TCM treatment of fungal infections

Fungal infections mainly occur in people whose physical conditions are not so good. When they occur, they will first feel that there are some problems on the surface of their skin, and it will also directly lead to tinea capitis. If this is the case, you need to improve it according to the severity of your illness, such as using some antifungal drugs to treat it, so as to avoid recurrence.

With the exception of tinea capitis and onychomycosis, most fungal infections are mild and are usually treated with antifungal creams. Many effective antifungal creams are available over the counter. Antifungal powders are generally not used. The active ingredients of antifungal drugs include miconazole, clotrimazole, econazole and ketoconazole.

Generally, the cream is applied twice a day, and treatment is continued for 7 to 10 days after the lesions disappear. If the cream is stopped too quickly, the infection is not eliminated and the rash may return.

Antifungal creams may take several days to work, during which time corticosteroid creams may be used to relieve itching and pain. Low-dose hydrocortisone creams are available commercially; higher concentrations require a prescription.

Severe or persistent infections may be treated with griseofulvin for several months, sometimes with an antifungal cream. Oral griseofulvin is very effective but can cause side effects such as headache, gastrointestinal disturbances, photosensitivity, edema, and leukopenia. After griseofulvin is discontinued, the infection may recur. Fungal skin infections can also be treated with ketoconazole. Like griseofulvin, oral ketoconazole can have serious side effects, including liver damage.

Keeping the infected area clean and dry will help inhibit fungal growth and promote skin healing. The infected area should be washed frequently with soap and water, dried and sprinkled with talcum powder. Avoid powders that contain cornmeal, as it can promote fungal growth.

If the fungal infection has exudate, it may be complicated by a bacterial infection. Treatment with antibiotics is required. Apply antibiotic cream or take antibiotics by mouth. Diluted aluminum acetate solution or Whitefield ointment may also be used to dry exudative skin.

1. Differentiation between fungal enteritis and common diarrheal diseases Bacillary dysentery is one of the most common intestinal infectious diseases, and fungal enteritis is not easy to differentiate from it. Regional enteritis and ulcerative colitis are easily confused with histoplasmosis.

(1) Cholera: Pandemics are rare nowadays and most outbreaks occur locally. Patients have severe vomiting and diarrhea, and the vomit and diarrhea are rice-water or yellow water-like. They have no abdominal pain or fever, and often develop severe dehydration and microcirculatory failure rapidly. Direct microscopic examination of vomited and diarrheal material can reveal large numbers of Vibrio bacteria moving in a school-like manner.

(2) Bacillary dysentery: It occurs throughout the year, but is more common in summer and autumn. The main lesion is purulent inflammation of the colon. Patients vomit less, often have fever, diarrhea with abdominal pain, tenesmus, and tenderness in the left lower abdomen. The stool is mixed with pus and blood. Red blood cells, pus cells and macrophages can be seen under microscopic examination, and Shigella dysenteriae can be grown in culture.

(3) Amebic dysentery: mainly sporadic. Patients often present with insidious onset, diarrhea of ​​varying severity, little toxemia, and mild abdominal pain and tenesmus, which is quite similar to fungal enteritis. However, the stool is not mixed with pus and blood. It is typically jam-like and fishy-smelling. Microscopic examination shows mainly red blood cells, and amoeba trophozoites and Charcot-Leyden crystals that phagocytize red blood cells can be seen. Sigmoidoscopy showed scattered ulcers in the intestinal mucosa with neat edges, congestion and bulges, and normal mucosa between ulcers. Trophozoites may be seen in ulcer smears or biopsies.

(4) Typhoid and paratyphoid: Paratyphoid C may present as a gastroenteritis-type attack, but the course of the disease is short and the prognosis is good, with most patients recovering within 3 to 5 days. Typhoid and paratyphoid A and B are mainly characterized by high fever and systemic toxemia, which may be accompanied by abdominal pain, but less diarrhea. The diagnosis can be confirmed by growth of Salmonella typhi or paratyphi in blood or bone marrow cultures.