| Description |
| Ringworm is
a skin problem that has become very common.
It is basically a fungal infection that takes
place on the skin. The disease is more annoying
than dangerous. |
| Root Causes |
- Human to human: Ringworm
often spreads by direct, skin-to-skin contact
with an infected person.
- Animal to human: You can
contract ringworm by touching an animal with
ringworm. Ringworm can spread while petting
or grooming dogs or cats. You can also get
ringworms from ferret, rabbits, goats, pigs
and horses.
- Object to human: Ringworm
can spread by contact with object or surfaces
that an infected person or animal has touched,
such as clothing, towels, bed linens, combs
or brushes.
- Soil to human: In rare
cases, ringworm can be spread to humans by
contact with infected soil. Infection would
most likely occur only from prolonged contact
with highly infected soil.
|
| Symptoms |
| The
patches of ringworm on the body are usually around
or oval, with raised pink and scaly rings which
show a clean space in the centre. The itching
in the infected parts helps to spread infection
through the nails to other healthy part of the
body. If it is not treated for a long time, the
infection becomes chronic and is then difficult
to get rid of it. |
| Home Remedies |
- Papaya: Raw papaya is
one of the most effective home remedies for
ringworm. The slices of this fruit should
be rubbed on the ringworms patches. A paste
from the papaya seeds can also be applied
beneficially on these ringworm patches.
- Mustard seeds: A paste
should be prepared from the mustard seeds
and applied externally over the ringworm patches
after thoroughly washing the skin with sufficient
hot water.
- Holy basil: The leaves
of holy basil are also useful in ringworm.
The juice of these leaves should be extracted
and applied over the ringworm patches.
- Turmeric: Turmeric is very
effective in the treatment of ringworm. The
juice of the raw turmeric should be applied
externally to the parts of the skin affected
by ringworm. Simultaneously, one teaspoon
of turmeric juice mixed with an equal quantity
of honey should be taken orally.
|
| Precautions |
- Keep clean: Wash your
hands often to avoid the spread of infection.
Keep common or shared areas clean, especially
in schools, child care centers, gyms and locker
rooms.
- Stay cool and dry: Don't
wear thick clothing for long periods of time
in warm, humid weather. Avoid excessive sweating.
- Avoid infected animals:
The infection often looks like a patch of
skin where fur is missing. In some cases,
though, you may not notice any signs of the
disease. Ask your veterinarian to check your
pets and domesticated animals for ringworm.
- Don’t share personal items:
Don’t let other use your clothing, towels,
hairbrushes or other personal items. Refrain
from borrowing these items from others as
well.
|
