“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And you are the one who’ll decide where to go.”
This inspiring graduation advice by my favorite philosopher puts feet right up there with brains. Dr. Seuss always knows. He wrote a whole book on feet.
Okay, it’s a kid’s book, but still, the man has wisdom. Take a moment to think about your feet. What are your feet to you? A stinky source of embarrassment? Your trusty transportation? Or just an afterthought, an appendage you take for granted? I hope you don’t take your feet for granted. For those of us who are fortunate enough to be ambulatory, some estimate we walk the equivalent of four times around the Earth in our lifetimes. That’s a lot of steps. It behooves you to mind your hooves. Here are a few select foot problems with suggested solutions.
Cracked soles: Do the bottoms of your feet get really dry, with a white or yellow discoloration and cracks in the heels? The culprit is usually a fungus infection. Try this: After you shower, go after that thick skin with your weapon of choice — pumice stone, file, even a razor (be careful). Then, when you’ve removed most of the dead calloused skin, apply an antifungal cream or tea tree oil product and rub it in well. Do this every time you shower and you will have soft soles in no time.
Stinky feet: These are also due to the fungus among us. Keep your feet clean and dry, and change socks frequently. Don’t go barefoot at the public gym or changing room. Slather on the antifungal cream or tea tree oil twice a day. Fungus is hard to eradicate from shoes, so if your favorite lucky sneakers have become extra fragrant, then sorry, but they need to go to the dump.
Blisters: Use petroleum jelly or any thick ointment to grease up the areas of your feet most likely to develop blisters. Wear acrylic socks. Their layered construction will absorb the friction so your tootsies won’t have to. Or wear two pairs of socks, especially for long hikes. The thinner, liner pair goes inside. If you start to get a “hot spot” (red and sore but not yet a blister), take the pressure off it right away with moleskin.
Toenails: Keeping your toenails short will keep your toes more comfortable in those running or walking shoes. Be sure to cut them straight across, not curved, to avoid the dreaded ingrown nail.
Shoes: Podiatrists get a lot of their business as a direct result of the shoe industry. Pointy toes, high heels and other fashionable footwear can rapidly become instruments of torture.
Wear flat, wide, comfortable shoes to avoid Achilles tendon shrinkage, bunions and foot pain. Don’t run your running shoes into the ground before you replace them.
Pain: There are lots of reasons for foot pain, from ill-fitting shoes to stress fractures. If you have persistent foot pain, you might need to see a podiatrist. Lucky for you, SHAC has one. Call (505) 277-3136 to make an appointment.
Remember, the foot bone is connected to the everything-else bone, so treat those dogs well.
Peggy Spencer is a student-health physician. She is also the co-author of the book “50 ways to leave your 40s.” Email your questions directly to her at pspencer@unm.edu. All questions will be considered anonymous, and all questioners will remain anonymous.
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