Fungal Infection And Ayurveda Fungal infections are very common, although not so serious in them but can some time cause lot of discomfort and misery. Fungi are a group of micro-organisms that are separated from plants and animals. It have several or similar characteristics to the plant. It can grow and spread locally and then spread through spores. The fungi are found in abundant throughout the world, but are barely noticeable because of its small size and inconspicuous life style. It is noticeable unless it causes undesired effect such as a skin rash. When the Fungi take the form of mycelium which is a mass of connected hyphae, it then grows with absorption of water and nutrients like roots of a plant.These organisms when grow on the surface of the skin or mucous membrane in humans it cause irritation on the underlying surface and established unpleasant condition such as burning or itching sensations. The plaques of fungi which are formed on the skin can be difficult to eradicate because they reproduce by spores, like a tiny seeds. They are so minute that they are unable to see with naked eye, they are even resistant to some chemical detergents and heat.They can survive for long periods of time on skin and then become active when conditions are appropriate. Below are some of the common fungal infections and their causes Common Fungal Infections Ringworm: It is a type of fungal infection that is highly infectious. This type of infection generally appears to be round ring like shape. It is commonly found on all surfaces of the skin. It can also infect nails as tinea. The Ringworm fungal infection starts slowly but if untreated it can infect the entire body surface and may end with very itchy and uncomfortable. Athlete’s Foot / Feet: This type of fungal infection mainly gets infects between the toes, it sometime can also be found on the sides of the feet or in and around the toenails. Jock itch: This type of fungal infection mainly gets under thighs and groin area. Causes Of Common Fungal Infections Ringworm: It is also known as tinea, it generally passed from one infected animal or by physical contact to another person. This fungus is highly contagious so good personal hygiene is necessary. One should avoid contact of infected person or certain animals which are infected, is very important. Athlete’s foot: This type of fungal infection is generally caused by using of dirty socks or sharing it with an infected person. It can also be caused by using public showers or pools. It is also found in the person whose feet are wet more time due to water or the person have very sweaty wet feet. Jock Itch: This type of fungal infection is found in the person who has poor personal hygiene. If not look forward it can trigger to candidiasis. The use of unclean underwear or having a very sweaty groin area could also contribute to this problem. Candidiasis or yeast infection is usually harmless occurring in the digestive system or the vaginal area. Those who have depressed immune systems are susceptible to these infections. If you have the infection in the folds of your skin or in the naval you may experience itching, burning, a rash or patches of rough skin that ooze white fluid. If you have this infection in your vagina you may have itching, burning or redness in the external area of the vagina. You can also get this infection on the underside of the penis where there may be redness, scaling or a painful rash. In the mouth this infection is call thrush and can be detected by seeing white patches on the tongue or side of the mouth that are painful. perleche are cracks and tiny cuts at the corners of the mouth. You can also get fungal infections in the nail beds that will cause swelling, pus, pain and even separation of the nail from the skin. Beside this common fungal infection there are also fungal infections known as yeast or Candida, it is no fun at all especially for women. An overgrowth of Candida causes a lot of seemingly unrelated ailments. Ayurvedic Treatment. According to Ayurvedic philosophy this problem is diagnosed as “dadru”. The involved dosha is kapha- vata. Kapha is an Ayurvedic humour, which symbolizes mucus. It is cold, heavy, dense and sticky in nature. Vata is another Ayurvedic humour, which symbolizes air or wind. It is cold, dry, subtle and mobile. Kapha and vata dosha manifest in the skin and cause accumulation of toxins. These toxins accumulate in deeper tissues of skin like rasa (nutrient plasma), rakta, (blood), mansa (muscles) and lasika (lymphatic). These toxins cause contamination of deeper tissues. Contamination of deeper tissues and aggravation of kapha/vata dosha leads to ringworm. Third involved dosha is pitta. Pitta is third dosha which symbolizes heat or fire. Thus it is tridoshaj disease, in which prime involved doshas are kapha and vata.