and Lifestyle Modification

1. Spicy and hot food, excessive sweet and sour foods should be avoided. Pickled foods, chutneys, citrus fruits like lemon and oranges, vinegar and mustard should also be avoided.
2. Avoid foods made up of white flour such as bread, pastries, cakes, pizza
3. Artificial and processed foods, fast foods and aerated drinks should be avoided. Excessive salt and tomatoes should be restricted.
4. Since tea, coffee smoking and alcohol aggravate the pitta, these should be avoided
5. Milk and milk products like yoghurt and cottage cheese should be given a miss
6. Foods which are sweet, blend and alkaline in nature should be added into the diet
6. Fresh vegetables and fruit should be taken
7. Foods like grains, rice, pasta, beans, breads, dairy products, sweet drinks and juices can be had

Home Remedies

1. In 3 cups of water boil 10 to 15 neem leaves, until half the water evaporates. Washing the tinea lesions with this water helps.
2. Rubbing papaya over the lesions is very effective
3. Make a paste of turmeric and milk and apply on the lesions. Wash this within half an hour of the application and repeat it 3 to 4 times a day.

Ringworm is something which is quite unpleasant to have, to say the very least. However, there are just so many myths about it and if a person is to avoid it, debunking of these myths is something which is quite critical!

It comes in all forms!

Ringworm can affect a person even when he or she thinks it is something else. As a matter of fact, a barber s itch is not a form of lice, as many people believe it to be. In actuality, it is beard ringworm! The effect of this sort of ringworm can be quite irritating as what happens is that there is swelling of the face and sometimes even the person s neck. There are various parts of the body which can be affected by ringworm, apart from the face. These include the scalp, the feet and sometimes, even the groin area.

Anyone can get it!

Many people are of the opinion that it is only children who are at risk to get ringworm. While it is true that children seem to have the propensity to be diagnosed with it, it is something which can affect people across all age groups. As a result, it is very important for a person to be aware of ringworm and what it looks like regardless of his or her age.

It is not caused by worms!

No matter how misleading its name may be, there is actually no worm as such which leads to the problem known as ringworm. In fact, it is caused by dermatophytes, which are a sort of fungi. The reason why it is called ringworm is due to the effect it has on the skin; it red spots on the skin in the pattern of rings, usually. However, if a person happens to get ringworm of the scalp, then he or she may not develop the rings which are associated with ringworm. In its stead, he or she may see that the scalp is getting progressively flaky. A flaky scalp is often seen due to the effects of dandruff. In fact, both conditions are often confused.

Antibiotics don t work!

When a person in a house has ringworm, it is generally thought that the problem is one which would go away as a result of following a course of treatment which involves some antibiotics. However, when it comes to ringworm, this is not the case. On account of the fact that it is a fungal infection, it is treated with anti-fungal medicines. Antibiotics kill bacteria. The fact that ringworm can be caught or given to a pet makes it something worth worrying about!

Also known as jock itch, Tinea Cruris is a fungal infection of the groin; it commonly occurs in men. This disorder is primarily caused by a fungus known as dermatophytes. It is characterized by an appearance of circular patches on the skin which look similar to a ring. They usually do no harm. However, if conditions are right they can 'invade' the skin, multiply and cause infection. The conditions fungi like best are warm, moist and airless areas of skin, such as the groin.

Causes-

The fungus primarily tends to grow on the moist and warm parts of the body, such as the buttocks, thighs or the groin region. Men who are overweight are at an increased risk because of the excess sweat that provides the perfect thriving spot for the fungus. Athletes are also more vulnerable to this condition. Sharing objects such as shoes, towels and combs can also be a source of this infection.

Symptoms-

The groin becomes itchy and irritable, mainly in the crease between the top of the leg and the genitals. It is more common in men, and the scrotum may also be itchy. A red rash then develops in the groin, usually with a definite edge or border. Both groins are commonly affected. The rash often spreads a short way down the inside of both thighs.

Sometimes the infection spreads to the skin on other parts of the body (or may have first started in another area, such as athlete's foot). Fungal infections do not usually go deeper than the skin into the body and are not usually serious.

Treatment-

This condition is usually mild, hence, can be treated with over the counter medications. It takes about a week or two for the symptoms to clear up completely. Anti-fungal creams and lotions are useful in getting rid of the infection. It is recommended to carry on with the treatment even after the symptoms subside; till you complete the required dosage. Also, continue the anti-fungal medication for at least two weeks after symptomatic relief to prevent recurrence.

In addition to the treatments, there are certain preventive measures that you can adopt

Don t wear the same set of clothes every day while exercising.

Wear fresh and properly washed undergarments.

Wear loose-fitting clothes; this prevents the area from getting too moist too soon.

Apply medicated talcum powder on the infected areas.