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Foot Care

Our feet are amongst the hardiest of our body parts and they have to be as well since during a lifetime an average human being walks more that a 100,000 miles. Our feet can carry us through our life's journey without giving us much trouble if we know how to take care of them.
The best thing, of course is to work for all round fitness as one ailment or disease leads to another; for example, diabetics are more likely to have foot problems than others. Wear and Tear from use, footwear that does not fit and disease are some causes of foot problems.
Doctors who deal with foot and ankle afflictions are known podiatrists and common foot problems that they treat include bacterial and fungal infections like athlete's foot, tissue damage as in the case of frostbite, foot pain, inflammation in the joints, fractures, tearing of ligaments, warts, spurs etc.

It is good to wash your feet at the end of the day with lukewarm water and soap, then applying a foot cream. This keeps the skin healthy and disinfected, especially useful in the case of diabetics who are susceptible to infection from cuts and bruises which if not detected early can lead to gangrene and amputation of the limb. If it is observed that the toe nails are growing into the skin, a doctor should be consulted, Toe nails should be trimmed regularly as it helps maintain hygiene and reduces the chance of injury during physical activity like running to catch a bus. Corns should be referred to a doctor. Smokers usually have circulatory problems that occur due the blood vessels becoming constricted, this can lead to cold feet where the blood supply to the feet is less than normal, other candidates for cold feet are those who suffer from arterioscelorisis and high blood pressure patients. Wearing a hat in cold places, warm stockings etc should prevent cold feet. You should also not sit in one position for too long, so as to not obstruct the flow of blood down the legs. Heart patients run the risk of developing vascular complications in the legs.

Certain simple routines if, followed, will help us in taking care of our feet.People who are more prone to skin problems like blisters and skin peeling should dust their feet with a fungicidal powder. These problems usually occur because we wear our shoes for long periods of time, the dampness due to sweat and heat can lead to itching and further infections.Infections on the feet can lead to warts, which if not cured early enough can spread.

A good skin moisturizing lotion with natural oils that soothe like those of lavender, sandalwood and oils of peppermint,camphor which have an envigorating effect can be applied daily. Ill fitting footwear is a major cause of foot problems like spurs, bunions, corns and calluses etc.Corns can happen if the feet keep rubbing against the shoes. Bunions occur when the joints of the big toe are not properly aligned, they swell and become tender. They can be an inherent deformity which can get further exacerbated by ill fitting footwear.

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