Fit For Health Guide

Did you know that your foot can reach a whopping 106 degrees Fahrenheit when enclosed in a poorly ventilated shoe? On top of this, your feet (like your hands) do not produce natural body oils which help keep skin lubricated.

Proper overall skin care should always include a foot regimen because your feet do not get near the moisture they need to look young and beautiful any other way.

A main part of foot treatment is foot massage. Massages increase circulation and aid in toxin removal from your skin. Although you can buy a multitude of massage oils and creams, creating a simple organic warm mixture of 6 drops organic lavender essential oil, 1/2 ounce organic olive oil, and 1/2 ounce organic jojoba oil is an inexpensive yet delightful treatment for the foot.

Massage all of your foot with the above mixture. Run your oil over the entire foot and ankle area, then concentrate on individual parts, starting with the toes. Massage each one individually and moved to the ball of your foot. This area should be worked with your thumbs and deep pressure, as should the arch. After massaging the arch, move to your heel.

Take some extra time to work the oil into the heel, especially if it is dry and/or cracking. From the heel, work small circles up and around your ankle with your thumbs. Wipe off all excess oil before stepping into your bathtub or shower. In the bath/shower, use a foot brush to clean, using a good organic cleanser and paying special attention to getting between toes and removal of dead skin on the foot. Moisturize your feet after bathing with a good organic moisturizer.

If feet are extremely dry, choose a heavy cream moisturizer at night, apply liberally and put cotton socks on to aid absorption.

At least once per week, a good organic exfoliating treatment (see “Exfoliation” for recipes) should be used, paying special attention to any thickened areas (these are dead skin areas). These should be applied using a small circular movement. Apply your organic moisturizer after rinsing the exfoliation treatment off.

Foot apparel is important. Pinched feet create more fatigue as well as thickening skin where the shoe rubs. High heels are not good for your feet and tend to cause thickened skin on the outer edges of your big and little toes as well on the ball of your foot, so try not to wear them any more than necessary. Remember that your shoes trap energy (this is why feet get so hot).

By going without shoes as much as possible (at work, this may mean removing your shoes while you are at your desk while at home you can walk barefoot). The muscles in your feet are kept in shape through walking barefoot. Just doing your normal household chores barefoot helps keep these muscles toned.

For tired feet, try this foot soak. You can do it in a foot bath/massager, a tub, a sink, etc. The where and how does not matter, it will invigorate you tootsies! Add 1/4 cup Epsom Salt and 4 drops organic rosemary (or peppermint) essential oil to 3 gallons warm water and soak your feet for 15 to 20 minutes. Apply organic moisturizer afterwards. Adding organic milk to this will help soften your skin because milk has a natural alpha hydroxy acid in it.

Every one has problem areas on their feet from time to time. These quick solutions will help you combat your dry skin problem areas.

Use a pumice stone one heels after foot baths. Use a heavy organic cream moisturizer (liberally applied and covered with cotton socks) before bed every night.

Apply ripe organic banana (mashed) to the heels and let sit for 10 to 15 minutes, rinse well with warm water.

Soak your feet in milk regularly. A less wasteful way to accomplish this is to use a hand towel doused with milk. Wrap around the foot, making sure that the dry skin problems are in contact with the milk.

About The Author:

You can keep yourself looking and feeling great with these great beauty tips at http://www.NaturalElements.co.uk

My nails are thick, yellow and seem to have something growing underneath them. I’m not a dirty person, how did this happen? I get asked this question more times a week than I can count. Why do some people have nasty toenails that look like little mountains of yellow, thick rock? Fungus is the most common culprit! And most women’s answer is to cover it in toenail polish until it spreads and becomes painful. Men just wear closed toed shoes and hide the problem. Either way, this common infection is often ignored until it becomes a real pain in the toes!

Toe nail fungus strikes across class, ethnic, age and hygiene lines. In fact, one study showed that almost 50% of people over the age of 40 have experienced some type of toenail fungus. Fungal infections are incredibly common, but are more prevalent in athletes (due to chronic toenail trauma from shoes) and the aged or infirmed (due to a decreased immune response).

The typical athlete’s foot fungus, called a dermatophyte, is the same fungus that infects your toenails. Fungus loves a moist, warm, dark environment, like in your shoes between your toes. The toenails can have a whitish, chalky superficial infection or a yellow to brown discoloration under the toenails that seems to eat and destroy the nail as it grows. Long standing fungal toenail look like thick, brownish-yellow mountains growing on the end of your toes. The thickness makes them painful and susceptible to a secondary bacterial infection. This infection can be quite dangerous and has been linked to gangrene in diabetics.

How is toenail fungus diagnosed? Diagnosis of toenail fungus, or onychomycosis, can only be made by a toenail biopsy. Your podiatrist can take a small piece of the leading nail and send it for a special stain that shows the fungus. A PAS stain is usually faster and more accurate than a fungal culture, because often the fungus does not grow in the laboratory. Do not assume you have onychomycosis. Psoriasis and other skin disorders as well as chronic trauma can look like fungus. Also, a melanoma under the nails can mimic fungus, but can be deadly if there is a delay in diagnosis. If you suspect you have toenail fungus, don’t delay, see your podiatrist today!

How can I prevent toenail fungus?

1. If you get regular pedicures, bring your own instruments or go to a spa that sterilizes their instruments in an autoclave (like our in-office spa, Health Steps DFW).
2. Clean your toenail clippers with alcohol before you use them if you do your own toenails and make sure to replace Emory boards and orange sticks regularly.
3. We also recommend you regularly clean your shoes with either antibacterial spray like Lysol or even better an antibacterial with an antifungal like Mycomist (Gordon Laboratories) at least once a month and dry them with a hairdryer.
4. Changing socks regularly (even a few times a day if you have sweaty feet) and keeping your feet clean and dry is also helpful.
5. Keep your athletic shoes dry and also change them regularly. If you exercise regularly, buy your athletic shoes a half size larger than your street shoes so you won’t bash your toenails as your feet swell with exercise.

How is toenail fungus treated? There is a lot of misinformation out there about toenail fungus. I have never told my patients to use white iodine, Vic’s Vaporub or organic cornmeal soaks on their toes. There is no evidence I can find that it works (If you know of any scientific evidence please send it to me).

Topical therapy should have some penetration of the nail plate like Formula 3 Tolnaftate oil (tetra Corp), Nailstat (Tripod Labs), or prescription (now generic Penlac) ciclopirox nail lacquer. This should be coupled with a nail treatment plan from your podiatrist.

If this doesn’t work after several months, oral medication, like terbinafine (generic Lamisil) or itraconazole (generic Sporonox) may be needed. Remember, no matter how you treat fungal toenails, it takes at least 6 to 12 months for the toenails to grow out completely. A combination of oral and topical medication has the best long-term results, but still does not have a 100% cure rate. Relapse is also common, so it’s important to play offense (treat the fungus) and defense (try to prevent the fungus) at the same time.

Don’t ignore nail fungus…it’s an infection, not just a cosmetic problem!

About the Author:

For more information on foot and ankle health, visit our website at http://www.faant.com or my blog at http://www.myrundoc.com

Why do my feet hurt?
“When your feet hurt, your whole body hurts.” -Socrates.

If you have experienced foot pain in your lifetime, you know this statement to be true. The human foot is complex. It contains 26 bones (the two feet contain one quarter of all the bones in the human body), 33 joints, and over 100 tendons, muscles, and ligaments. Foot ailments are among the most common of our health problems. Although some can be traced to heredity, many occur from the cumulative effect of years of abuse and neglect. The average person walks 115,000 miles (the equivalent of more than 4 ½ times around the world) during their lifetime. Studies show that 75% Americans experience some type of foot pain during their life, yet many do not seek medical treatment because they believe that foot pain is a normal part of life. Pain typically is a sign that body is telling us that there is something wrong, and therefore, should not be ignored.

Heel pain is one of the most common ailments of the foot in adults. The heel bone is the largest bone in the foot and is the first part of the foot to contact the ground during the gait cycle. A fibrous band of tissue called the plantar fascia attaches to the bottom of the heel bone and acts as a shock absorber for the foot and arch. Poor mechanics of the foot, engaging in strenuous activities (especially running), obesity, standing for long periods of time, and wearing shoes that do not offer enough support cause inflammation along the plantar fascia. This results in pain that is typically more severe in the morning or at the end of the day after prolonged activity. Heel pain can usually be treated successfully with conservative measures. Adding an arch support to your shoe, stretching, and icing are some of the things one can do to alleviate pain. If symptoms persist, a podiatrist may recommend custom molded arch supports (orthotics), prescribe medications, administer cortisone, as well as other forms of treatment. Heel pain can be relieved in most cases following such a treatment regimen. Patients that do not respond to conservative measures may be candidates for a technological breakthrough. A new procedure called Podiatherm helps relieve pain by blocking the sensation of pain from the nerves around the heel pain. It is performed under local anesthesia and during a single, fifteen minute office visit. There are no restrictions afterwards.

Another common cause of foot pain is bunions, which are painful bumps on the big toe joint. Bunions worsen over time and cause redness, tenderness and pain along the big toe joint. Initially, focus should be in modifying one’s shoe styles to relieve pain. Narrow-toed shoes and high heels should be discarded for more supportive, wider shoes. If symptoms do not improve, padding may help relieve some of the pain. If a bunion continues to cause discomfort, a surgical procedure called a bunionectomy may be performed. In most cases (depending on the severity of the bunion), patients may walk in a special shoe after surgery and return to tennis shoes after 4 weeks.

As stated earlier…when your feet hurt, your whole body can hurt. In many cases, foot problems are due to poor foot mechanics. Poor foot mechanics coupled with a change in your gait to offset pain can lead to lower leg pain, knee pain, or back pain. Foot pain is not normal and should not be accepted as a way of life.

Some foot health tips are as follows:

1. Select and wear the right shoe for the activity you are engaged in (for example, running shoes for running).
2. Trim your nails straight across. Be careful to not cut too far back on the sides as this may lead to an ingrown nail.
3. If you are diabetic, it is important to check your feet daily and see a physician at least once a year for a check up.
4. Alternate shoes-don’t wear the same pair of shoes everyday.
5. Running shoes should be changed every 300-500 miles.
6. If you have foot pain or are diabetic, avoid going barefoot.
7. Make sure your shoes fit properly. Purchase shoes later in the day when feet tend to be larger due to swelling.
8. Walking is a great exercise for your heart and your feet.

About the Author:

Dr. Jaryl Korpinen of Premier Foot and Ankle is a Foot and Ankle Specialist in Plano and McKinney, Texas. He has appeared on television and radio programs to discuss various foot and ankle conditions. http://www.premierfootankle.com