How To Treat And Prevent Ringworm With Your Diet

If someone told you that changing your diet to get rid of ringworm was an option, you may think this was impossible. However, ringworm is actually caused by a fungus, not a parasite, and nutritional changes have been shown to be very effective in helping your body fight off fungal infections – and even treat them!
If you are concerned you have ringworm, inspect the lesion to see if it has the following characteristics. The rash will be round, have raised edges, will itch and may even become crusty or ooze. If it’s on your scalp, you will notice bald patches forming. Your doctor will confirm the diagnosis by taking a skin sample to inspect more closely and will most likely prescribe and anti-fungal treatment. You can support this treatment by making the following changes to your diet, and it will help prevent the infection recurring.

If your immune system is compromised, or you are rundown, you are more susceptible to getting a ringworm infection. This is where a healthy, balanced diet can really make a difference. By adding more ingredients like carrots, spinach, hot peppers and kale to your diet you will help your body produce vitamin A.

Your body can produce vitamin A when you add vegetables that are carotenoids, particularly beta-carotene, to your diet. This will help with the repair of skin tissues and may assist in the prevention of scars forming as your skin heals from the fungal infection. An easy way to ensure you are getting a mix of the right kinds of vegetables is to look at your shopping trolley and see if you have a “rainbow” of veggies – the more colours of vegetables, the more nutrient-rich your diet will be.

Eggs, dairy products, liver, fish and beef are also rich in vitamin A, which boosts your immune system and will support your body to destroy the fungus in your body. Also consider taking a daily multivitamin and a probiotic to introduce healthy bacteria enter your gut.

Natural medicine practitioners also believe that fungal infections (including ringworm) thrive on certain foods. These are foods that are high in sugar (baked goods, sweets, and even fruit), pasta and white rice (refined carbohydrates), breads and dried fruits. They propose that you remove these items from your diet, and limit your fruits to two a day. Consider doing this for a period of three months to see if this has a difference to the frequency of your ringworm infections.

More diet changes that may help include the following:

* Drink a small glass of warm water with lemon squeezed into it every morning which will help alkalise your system, making it less habitable for fungi.

* Apple cider vinegar can also help restore the balance to your gut and skin. This is thought to have a positive effect on the pH balance of your body.

* Garlic and onions both have anti-fungal properties, so add these to dishes as much as you can. Garlic also has natural antibiotic properties which will promote healing.