Sweaty feet
What is the best way to stop extreme sweating of the feet? This has been plaguing me for the last four years and the odour is very embarrassing. I also have a fungal infection which I think may be the underlying cause.
Naturopaths, who rely on a combination of nutrition, herbal remedies and homeopathy to treat health problems, describe the skin as the “third kidney.” In other words, it is another organ of elimination. They then interpret excess sweating and foot odour as a sign that the kidneys themselves may be overburdened in which case, the solution will be to drink a kidney-supporting herbal tea such as burdock or dandelion.
Both these herbs have a cleansing action in the body but dandelion, which is rich in vitamins A and C, as well as zinc, potassium and the stress-busting B vitamins, also supports the immune system which will then help eliminate the fungal infection for good.
Echinacea is also excellent against fungal and yeast infections. Ignore recent reports that of the 11 different varieties, Echinacea angustifolia is more potent than the more widely-used Echinecea purpurea. There is no convincing evidence for this and my suspicion would be it is pure marketing hype, perhaps by competitor companies trying to push their products to the fore.
In natural health, there is always an argument against suppressing the body’s natural functions such as sweaty feet which would, of course, be entirely acceptable if you did not have to go about your everyday life. To tackle this embarrassing odour, you can use silica, which can help absorb dampness and so changes the conditions the foot fungus thrives on and the smell. It is best taken in the form of tissue salts which by-pass the digestive system and so are more easily absorbed by the body.
*Napiers (0131-553 3500) sell dried dandelion which you can use to brew your own herbal tea. 100g costs £1.85. Echinaforce is the best-selling Echinacea tincture made by Bioforce. Call 01294-277344 for stockists. Silica No. 12 is a biochemic tissue salt made by New Era and costs £3.69. Mail order from Revital (0800-252875).