This entry was posted 14 years, 2 months ago.
March 6, 2009
It is not easy to describe, how much work our feet do for us, and how terribly we mistreat them! Walking on incredibly high heels, standing on feet for hours, wearing very uncomfortable, but fashionable shoes! Sometimes, our feet are crying for help, and everything we can do is just 5-10 minutes of daily care. However, not may of us find time for that, until we start feeling pain in our feet after hard working days. Sore feet, dry feet, heel spurs, wounds, hematomas and blisters, fungal infections – these are just few problems which are familiar to many people, especially women. Why don’t we treat our feet right?
There are a lot of easy and good natural treatments and natural remedies which can help to relax and comfort our tired feet. It would be enough just simply soak your feet in warm water for 10-15 minutes before the bedtime. Warm water can soothe and relax your muscles, and adding several drops of an essential oil into the water will have numerous positive effects on your body and mind. Besides, if you are not that lazy or tired in the end of the day, you can use both cold and warm treatment for your feet, soaking them in a bucket of hot and then in a bucket of cold water (2-3 minutes each).
Sore foot or foot pain can be relieved by a food bath with various essential oils, especially Eucalyptus, Chamomile, Peppermint, Rosemary, Lavender or even Olive oil. Specialists recommend soaking your feet in warm water with several mustard seeds: such bath can help to stimulate blood flow to your feet, fasten metabolism and detoxification in your tissues and bring relief to pains in muscles and joints. Nutritionists recommend eating asparagus, which can help to remove extra fluids from the body and reduce swellings. Finally, massaging your tired feet with two drops of Clove oil and several drops of Sesame oil can help to improve blood circulation in your feet and soothe your skin.
Foot odor is another quite common and very embarrassing problem, which has many very effective natural solutions. Placing some leaves of Sage (Salvia officinalis) into your shoes is one of the oldest and the most tested recommendations that can assist you in keeping the odor under control. Regular soaking your feet in a mixture of 50-70 g of apple vinegar and warm water is another natural way to avoid the odor. You can also use lemon juice instead of the vinegar. Finally, using special foot bath with tea on a regular basis can help you forget about foot odor. Soak your feet once a day in 1 liter of warm water with 3-4 tea bags.
If you have such problem as fungal infection on your toenails, you can use Celandine (Chelidonium majus) tincture, which can be mixed with several drops of Tea Tree, Chamomile or Lemon oil. It is also recommended to use Celandine foot bath: boil 4-5 table spoons of Celandine flowers in 1 liter of water for 3-5 minutes, wait until it cools down and bathe your foot for 20-30 minutes. Besides, to treat fungal infection on the toenails it is possible to use burdock leaves. Pick 1-2 fresh burdock leaves, tear them into small pieces and smash them untill you receive something like a paste. Place some of the paste on the infected toenail and wrap it around with some small piece of soft cloth. Keep overnight.
Author Info: Hi! My name is Carla and I am a 5th year medical student at HYMS. I am interested in alternative medicine and I have done months researching the topic of herbal medicine. Besides, I like interviewing people and learning more about their experiences with one or another type of herbal treatments. I am willing to contribute to this site with my knowledge, and I would be happy to help you out to the best of my ability with any specific questions or problems related to alternative medicine.
March 28th, 2011 at 2:03 pm
“However, not may of us find time for that, until we start feeling pain in our feet after hard working days.” Very good point!
June 15th, 2011 at 2:02 am
This is such a wonderful post. Many people often overlook the importance of daily care for their feet, until such time that they feel pain or they develop certain diseases in this part of their body. I was once guilty of not properly taking care of my feet. As an athlete, I often wear shoes that are tight around the toes and there are instances when I don’t try my feet well before wearing my shoes. Because of these practices, I developed toenail fungus and it was very embarrassing. My nails turned yellow and brittle, disallowing me to wear slippers in public. A friend of mine recommended a natural anti-fungal product to me and it worked wonders for me. I hope others who are suffering from toenail fungus will properly take care of their feet.