Healing Ringworm Naturally

What is Ringworm?

Despite the name, ringworm has nothing to do with worms, or parasites but rather gets it’s name from the pattern it creates. Ringworm is a common fungal infection of the skin that causes a scaly rash that often occurs in a ring shape with a clear or smooth center. It’s highly contagious by skin to skin contact until it has cleared up completely, or by some accounts, until the skin has ceased shedding. It ranges from horrifically itchy to not itchy at all.

Ringworm has many presentations on the skin of humans and animals alike, making it difficult to diagnose, and creating a large margin of error in diagnoses. With how highly contagious it is chronic infection, or reinfection is not only possible, but likely. For this reason it is recommended to treat all patches simultaneously while adhering to strict hygiene protocols until the infection clears.

How did I get it?

As mentioned above, ringworm is highly spreadable through skin to skin contact between humans or animals infected. It’s also contractable through any surface where dead skin cells are present—so basically any surface, since dust is mostly comprised of dead skin cells. Occasionally it can even be contracted through prolonged contact with highly infected soils.

During it’s contagious stage, about 3 weeks at a time in an otherwise healthy adult, ringworm may be extremely itchy, often distractingly and overwhelmingly so. Itch intensity has been described as burning, heavily distracting, and unable to reach.These spores really know what they’re doing, because itching is one of the best ways to spread ringworm since itching releases infected skin flakes, and is readily carried under fingernails, or simply on the surface of your skin.

Where can I get ringworm?

here are the locations and corresponding names from the CDC:

• Feet (tinea pedis, commonly called “athlete’s foot”)

• Groin, inner thighs, or buttocks (tinea cruris, commonly called “jock itch”)

• Scalp (tinea capitis)

• Beard (tinea barbae)

• Hands (tinea manuum)

• Toenails or fingernails (tinea unguium, also called “onychomycosis”)

• Other parts of the body such as arms or legs (tinea corporis)
  
  
  
  

Life Cycle of Ringworm

Ringworm is an incredibly active fungus that re-spores so quickly and effectively that a person infected but not treated properly, or consistently often reinfects themselves into infinity, through itching or lax hygiene standards. For this reason it’s crucial to adhere to strict hygiene and house cleaning during treatment, as well as being aware of pets that are infected, and treating them simultaneously.

In fact, active ringworm spores have been found to live on surfaces for up to 20 months!! Especially when conditions are moist or damp. Fortunately, ringworm does not stand up well to dry or hot conditions, so cleaning and using a heat cycle on the dryer can be a good way to kill spores. This is also why it’s recommended to blow dry your scalp soon after a shower, as well as washing and drying your clothes, sheets, and towels in hot water whenever possible while battling ringworm. As well as adhering to strict hygiene and housecleaning protocols to ensure removal of infected dust, and sanitize surfaces.

How do I know if I have it? Diagnosis

Obviously, the easiest way to know is to go to a doctor and have them take a scraping, or simply examine the rash. Then you will most likely be prescribed anti-fungals in the form of creams and pharmaceuticals. However, a reddit search and some googling gives mixed results about the efficacy of these treatments, and there are many stories to boot of doctors overlooking or misdiagnosing it if it doesn’t present obviously. This is what inspired me to design this protocol, as I’ve known several people who have had this infection for large portions of time, but have been left undiagnosed by doctors and dermatologists alike. 

The rash doesn’t always present in a circle, or oval shape and may often look similar to heat rash in the first few days, before defining itself or spreading out. It may also simply look like a dry scaly rash the entire time, depending on the relative health of your skin and microbiome. Ringworm is often misdiagnosed as another skin condition, like psoriasis, or simple dandruff [also caused by a fungus], and maintenance regimes are recommended without an end in sight.

So if you choose to see a doctor to receive a diagnosis it would be wise to advocate for a scraping, rather than a visual diagnoses.

The confusion and misdiagnosis is due to the fact that ringworm presents differently on different people, as well as on different body parts. For example, on the scalp it often has wavy or even slightly jagged edges, rarely creating a classic ring shape, and patches may overlap each other creating a befuddling pattern. The skin will often be raised in a scale like pattern and may become quite dry or dehydrated. The color may range from light pink to a deep red, but occasionally presents as brown, grey or even yellow-ish. One tell-tale sign of ringworm of the scalp is that skin will flake off in large chunks and will look yellow-ish if moist or grey if dry, when examined in bright light. In severe cases hair loss in patches or general thinning may occur.

Most people can tell if they have it simply by the rash it creates, since it’s quite unique. But then, it manifests on each person differently, and in my experience the rash changes appearance based on how long you’ve had it, and how healthy your skin is. I’ve known some people to be affected by great big sores, and cracking skin from a chronic infection, leading to scaly, scar tissued, or hyper-pigmented skin on the scalp, feet, and groin area.

The feet are more likely to manifest as sores, especially since they often live in the perfect conditions for spreading, moist, damp and dark inside your shoes and socks. If the infection is left untreated it often spreads to the toenails creating dense, thick, yellow-ish raised nails, that eventually separate from the skin below, sometimes resulting in a need for toe nail removal.

Complications

1. If left untreated some people experience a secondary infection called “Majocchi’s granuloma.” which is where the fungus burrows into the hair follicle and infects the deeper layer of skin. This can be caused by dermatophytes, (ringworm is sometimes called “dermatophytoses”) which are the most common human fungal pathogens worldwide. This condition usually occurs in immunocompromised cases or people who have a penetrating trauma [broken or damaged skin] while infected with ringworm. Thankfully, it’s not very common.

2. Otomycosis, better known as “swimmer’s ear” is a fungal infection of the outer ear often caused by species of ringworm or candida. This condition is very common, and sometimes difficult to get rid of. It may be difficult to diagnose without a culture, so if you believe you have it, please advocate for a culture test, ear cleaning and medication, or purchase this protocol and try out a natural remedy.

In chronic or long untreated cases it may spread to the inner ear, causing hearing loss, tinnitus, vertigo, itching, inflammation, scaling or flaking, discharge that ranges in color, pain and a feeling of fullness in the ear. In a small amount of untreated cases the fungus may spread to the bone and cartilage of the ear, and may have the potential to spread into neurons from there. Treatment for this is relatively simple and can be done at home or by an ENT [Ear, Nose, and Throat Doctor].

Overview

Unfortunately ringworm can occur anywhere on the body, and often looks a bit different depending on placement. It has a different name depending on location, but natural treatment is the same for most areas, with the exceptions of face, ears and potentially groin, depending on how close it is to your delicate bits. When the infection becomes systemic, or chronic it is important to ingest herbs or anti-fungal medication while simultaneously treating topically any infected areas.

Patience and consistency are your best friends during this treatment, since you are dealing with such an active and aggressive fungus.

From the CDC Website: “Approximately 40 different species of fungi can cause ringworm; the scientific names for the types of fungi that cause ringworm are Trichophyton, Microsporum, and Epidermophyton."