Rob (Kentucky) on 07/26/2026
At the turn of the 1900, athlete’s foot was becoming an epidemic. Manufacturers of popular remedies gave ringworm of the foot the name ‘athlete’s foot’ and this was adopted by the public, but in medicine the infection was known as tinea pedis. It was seen as new disease, or in modern parlance an emerging infection, having been first described by Arthur Whitfield, a dermatologist at King’s College Hospital, London in 1908. Nonetheless, it was in the United States, British Isles and England that tinea pedis became an epidemic, seemingly spread by modern lifestyles and hygiene practices, and encouraged by modern socks and shoes, which made infection liable to chronicity by keeping the feet moist and warm. It is perhaps surprising, given the unhygienic conditions of previous centuries and the ubiquity of ringworm of the scalp, that the feet of Europeans and Americans had been seemingly free of ringworm infection until the mid-twentieth century. Nonetheless, there was a clear understanding in the inter-war years that tinea pedis was new disease and one linked to modernity. One consequence of the growth of medical attention to tinea pedis was the stimulus it gave to the specialism of medical mycology, with investment in diagnostic services, research on the conditions in which mycoses spread and their treatment. In turn, this led to the creation of a cadre of medical mycologists, who identified more fungal infections in specific social groups and the general population.
Doctors prescribed a variety of remedies for tinea pedis (athlete’s foot), but because of mixed results, their advice was mainly that prevention was better than cure. Thus, anyone visiting a swimming baths and showering in public facilities was told to disinfect their feet where possible, to avoid walking on floors in bare feet, to dry their feet and toes after bathing, never to share towels or clothing, and to wash socks at high temperatures. The main remedies were topical antifungal creams. The standbys were Whitfield’s ointment (the active ingredients were 5% salicylic acid and 3% benzoic acid in petroleum jelly) and Castellani’s carbol-fuchsin paint. However, the variable presentation of the condition and its tendency to chronicity encouraged innovations, both in combinations of remedies and new chemicals. There were many complaints of overtreatment.
Proprietary medical companies, which already had a significance market with topical antiseptic remedies, seized on the new epidemic, producing new products and re-branding older ones as having anti-fungal as well as anti-bacterial properties. The most prominently advertised remedy in newspapers and magazines was a derivative of a veterinary liniment – ‘Absorbine Jr.’, marketed by W. F. Young, Inc. Infact, if you are as old is I am. Absorbine Jr. use to come in a slim glass bottle and the label stated it was good for athlete’s foot. In 1955, Absorbine Jr. was tested against athlete’s foot fungus and FOUND TO KILL 100% OF ALL FUNGI IN LESS THAN 5 MINUTES.
HISTORY.
In 1892, Wilbur F. Young and Mary Young went to work on a liniment made of essential oils and herbs, Absorbine Veterinary Liniment proved highly effective at bringing relief to weary or lame work horses as a humane, natural herbal remedy to relieve overworked and lame horses. The liniment was soon widely used in farms nationwide for natural and quick animal pain relief. But farmers soon discovered that it relieved their own muscle and joint pain.
It’s anti-septic properties were applied to horse and animals to helps prevent hoof and sole/foot fungal infections.
Hoof Disinfectant: The formula penetrates into the porous hoof sole and frog to disinfect. Apply once a week or more to help prevent bacterial and fungal infections. Use daily to treat hoof conditions such as abscesses, cracks, delamination, Thrush (Candida/Yeast) and White Line Disease (Fungal and bacterial invasion colonize and digest the inner hoof wall layers). This means it would be good for human feet and toe nail fungus as well.
Skin Infections: Absorbine Jr. kills germs on contact and stops the itch in seconds. Use to clean and treat bacterial and fungal skin infections like;
Rain Rot (Rain rot in horses is caused by the bacterium Dermatophilus congolensis, which activates when prolonged moisture and high humidity break down the skin's protective barrier),
Scratches,
Summer Itch (caused by an allergic reaction to the saliva of biting insects, primarily Culicoides midges. Other biting flies like black flies, stable flies, and mosquitoes can also trigger this seasonal skin reaction),
Tail Itch (A horse itching and rubbing its tail is usually caused by pinworms, sweet itch (insect allergies), or a dirty sheath or udder),
Apply to infected area three or more times a week.
SOURCE REF:
Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK169220/
Vintage Absorbine Jr. Bottles source: https://countrysideantiques.com/listing/1347642623/vintage-1939-absorbine-jr-box-bottle
Vintage 1955 Absorbine Jr. Athlete's foot cream advertisement source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/236720524152319821/
Sarah (Oregon) on 06/26/2026
5 stars so far.
I’ve had athlete’s foot on and off for the last 20 years. I figured this out on my own because I’ve tried literally everything: tea tree oil, vinegar soaks, other OTC creams, prescription stuff, changing socks constantly, the whole list. Nothing fully knocked it out and it always came back.
This is my first time using Miconazole. 2 weeks ago I started using Miconazole Nitrate 2% cream. It’s OTC and I just grabbed the generic kind from the pharmacy. I apply it twice a day after a shower, making sure my feet are completely dry first. I get between every toe and let it dry before putting socks on.
What I’ve noticed in 2 weeks:
My feet are soft and not cracked, painful, or bleeding for the first time in years.
1. Week 1: Itching and burning calmed down a lot.
2. Week 2: The peeling is almost gone. Way less redness. No itching most days now.
My skin isn’t 100% normal yet, but this is the best it’s felt in 20 years.
I’m also rotating shoes, using antifungal powder in them, and being obsessive about drying between my toes after showers.
If you’ve been battling this for years like me, miconazole 2% is worth trying.
I’ll update this post after I finish the treatment. Hope this helps someone who’s as frustrated as I was.
Lois (Burnley, England) on 04/25/2025
Clayton (Tulsa, OK) on 02/01/2024
For the past week I'd been soaking my feet in various different things, and spraying a variety of herbal antidotes, to no avail: the itchiness and redness hardly went down at all, and I was getting worried I had some bad infection.
Deeper online searching revealed I had chilblains, from coming in from walking in the snow, and resting my feet near a space heater right after taking my boots off.
For better or worse, chilblains seems to improve on its own over time without treatment (unlike a fungal infection). Soaking in a diluted hydrogen peroxide or vinegar solution did help temporarily relieve itching.
I also read somewhere a man treated his chilblains with decent success applying minced onion mixed with salt. I've yet to try it.
I just wanted to let you know, if you are primarily experiencing redness and itchiness on top of your toes, and your toes have recently been very cold, you might check to see if instead of athletes foot you're experiencing chilblains.
TR (California) on 01/30/2024
Its amazing how fast it worked. Had fungus for over 15 years and used vinegar for years to no avail I applied the oil twice a day and within 2 weeks fungus was gone
Activated Charcoal for Athlete's Food Tonadeg (Arlington, USA ) on 04/27/2023
Dena L. (New Orleans, Louisiana ) on 06/04/2022
Idot 13 (Ireland) on 02/12/2022
Probiotics - Lactobacillus Rhamnosus for Athlete's Foot & Fungal Conditions Jim P. (Petaluma, CA) on 01/31/2022
I even tried the prescription form of the anti-fungal ointment that is taken internally and requires blood test monitoring to ensure no harm to your liver. There were so many spores around the house that I was immediately re-infested after the treatment finished. Washing clothes with very hot water or just throwing them away after a single use weren't enough.
I had the thought of trying probiotics after using a heavy chlorinated whirlpool bath to kill the fungus was counterproductive as this permitted the fungus to go everywhere. This indicated I had killed my natural defenses.
Natural, bacterial defenses are the solution. I applied a top grade, multi-bacteria probiotic to the infested areas and it worked!! No pain, no fungus. These probiotics are anaerobic as they normally live in a person's gut. So, they don't have a long life and must be reapplied daily or whenever you feel a little itch.
After more research, I found the probiotic that attacks the fungus: lactobacillus rhamnosus. It is readily available online for a reasonable price. Mix the contents of one gelcap with about one teaspoon of water and apply to infested area.
I Need Help_SC (USA - South Carolina) on 12/20/2021
But...he said that he had chronic athlete's foot for 10 years. Nothing touched it, no medicines of any kind, nothing worked. The next day after kicking his feet around in the compost tea for 10 minutes, it was gone. He said that several years later he was in Haiti and got athletes foot from a public shower. Later that week, he made compost tea in the bucket with his bare feet for 10 minutes, and the next day his athlete's foot was gone.
I have ringworm/jock itch on my thighs, nothing on my feet, and I'm not sure how to submerge myself in compost tea, so I've not tried that yet (though I am going to try spraying it on myself or using some sort of towel or brush to apply to myself and let it soak/sit on the skin for 10-20 minutes). But, because I trust this guy, and it might work for someone else, I'm sharing it here.
Anthony (Ireland) on 09/17/2021
Totally cured. I applied oil of oregano to both feet, toes, twice a day for 10 days. I tried a lot of things on here and nothing seemed to work. I bought the oil online pre-mixed. The itching used to drive me crazy.thats been 2 years now never came back. Thank god and earthclinic.
Jade (Indiana) on 05/12/2021
Distilled Vinegar, Coconut Oil and Vaseline Cured Severe Foot Fungal Infection Geraldine (Abuja, Nigeria) on 04/11/2021
But when I came to the earthclinic.com and read the testimonies of other people using vinegar and coconut oil I was excited. Now my son is on Easter holiday, he came back last week. I quickly went to the store, bought ordinary white vinegar, and started soaking his feet in a solution of half water/half vinegar.
After soaking for 30 mins, when it air dried I mixed Vaseline and coconut oil and rub on the feet. Today is the 6th time of doing it and the whole infection has disappeared and his heels are as smooth as ever. I am grateful to God and to earth clinic.com. Earthclinic has been a blessing to me since I found. Thank you so much.
Old Hippie Chick (Florida) on 04/29/2020
C.T. (Madison, WI) on 08/21/2019
after moving to a humid climate I suffered with itching feet in the summer. I tried many natural remedies without much luck. After wading in a big lake one day my foot fungus got 10 times worse, and I had white protrusions on my feet which wouldn't come off, and it was red in a moccasin-type pattern. In desperation I searched the web and found a remedy that worked very well. This is what you'll need: 1) a small glass or plastic bottle with cap (I used a 4 oz plastic bottle with cap) 2) drugstore hydrogen peroxide 3) borax (such as Mule Team) 4) cotton balls or cosmetic pads Mix equal parts of hydrogen peroxide and water in your plastic bottle, leaving about a half inch at top.
Add a tablespoon of borax to the hydrogen peroxide mix. (I used 1 tablespoon to 4 oz mixture). Allow the borax to fully dissolve. When some of the borax sinks to the bottom of the bottle, it's okay to use, and in fact, the borax will *not* fully dissolve. Saturate a cotton pad or ball with the solution and wipe your feet with it. It will not sting, and the sensation will be pleasant. The solution dries quickly.
Do this twice a day at least. After doing this for just a few days, my feet began to clear up. Now only a couple of weeks later, my feet are like new. I keep up with the solution daily, however, as I like to walk barefoot at home and there's no way to get rid of all bacteria and fungus from surfaces on which you walk. So, the best solution is this solution!
You can also sprinkle plain borax in your tennis shoes.
Steve L. (St. Louis, Mo.) on 09/08/2018
I used a whole tube of OTC AF'S medicine. Minimal results. I have persistent and reoccurring AF between toes and on the bottom of my feet. I used ACV and it eliminated the AF until next time. The key is to use it and saturate the area over and over again until you feel relief. I do this in one sitting and than again the next day. It works better than anything else! Keep on it! Don't waste money on OTC stuff.
Anonymous (Toronto, Ontario) on 12/29/2017
I feel like I tried everything but this irritating infection just wouldn't leave. Not for over 20 years. OTC treatments, ACV, and garlic would alleviate it temporarily but it would always return. Same with high strength isopropyl alcohol. Then I discovered that exposing the infected area to light had an impact. It would penetrate the layers of skin to get at the cause of the problem. This lessened the discomfort but again, it was a temporary fix. Until I thought that if I were to have longer term exposure to light - at least an hour at a time - it might kill off enough of the infection to make a significant dent, and with repeated 'treatments' the fungus couldn't survive, as it needs darkness to thrive. So that's what I've been doing and I think I'm finally kicking this. I do apply tea tree oil and castor oil first, then just turn on a desk lamp and position it so that the light shines on the area. Relax, maybe throw on a good tv show and/or movie. Afterwards, put on a fresh pair of socks. Repeat as necessary - daily is probably ideal. Fingers crossed that this is the solution that works - it's been the most effective for me so far and I've only done it 3-5 times. Be careful about placement of the light - don't burn yourself (or anything else)! Good luck out there.
Joe (Nairobi) on 12/19/2017
I remember I once used Panoxyl 5 cream when way back in the 90s. I haven't gotten it nowadays. Worked perfect. Caution! It will bleach your bed linen so sleep with socks.. share of it works for you.
Micheala (West Yorkshire) on 08/29/2017
My Athlete's Foot Was Eczema! Connie (California) on 07/05/2017
I suffered for 2 years with chronic "athlete's foot" using Rx antifungals prescribed by my doc when all natural remedies failed. Last 2 months were so painful, just standing or walking made my feet crack and bleed. I was confined to recliner, walking on toes only to use bathroom and get food from kitchen. I cried in pain and frustration, thinking this was my world now - a recliner.
Finally got referral to a PA in dermatology. She took SKIN SCRAPING to lab. Test results 10 days later: NO FUNGUS! I have dyshidrotic ezcema!
The cure? Aloe Vera juice applied to feet, followed by Eucerin cream. Basically, giving feet TLC by moisturizing with hyperallergenic creams. Vasoline would probably work, too. Two weeks later, I returned to DANCING! Sort of, lol, but I am ambulatory again! Another week or so and I should be completely healed!
People with chronic skin conditions, INSIST on lab testing a skin scraping to rule out fungus! Two stinking years of my life spent on every remedy and treatment for nothing. Grrr.
I hope this helps somebody!
