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Q. You've written about itching, redness and peeling associated with athlete's foot. Fungus is not the only condition that can cause these symptoms.
As a physician, I never prescribed oral medication without laboratory confirmation (culture, microscopy, etc.) of the diagnosis. I can't tell you how many patients came to me on oral terbinafine (a prescription antifungal medicine). In some cases, they'd been taking it for many months to treat a condition that obviously was never fungal in origin. Even in cases of proven fungus on the feet, symptoms between the toes may be due to bacteria. No one gets better without addressing that.
Home remedies like Absorbine Jr. are strong antibacterial agents.
They work better and more safely than antibiotics. This is an important area that needs to be re-taught.
A. Absorbine Jr. dates back to 1903. The active ingredient is menthol. This compound, which occurs naturally in mint plants, has both antibacterial and antifungal activity (International Journal of Molecular Sciences, May 20, 2026).
This may help explain why some readers have found Absorbine Jr. helpful for treating athlete's foot. Some of the "inactive" ingredients in Absorbine Jr., such as calendula, Echinacea, thymol and wormwood, also have antimicrobial properties.
Q. The dermatologist prescribed Accutane to treat my acne. When I looked it up, I found that it has a lot of serious side effects. I'd prefer not to take that risk. Can I clear my acne without this medicine?
A. If your dermatologist is suggesting Accutane, we assume that you have already tried over-the-counter medications such as benzoyl peroxide, alpha-hydroxy acid or sulfur. There are also a number of topical prescription medicines, including antibiotics, adapalene, azelaic acid or tretinoin. These can often be effective.
A change in diet may also be helpful. Some people find that avoiding processed foods, as well as milk and dairy products, can significantly reduce skin lesions.
You can read more about these approaches in our "eGuide to Acne Solutions." This online resource may be found under the Health eGuides tab at www.PeoplesPharmacy.com.
Q. I started taking oral minoxidil (2.5 milligrams) for thinning hair, and my hair began to grow much thicker. It is now as thick as it was when I was younger for about 4 or 5 inches.
Unfortunately, my eyes became dry and occasionally even crusty in the morning when I woke up. I tried many drops for dry eyes.
Also, I had puffy pads below both eyes.
I read that minoxidil could cause this. So, I cut the pills in half and now am taking 1/4 of a tablet. The swelling and dry eye problem resolved quickly. I hope my hair thickness does not regress, but so far, all is well.
A. Oral minoxidil has only been approved for hard-to-treat high blood pressure. The usual dose ranges from 10 to 40 milligrams. Your physician is prescribing low-dose minoxidil off-label. Because the dose is so low, it has far fewer serious side effects than full-dose minoxidil.
There is growing evidence that this approach works as well as applying topical minoxidil (Rogaine) (JAMA Dermatology, June 1, 2024).
Although there is no mention of dry eye complications in the official prescribing information, people are reporting this problem, even at low doses. Your solution seems sensible, though the super-low dose you are taking might not be quite as effective for hair growth.