Seventy-five percent of Americans have serious foot problems at one
point of their lives, although only a small portion of the population is
born with foot problems. Others who were born with perfectly good feet
develop problems due to inattention and lack of awareness of the
importance of well-maintained feet.
The 52 bones of a pair of feet is 25% of the body’s total number of bones.
Together with 33 joints, 107 ligaments and 19 muscles of each foot, the feet absorb about five times the body weight in pressure everyday.
The first measures to be undertaken for preventive foot care is the selection of shoes, socks and stockings that fit well.
Some feet do
not match in size so if this is the case, buy shoes that will fit the
larger foot. Women are four times more likely to develop foot problems,
due in part to the use of high heels, so avoid wearing them as much as
possible or remove them at every opportunity to prevent sore feet. Put
feet up whenever possible to keep the blood flowing and wriggle toes for
up to 5 minutes, much like toe crunches.
Walking is considered good for the feet as well as for general health, provided proper shoes and socks are used. Purchase socks that absorb sweat away from the feet to keep from developing sores as well as fungal growth (athlete’s foot) and change socks every day. Choose footwear made of leather or canvass that will allow the feet to breathe and shoes should be changed at intervals. Foot powder can also be used to minimize sweating. Avoid hot or cold for your feet, and avoid the use of electric blankets and heating pads which may burn your feet inadvertently.
Wash feet daily, rinse and dry thoroughly, especially between the toes. Nails should be trimmed straight and not too near the nail bed to prevent infections.
Avoid digging out and cutting at corners; this could result to ingrown toe nails. Remove rough skin gently by first soaking feet in warm water then gently scrubbing with a small towel or loofah, but scratch it if you are diabetic and you have a wound in your foot, soaking will make it worse. Indulge in feet massage as regularly as possible, and have a pedicure about once a week to keep toes pretty but make sure the implements used are clean.
There are many foot care products, especially for athlete’s foot, tendinitis and calluses. For the last two, consult your physician before purchasing. In general, chemical preparations for the removal of calluses are not recommended. A podiatrist or other health care professional can trim them for you safely. For those who may need special shoes, there may be Medicare coverage so ask your physician.
Cleansing tips –
• A concoction of honey, liquid soap and almond oil in a 1:1:2 ratio, to which a tea spoon of vanilla extract has been added, works well for the feet. This mixture when poured into a small basin of warm water and used to soak feet in, will make them relaxed and cleansed.
• For smelly feet, an alternate day soak in warm water mixed with lavender oil and a pinch of salt, works wonders. It is a nerve relaxant as well.
• A few drops of vinegar, mixed with 50 grams of curd, when rubbed thoroughly on heels, between toes and all over the feet, then left to stay for 10 minutes; will cleanse the feet well, removing all dead cells, when washed off.
Scrubbing tips –
• Dead skin can be removed on a daily basis with a pumice stone.
• For hardened heels, grind some almonds/strawberries; mix them with olive oil/almond oil and a teaspoon of sea salt. Use this mixture as a scrub for your feet. Rigorous movements will enhance blood circulation too. Wash with warm water and apply moisturizing oil.
• Apply a mixture of glycerine, fresh cream and honey, all in equal amounts onto your feet. Let it stay for 15 minutes and then wash off with warm water. Follow this for three days and find your feet soft and smooth.
Softening/Moisturizing tips –
• A mixture of glycerine and rose water applied every night before bedtime helps keep feet soft and glowing, especially the heels.
• Almond oil massaged onto feet before bedtime keeps cracks and dry skin at bay, especially during winters.
• Application of Aloe Vera gel on your feet daily will keep them well moisturized and free of diseases like athlete’s foot.
Some Must Dos for healthy feet –
• Wear the right shoes, a little tight or a little loose do not work well.
• Do away with stingy buckles, straps that rub too much and too high heeled pairs.
• Comfort is primary for long hours in one pair only, so choose wisely. Reserve the fancy pairs for evening outs only.
• Let your feet breathe for a while. Wash and clean them well and then wear some airy foot wear at least for an hour everyday.
• Walks, yoga or some light exercise increases blood circulation in the feet and legs.
• Follow all foot care regimes at night. This not only relaxes you at the end of the day but also gives ample time to your feet to absorb the applications well.
• Wear socks of good material and change them daily.
The basic pedicure –
To begin with remove old nail paint. Then clip your nails, straight across. File to smoother them. Now soak your feet in warm water for 15minutes. Add coconut oil and lemon juice to this water before dipping the feet or any of the herbal cleansing combinations mentioned above. Then slowly scrub your feet with a pumice stone. Take out the feet and dry them well. Separate toes using cotton swabs. Apply a cuticle softener and then, push back the cuticles with a cuticle removing stick. Moisturize your feet well with the herbal options available. Apply a coat of clear nail paint or nail protecting serum and let it dry well. Application of co loured nail paint is a personal choice to give a final touch with.
The 52 bones of a pair of feet is 25% of the body’s total number of bones.
Together with 33 joints, 107 ligaments and 19 muscles of each foot, the feet absorb about five times the body weight in pressure everyday.
Typical foot problems include sores, athlete’s foot, cuts, ingrown toenails, bunions, calluses and plantar warts. To avoid most of these problems, good foot care should be a habit, including but not limited to daily inspection of the feet, toes and toenails. This is especially true for people with diabetes, because the nerve damage and compromised blood flow may keep them from discovering cuts that could develop into serious wounds and perhaps amputations because they also do not heal as fast. Other diseases will manifest in the feet as well, including arthritis, nerve disorders and circulatory ailments.
The first measures to be undertaken for preventive foot care is the selection of shoes, socks and stockings that fit well.
Some feet do
not match in size so if this is the case, buy shoes that will fit the
larger foot. Women are four times more likely to develop foot problems,
due in part to the use of high heels, so avoid wearing them as much as
possible or remove them at every opportunity to prevent sore feet. Put
feet up whenever possible to keep the blood flowing and wriggle toes for
up to 5 minutes, much like toe crunches.Walking is considered good for the feet as well as for general health, provided proper shoes and socks are used. Purchase socks that absorb sweat away from the feet to keep from developing sores as well as fungal growth (athlete’s foot) and change socks every day. Choose footwear made of leather or canvass that will allow the feet to breathe and shoes should be changed at intervals. Foot powder can also be used to minimize sweating. Avoid hot or cold for your feet, and avoid the use of electric blankets and heating pads which may burn your feet inadvertently.
Wash feet daily, rinse and dry thoroughly, especially between the toes. Nails should be trimmed straight and not too near the nail bed to prevent infections.
Avoid digging out and cutting at corners; this could result to ingrown toe nails. Remove rough skin gently by first soaking feet in warm water then gently scrubbing with a small towel or loofah, but scratch it if you are diabetic and you have a wound in your foot, soaking will make it worse. Indulge in feet massage as regularly as possible, and have a pedicure about once a week to keep toes pretty but make sure the implements used are clean.
There are many foot care products, especially for athlete’s foot, tendinitis and calluses. For the last two, consult your physician before purchasing. In general, chemical preparations for the removal of calluses are not recommended. A podiatrist or other health care professional can trim them for you safely. For those who may need special shoes, there may be Medicare coverage so ask your physician.
Cleansing tips –
• A concoction of honey, liquid soap and almond oil in a 1:1:2 ratio, to which a tea spoon of vanilla extract has been added, works well for the feet. This mixture when poured into a small basin of warm water and used to soak feet in, will make them relaxed and cleansed.
• For smelly feet, an alternate day soak in warm water mixed with lavender oil and a pinch of salt, works wonders. It is a nerve relaxant as well.
• A few drops of vinegar, mixed with 50 grams of curd, when rubbed thoroughly on heels, between toes and all over the feet, then left to stay for 10 minutes; will cleanse the feet well, removing all dead cells, when washed off.
Scrubbing tips –
• Dead skin can be removed on a daily basis with a pumice stone.
• For hardened heels, grind some almonds/strawberries; mix them with olive oil/almond oil and a teaspoon of sea salt. Use this mixture as a scrub for your feet. Rigorous movements will enhance blood circulation too. Wash with warm water and apply moisturizing oil.
• Apply a mixture of glycerine, fresh cream and honey, all in equal amounts onto your feet. Let it stay for 15 minutes and then wash off with warm water. Follow this for three days and find your feet soft and smooth.
Softening/Moisturizing tips –
• A mixture of glycerine and rose water applied every night before bedtime helps keep feet soft and glowing, especially the heels.
• Almond oil massaged onto feet before bedtime keeps cracks and dry skin at bay, especially during winters.
• Application of Aloe Vera gel on your feet daily will keep them well moisturized and free of diseases like athlete’s foot.
Some Must Dos for healthy feet –
• Wear the right shoes, a little tight or a little loose do not work well.
• Do away with stingy buckles, straps that rub too much and too high heeled pairs.
• Comfort is primary for long hours in one pair only, so choose wisely. Reserve the fancy pairs for evening outs only.
• Let your feet breathe for a while. Wash and clean them well and then wear some airy foot wear at least for an hour everyday.
• Walks, yoga or some light exercise increases blood circulation in the feet and legs.
• Follow all foot care regimes at night. This not only relaxes you at the end of the day but also gives ample time to your feet to absorb the applications well.
• Wear socks of good material and change them daily.
The basic pedicure –
To begin with remove old nail paint. Then clip your nails, straight across. File to smoother them. Now soak your feet in warm water for 15minutes. Add coconut oil and lemon juice to this water before dipping the feet or any of the herbal cleansing combinations mentioned above. Then slowly scrub your feet with a pumice stone. Take out the feet and dry them well. Separate toes using cotton swabs. Apply a cuticle softener and then, push back the cuticles with a cuticle removing stick. Moisturize your feet well with the herbal options available. Apply a coat of clear nail paint or nail protecting serum and let it dry well. Application of co loured nail paint is a personal choice to give a final touch with.
Feet care baths
Soothing Foot
Bath
Mix 1/8 teaspoon of
menthol crystals, 4 tablespoons of powdered alum, 8 tablespoons of boric
acid, and 10 tablespoons of magnesium sulfate (Epsom salts). Use a
teaspoon of this mixture in a gallon of hot water for a powerful and
relaxing foot soak.
Hemlock Foot Refresher
The Hemlock Spruce
is a North American evergreen tree whose bark is known to have medicinal
properties. Putting powdered bark of Hemlock in your shoes can help to
soothe tender feet, and can combat sweaty feet and foot odor.
Pumice & Cornmeal Foot Scrub
Cornmeal is a mild
abrasive which effectively exfoliates rough, dry skin with the aid of a
pumice stone. Mix ½ cup of dry cornmeal with 2 tablespoons of avocado
oil. Spread on feet and rub skin with a pumice stone, concentrating on
the most callused areas of your feet. Rinse with water and pat dry. This
treatment will leave your feet feeling smooth.
Walnut Foot Treatment
Bath
Use this decoction to treat sweaty feet. Boil
1 pound of dried English Walnut leaves in
1.5 quarts of water for 45 minutes. Use 1/3 to ½ of the mixture in a gallon of hot water. Soak feet.
Deodorant Green Clay Foot Mask
Green clay gently
exfoliates while pulling impurities from the skin and restoring mineral
content. Green clay is full of silica and magnesium, which are highly
absorbent and make it s great foot deodorant.
Mix ½ cup of
powdered green clay with ½ cup of water. Prepare a thick paste with the
clay and the water. Coat feet with the paste and allow time to dry.
Rinse off with warm, soapy water, and pat dry. Moisturize if necessary.
Willow
Foot Treatment
Bath
Use this decoction to treat sweaty feet. Boil
1 pound of dried White Willow bark in
1.5 quarts of water for 45 minutes. Use 1/3 to ½ of the mixture in a gallon of hot water. Soak feet.
Follow these simple home remedies to keep your feet happy and pampered. Thanks for watching this.
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