Syndrome differentiation and treatment:
Garlic is very effective in treating athlete’s foot. The best way to do this is by soaking the infected feet in a tub filled with warm water and several cloves of crushed garlic, and a splash of rubbing alcohol. One should soak the feet for at least half an hour. Another way of using garlic to treat athlete’s foot is by applying garlic oil to the infected areas of the foot. A simple way of preparing garlic oil is by mincing a few cloves of garlic, adding olive oil, and allowing the mixture to sit for three days. After this, one should then strain the garlic cloves from the mixture and apply the oil to the infected areas using a cotton ball.
Ginger root is another effective home remedy for athlete’s foot. It contains caprylic acid, which is very effective against fungal infections. To prepare the ginger remedy, boil an ounce of crushed ginger in a cup of water for twenty minutes, and then apply the liquid to the affected areas twice a day.
Licorice is one of the most effective home remedies for athlete’s foot, containing 25 anti-fungal compounds. Add about seven teaspoons of the dried herb to a cup of water, boil the mixture and let it simmer for 20 minutes. When the mixture is cool, apply it to the infected areas using a cotton ball. To prepare an even stronger brew, add it to a garlic footbath.
In Chinese medicine, when treating a disease, the doctors take everything into into consideration, including climatic changes, environmental variations, emotional changes, the diet, the urine and the stool, the sleep, and the disorder of sex life. That is the feature of the Three Pathogens Theory in TCM. This etiology doctrine built on the basis of the macro methodology entirely differs from that of Western medicine. It is on the basis of the microscopic and pathologic anatomy. But it is exactly a biological, psychological, social and new medical model that Western medicine is attempting to pursue. While Chinese medicine established its own system with this medical model two thousand years ago.
Chinese doctor doesn’t considers static anatomy as a starting point for understanding the diseases, and does not rely on detection equipments. On the contrary, Chinese doctor depends on the unique ways of TCM diagnosis to experience and study the human dynamic life information. Also it is based on syndrome differentiation to guide the disease therapy. This method not only can save a lot of examination fees for patients, but also can help doctors exchange with patients more closely, thus reflecting a real humanistic spirit.
