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Newspaper Columns, Herb & Home Remedy Q&A August 30, 2007
Q. I have read many questions about toenail fungus but not much about our issue. My daughter has hot sweaty feet that smell. She hates wearing socks because she says they make her feet too hot.
What can we do to relieve our problems--her hot, sweaty feet and our daily olfactory invasion? Her aunt also suffers with sweaty, smelly feet.
A. Warmth and moisture encourage the growth of bacteria that can contribute to foot odor. These conditions also allow the fungus that causes nail fungus and athlete’s foot to flourish.
Readers of our column have offered all sorts of remedies for such problems. One suggested drinking a chlorophyll solution from the health food store for smelly feet. A gentleman reported that diluted vinegar applications plus Vicks VapoRub helped both athlete’s foot and nail fungus.
Another reader shared that he had suffered from excessive foot sweat for years. He tried tannic acid (tea) to soak the feet and noted: “It works. My feet feel and smell better than they have in years.”
We have collected a number of suggestions from readers in our Guides to Home Remedies, Unique Uses for Vicks and Smelly Feet.
Joe Graedon is a pharmacologist. Teresa Graedon holds a doctorate in medical anthropology and is a nutrition expert. Their syndicated radio show can be heard on public radio. In their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Write to them in care of this newspaper or e-mail them via their Web site: www.PeoplesPharmacy.com.
© 2007 King Features Syndicate, Inc.
Reader Comments
I've had success with Listerine. I reasoned that if it "kills germs that cause bad breath," it may well k.o. the ones that cause stinky feet as well. I applied Listerine all over my clean feet and wiped out the insides of my shoes as well (be sure to allow time for the shoes to dry out). At the end of the day when I've removed my shoes, feet and shoes have still been odor free.
Posted by: NTS | August 31, 2007 1:06 PM
Isopropyl alcohol helps stinky feet. Apply with a cotton ball after each shower.
Posted by: MRJ | August 31, 2007 5:04 PM
Twice a day, get a shallow basin, insert feet, and pour enough FULL STRENGTH WHITE VINEGAR over feet to completely wet them (though I use more, a half cup should do it) and let them soak for a few minutes. Tell your daughter to wiggle her toes and use one foot to wet the other.
Remove Feet (DO NOT RINSE) and throw away the used vinegar.
Dry.
Breathe Deeply.
*I got athlete's foot when I was a kid. When we would drive home from Boy Scout camping trips I could NOT remove my boots in the car.
I tried everything available in the 1960s & 70s including:
Desenex Cream/Liquid/Powder
Gentian Violet tablets (to make a soaking bath)
Tinactin
Grisactin/Giseofulvin tablets
Mitchum Antipersperant (to prevent sweating and smelling).
Nothing worked.
When I became a doctor, I still had the worst athlete's foot--and foot odor--I had ever encountered. My feet sweated, itched and bled.
When my mother suggested the vinegar, I began soaking. At first the deeply fissured areas burned but the itching stopped almost immediately.
In addition to making an inhospitable environment for fungi, vinegar seems to act as an exfoliant. The mascerated (perspiration--logged) areas between my toes began to slough off and I helped it by using a washcloth wrapped around my finger to scratch, dry and debride the web-spaces.
As the deadened tissue was replaced, the slouging all but stopped, but I still intentionally rub off the loose skin on my feet when I dry them.
Today, I have pretty, odorless feet, and it even helped my toenails.
If your daughter decides to try this, you may want to rinse out her tennis shoes with vinegar to kill the fungi I suspect are growing there.
If she has leather shoes that should not be exposed to vinegar, try taking them to a local bowling alley. They may have UV lights that they use to kill germs on bowling shoes.
The main thing is to cycle her shoes regularly so that she is only wearing dry ones.
I hope this helps her.
LHS
Posted by: LHS | September 1, 2007 9:08 PM
I TOO HAVE EXPERIENCED SWEATY AND SMELLY FEET AND HAVE FOUND AN EASY AND VERY INEXPENSIVE WAY TO TREAT IT... I USE, ANY BRAND WILL DO... STICK, SPRAY OR ROLL ON DEODERANT. I JUST APPLY IT TO THE BOTTOMS OF MY FEET BEFORE I SLIP ON MY SOCKS OR SHOES, AND NO SWEAT, NO SMELL... WORKS GREAT!
Posted by: MM | September 3, 2007 1:57 AM
Take a bottle of tea tree oil and buy a small spray bottle (beauty supply). Put the sprayer on the bottle of tea tree oil. Don't pour the tea tree oil in plastic. Apply this once or twice a day after washing and drying the feet thoroughly. Tea tree can also cure nail fungus. It may take a couple of months. Empty an old nail polish bottle. Clean it out with acetone and rinse, then allow to dry. Fill with tea tree oil and brush on the nail a couple of times a day. Some people are allergic or sensitive to tea tree oil so watch out for that.
Posted by: Patsy | September 3, 2007 7:09 AM