Managing Athlete's Foot and Mastering Relaxation

Athlete's Foot: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatments

Athlete's foot is a fungal infection that causes lesions in the folds and the soles of the feet.

Causes of Infection

One cause is wearing shoes or clothing of other people who are affected. In severe cases, cracks occur between the toes. Infection often occurs by walking on the grass of public places. Chronic cases can affect the nails and the whole sole of the foot.

Common Symptoms

Symptoms include itching between the toes, a stronger smell, blistering, and serious skin irritation.

Treatment Options

Treatment involves antifungal drugs in the form of creams and powders. In extreme cases, a doctor may prescribe oral drugs.

The Importance of Relaxation for Health

Relaxation is one of the best means that can help balance excess daily activity. This excess, often called stress, can cause physical or psychological imbalances such as anxiety, stress, etc.

Goals of Relaxation

1. Awareness of one's body.
2. Achieving physical and psychological balance in response to stress.
3. Facilitating recovery efforts.
4. Facilitating mental concentration.
5. Improving knowledge of internal feelings, which all contribute to an overall improvement of health.

Jacobson's Progressive Relaxation Method

Jacobson's progressive relaxation method began with experimental work in 1908. Developing the method has two purposes:

1. To know the muscles and their location, or to relax the muscles to contract at will.
2. To learn to relax muscle tension that is low, which is the product of nerves and anxiousness.

Phases of the Jacobson Method

This method has two phases:

1. The recognition of feelings that muscle contractions produce and the sensations associated with the subsequent relaxation of that muscle.
2. Learning the contractions of a particular muscle group while relaxing the other groups.

Schultz's Autogenic Training Method

Schultz's autogenic training method is based on the application of hypnosis and therapy for the cure of nervous diseases. To carry out this method, you need good training and a teacher to guide you to achieve different sensations. This system can be applied in two cycles.

The Lower Cycle Exercises

The lower cycle consists of 6 exercises:

1. Awareness of heaviness in all the muscles gradually.
2. Causing a sensation of heat with phrases like "my arm is very hot."
3. With a hand on the heart, repeating "heart beats very strongly and slowly."
4. Careful breathing while slowly repeating the phrase "break."
5. Causing a sensation of warmth in the abdominal area.
6. On the head, achieving a pleasantly cool sensation by repeating "my forehead is cool."

The Upper Cycle Exercises

The upper cycle contains 7 exercises:

1. Experience with color: direct view to the center of the forehead and drawing up a color in the imagination.
2. Imagining concrete objects, such as a lighted candle and so on.
3. Giving shape to abstract values.
4. Exercises to shape the character and deepen self-knowledge.
5. Imagining that one is on the seabed.
6. Imagine that one rises to the top of a mountain.
7. Imagine yourself with some specific purpose.