Hi ladies!
My 3 year old daughter has a 1/2 inch bald patch on her head. I took her to the doc, and it's a fungus (like ringworm). It's been there about a month and doesn't bother her at all. You can't even see it, her part makes her hair cover it up. We really trust our doctor to only prescribe meds when they are absolutely needed. He feels that nothing topical will work and had to prescribe Sporanox, a pretty nasty oral anti-fungal (the doc called it "not a Kindgergarten medicine"). She would have to be on it for 4-6 weeks, and while she is a very healthy child, he said we would have to watch her closely for signs of liver issues. I picked up the medicine and read everything that went with it and am FREAKED OUT by it. I haven't started it yet. My feeling is that since it does not bother her and is growing so slowly, maybe I could try a natural remedy or less nasy medicine first. In the end, I may have to go back to the Sporanox, but as a last resort. Does anyone have any suggestions? A friend of mine said she used some fungus spray (I think for athlete's foot) on her kid's shoulder and it worked. I realize those are still medicines, but at least it's not an oral, systemic thing that can damage her liver! Would love any suggestions and thanks, moms!
try apple cider vinegar.....it works on foot fungus.
Vicks Vapor Rub worked on my mom's toenail fungus.
Good Luck!
Try going to your nearest herbalist or health food store and asking for Tea Tree OlL, it's a natural anti-fungal . (Works on even toenail fungus, but , it takes time) I'd wash her hair and then apply it to the area. You may ask how often you can do it , just to be safe and it shouldn't affect her liver in any way. If that doesn't work ,try some T-Gel shampoo . It stinks , but ,it's great stuff .Good Luck, C. S.
I'm not going to say not to try something else but I have heard from lots of sources that ringworm in the scalp responds to NOTHING except the oral anti-fungal. Just something about it. We were told this when my son had a ringworm on his forhead that wouldn't go away. The doc prescribed a cream to put on it and said to do everything we can to make sure it didn't spread to his hairline and into the hair. It's just very very hard to clear up. Good luck though !
Well, he said that nothing topical would work and suggested an oral anti-fungal. That being said, I would call him and ask if it would be ok to try a topical antifungal or two before starting the oral meds. In other words, a less agressive approach. Then see what he says. Tell him that you are worried. He is the expert and you trust him. But ask a few more questions to reassure yourself.
Good luck.
what about an anti-fungal cream, like lamisil...
or if you want an herbal treatment, put a few drops of tea tree oil and grapefruit seed distill in an unscented lotion and try that for a week or two.
another one is oregano extract, although it is a bit stronger than the teat tree oil and grapefruit seed, it may work for you topically.
Also, remember that fungal infections can be passed on to others, so wash her sheets/clothes/towels in hot water, as well as her brush since it is on her head. And don't forget to wipe down hard surfaces that you sit her wash/brush/clothes on.
(My sister was a holistic nurse and she told me about all these great herbal remedies for everything you can possibly think of)
Hope it helps!
If it is like ringworm, the only thing that we ever used growing up is straight bleach. If we ever got ringworm we would take a q-tip and dip it in the bleach and rub it around the spot and a little ways off the spot. We would do this twice a day, in the morning and right before bed. Within a couple days it was gone. It's worth a try...you might turn part of her hair blonde for awhile though :)
i'm a bit on the fence.
since your doctor knows your preferences, yet prescribed a systemic antifungal, i would venture that OTC ointments, et al will not work. fungus is a VERY RESISTANT bug; and if not treated properly, can spread. also, if the lesion is not bothering her now, that doesn't follow that it will always be the case. also, there is a communicable risk with ringworm (tinea capitis).
also, MOST medications have some risk of systemic side effects (even tylenol or multivitamins can affect the liver).
yet...
like you, i am resistant to strong meds for my kids. primarily because their systems are very delicate. so i do empathize with you.
you can try the tea tree, and other suggestions, but it might not cure it. also, sprays (lotromin) can be very caustic to the skin, and actually cause chemical burns. so i would personally avoid them.
i do however, believe your last statement is accurate: you may have to go back to the sporanox.
i wish you luck.
I have been going to a herbalist by the name of Mary Beth Arends. She treats children and adults for all kinds of infections and other health issues using herbal medicines and salves instead of harmful drugs and the like.
You can go to her website: www:herbalanswers.com
Her phone number is ###-###-####
She is located on the southside of Indianapolis off the I-65 South and Keystone Ave exit.
Hope this helps.
M.
honestly if you trust your dr, you should give it to her, if you read HALF of the possible relating problems to ANY rx, for children or adults then you wouldn't take 1 medicine, EVER not even tylenol, or the common ear infection antibiotic, amox. my husband had to take a medi that could've caused cardiac arrest, heart attacks etc, just an example, here's possible side effects of amoxicillin:There are a number of possible side effects with amoxicillin that you should report immediately to your healthcare provider, including, but not limited to:
Watery or bloody diarrhea (which can occur even after you have finished the medication)
Signs of liver damage, such as yellow eyes or skin (jaundice), upper right abdominal pain, or dark urine
A vaginal yeast infection or thrush (a yeast infection of the mouth)
Seizures
Anxiety or agitation
My husband currently has a case of ringworm on his torso - he was told to try clotrimazole cream (Lotrimin) - so far it seems to be working, but very slowly. Not sure why your doctor said to go straight to the oral medication - maybe because of the location of the ringworm in your daughter? Apparently it can be very stubborn to get rid of, and meanwhile it is contagious. I don't see any harm in trying some of the other more natural suggestions given, but it may be best to check back with your doc if nothing else seems to work.
One question, is it contagious and could it spread? If so, keep her contact with others limited until you do find something that works, but I agree, I would probably want to try some topicals before I went with the orals.
Try Bragg's brand Apple Cider Vinegar with the "mother" in it. You can buy it at health food stores. You can put it on a cotton ball and dab it on the ringworm. It might sting a bit, but that will go away in a few seconds. Dab it on 2-3x a day.
Fungus lives on sugar, so drastically cut down on the sugar in her diet. It wouldn't hurt to get her some probiotics. Even yogurt with live cultures in it would help.
You can also mix the Apple Cider Vinegar with some water and some honey or stevia and have her drink it. Just do one teaspoon of ACV and mix in the honey to sweeten. This would be in addition to dabbing it on her head.
I had a fungal patch on my face and my doctor wanted to give me a topical cream but I had to stay out of the sun. This was in the middle of summer! I put Apple Cider Vinegar on it and in two days it stopped itching and in a week it was gone.
There is a prescription shampoo that can be used you could always ask your pediatrician if you can try that first.
try the lamisil or lotrimon but you have to use it daily 2x a day every day for a month. If after a month you still can't get rid of it then use something stronger. But it can also spread during this time to other spots of her head. If you skip a day it is almost like starting over. My son had it on his butt cheeks in a few areas from a petting zoo. It did go away after a month but would come right back if we started skipping the applications. Don't think for a 2nd that after a week or so it is gone because it isn't. It just is kind of hiding. So you have to use it for a month whether or not you see a ring.
I googled "ringworm & vinegar" cause I've heard great things about what white vinegar can do. Someone said they soaked a cottonball in the vinegar and band-aided it to their spot and it helped. Don't know if it'll work, but it seems like it would be harmless. Good luck!
