Foot anti fungal has a new use
23/05/2007 by admin.
Pharmacologists looked at 2400 drugs to see if any of them could stop cell multiplication in tumours and hence stop their fast growth. Itraconazole,first synthesised in 1980, was found by the researchers at Johns Hopkins University in the USA to have the ability to starve tumour cells of their ability to grow new blood cells. Itraconazole is used in foot anti fungal products especially those for onychomycosis. Other similar experiments found that Zinc Pyrithione (also anti-fungal and anti-bacterial) which is an ingredient of anti dandruff shampoos could keep open defective cell gateways within the brain and allow potassium, a nerve calmer to have an improved flow.
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Stiletto Heels
16/05/2007 by admin.
A fashion statement or something to give you sore legs and feet? A derivation of the Italian word ‘Stilo’ which means dagger,Stiletto appeared in the English language in the early 17th century meaning a short dagger with a thick blade. Later in the 17th century it described pointed beards and in the 1950’s a shoe heel. The stiletto heels were very popular in the 50’s and 60’s and have from time to time made a comeback. The high heels not only emphasise a ladies attractive legs, adding some height but can over a period of time give the wearer a painful back, corns and shorten the Tendo Achillies (albeit reversible over time) making wearing low heels or flat shoes very uncomfortable. The pressure on the toes and the nails is enormous in the toe box of the shoe and this increases with heel height. The pressure on the heel is also concentrated in one very small surface area and resulted over the years in many a ‘No Stilletos’ sign in halls or shops with fine wooden floors. So what’s best ladies ? If you want to wear the shoes OK, but like lots of things –in moderation and think of your poor toes !
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Trainers for a marathon
04/05/2007 by admin.
Now that the 26 miles of the London marathon is over again for another year its time to think about the best footwear to use. You would never run a marathon with a pair of heavy safety shoes on, so appropriate for the job footwear is an essential bit of kit. Unless you have the best of trainers on, your feet and legs you will know all about pain and discomfort. So what helps make a good trainer shoe? Light breathable fabric uppers can help keep the foot cool. Great support from a good quality mid sole with a shock absorbing insole. The heel should also be well cushioned and some trainers have gel pads in this important area. Weight is important too, with some brands being as light as 200g. An often asked question is how often to replace trainers? In general if you are serious about running 6 to 9 months is probably about right, less strenuous use could last a bit longer. Shop around,you don’t have to pay top £, best quality trainers are not always the most expensive !
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Diabetes Care
22/04/2007 by admin.
If you have diabetes it’s important to remember the main facts of regular basic foot care. This short health education article below highlights those important points of looking after your feet.
Foot Care for Diabetics
Wash your feet daily in cool water, paying careful attention to cleaning between your toes. Use a basin to do this; it’s a particularly good method of thoroughly checking your feet for cuts, abrasions, swollen toes, discolorations or even something stuck on your feet. If you can’t see the sole properly use a hand mirror or ask someone else to check for you. Unfortunately in some people with diabetes problems can go unnoticed due to reduction in sensation. To prevent injury to your feet please don’t walk around barefoot, even at home. Change to clean socks/stockings daily. ‘Therasocks’ a double layer sock and seamless socks are excellent products to help prevent blistering or potential friction ulcers If your skin is dry ‘Callusan Forte’ is a superb and effective light mousse emollient containing Urea that can be used to soften dry areas, it’s a very useful product to treat or prevent cracking and fissuring in the skin. (Cracked skin has the potential to allow bacteria to enter the breaks setting up an infection). Plain un-medicated talcum powder can be used sparingly. Any itching, weeping fungal infection between toes should be dealt with speedily using ‘Lamisil’ a spray or cream version is available. Please remember that good foot hygiene accompanied by examination is important and should always be completed daily.
Leather lace–up shoes or even training shoes are recommended, they hold the feet firmly in place and prevent the foot from sliding forward. When buying new shoes ask for your feet to be measured each time, there may be some changes from your last visit to the shoe shop. Remember to check length, width and see that there is enough depth in the toe area. Protect the sole of your feet with a long lasting shock absorbing insole like ‘PPT/Plastazote’ diabetic specification insoles.Remember awareness of heat and cold can also sometimes be diminished and circulation less efficient than a non-diabetic, so attention should be paid to avoiding overheated baths, sitting too close to a fire and keeping a hot water bottle in bed. Cutting instruments should never be used on corns or callouses by individuals with diabetes, importantly never use corn paints/plasters, many contain strong acids that are dangerous and could cause ulceration. Always seek the attention of the Podiatrist for further advice Cut your toenails as straight across as possible using quality nail clippers then carefully file any sharp edges to prevent damage to the neighbouring toes. If your vision is not good please see a Podiatrist. Any minor injuries that do not appear to respond to your own treatment should be shown immediately to your Podiatrist as even a mild infection can upset your diabetes. If you notice a change of colour, pain, throbbing, swelling or itching, in the foot, or a discharge coming from a break in the skin, from a corn or under a toe-nail consult your Podiatry Clinic or doctor immediately. Finally for peace of mind and your safety, its desirable that your Podiatrist should carry out a thorough assessment of your feet at least annually.
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More about Urea in foot creams
06/04/2007 by admin.
Did you know that dry skin often lacks natural Urea that would normally keep our skin soft and hydrated. Urea re-hydrates the Stratum Corneum and its loss means the skin loses its water binding function allowing the skin to dry and crack. Dry skin on the feet can not only produce nasty painful cracks but allow entry of bacteria and fungi causing irritation. Our skin contains three natural moisturising factors that are produced during the process of karatinisation, they are Amino acids, Lactic acid and Urea. (Keratinisation is the process where dead cells are shed by the epidermis, this takes approximately 28 days) The Urea added to foot creams allow the other products in the preparation to act more effectively eg Lanolin.
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What is a Verruca ?
06/04/2007 by admin.
If you have kids that are keen on swimming the chances are they will pick up the dreaded Verrucas at some point. The viral warts called Verrucas are caused by the Human Papilloma Virus. I takes around 4-6 months for them to make an appearance on your childrens feet and quite often it takes a while for the Verrucas to become painful and big enough for them to complain about it. The virus is easily spread by physical contact and cuts and abrasions on the feet can allow the virus to enter, hence the reason many kids get the infection from school gyms,swimming baths and changing rooms. Prevention isn’t easy at school. It’s a good idea to not share footwear,use their own towel and wear flip flops around changing areas or at the edge of pools.
Treating warts/Veruccas is easily completed at home but can take a bit of patience (often around 18wks !) and it should continue for about a week after you can no longer see it. Products to treat them can be varied; from Freezing (can be very painful for children) to painless methods like Veracur Gel(Formaldehyde) incidentally very suitable and safe for young children and diabetics, to Occlusal a Salicylic acid based treatment for adults and older children. Whatever product is used, anyone not sure about a mark on a childs foot or a particularly large Verruca should get it checked by their GP or Podiatrist first of all.
Veracur Gel,Occlusal and Swim socks available from http://www.yourfootcare.com/html/verrucas_and_warts.html
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Sweaty and smelly feet
01/04/2007 by admin.
It’s an inconvenient and at worst an embarrassing problem. Sweaty feet can affect all age groups and both sexes. It can sometimes be so bad that an odour can be detected from feet through a pair of shoes!
The technical term used to describe sweaty feet is Hyperhidrosis and the unpleasant odour caused by bacterial breakdown of secretions from the sweat glands, as Bromhidrosis. In appearance, the skin of the feet can be red and puffy, the excess sweat causing the skin to be macerated having a white and rubbery look between the toes. The increase in sweat leaves the skin vulnerable to fungal infection, the virus that causes the formation of veruccas and blistering caused by lack of elasticity in the skin.
The first steps in helping the situation should include simple good foot hygiene. Wash your feet in cool water using a non scented soap, afterwards dry carefully between the toes. Use shoes or trainer shoes with leather uppers to allow the skin to breath and importantly allow the footwear to dry out by alternating their use. Use natural fibre hosiery containing a high percentage of cotton to keep the feet cool and absorb secretions. Some specialist socks have high tech man made fibres that helps to keep the skin cool. Also associated with increase sweating is a high amount of Caffeine consumption, so reduce the tea and coffee input to help! Using products like Gehwol deodorant foot cream and Akileine shoe spray to keep the footwear fresh can help enormously.
See www.yourfootcare.com/html/sweaty_smelly_feet.html
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Fungal nail infection
24/03/2007 by admin.
Our toe nails have several functions, from protecting the bone at the end of the toe to improving the sense of touch. When something goes wrong like discolouration or crumbling, treatment is sought because it either becomes uncomfortable,thickened or looks bad. The title Onychomycosis is the term used when fungal infections attack the nail. It can be a bit of a search finding treatments for nail fungus. Oral medications can be effective but treatment is not always suitable for everyone. Any treatment is often a lengthy process due to the time it takes for the nail to grow. Topical paints with patience are an alternative. Filing down the nail to allow the treatment to penetrate helps the process. Monphytol paint was safe and effective but is no longer available,so the arrival of Mykored also provides an effective and well tolerated treatment. Tests prove effectiveness against the following fungi and yeasts:Trichophyton verrucosum, Trychophyton mentagrophytes , Trychophyton violaceum , Trychophyton rubrum , Epidermophyton fluccosum, Microsporum canis, Candida albicans, and Candida krusei.
Product available from http://www.yourfootcare.com/html/athletes_foot.html
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Silver uses ancient and modern
17/03/2007 by admin.
Silver, Chemical symbol Ag, coming from the Latin Argentum,has been known for its useful anti-bacterial properties and for reducing the harmful affects of both fungi and viruses. During the Napoleonic Wars Tsar Alexander lined water barrels with silver knowing that Silver purified the drinking water. Further back in time, in 1250 BC, The Phoenicians also knew of the properties of the metal, using Silver bottles they kept both water and wine from spoiling.
The Greek physician Hippocrates who was born in 460 BC, knew of the healing properties of Silver on wounds. He had simply based his practice on the observations he had made in dealing with the human body. How does this precious metal work on bacteria? In 1893 Swiss Botanist Karl Kageli discovered what he called the ‘Oligodynamic’ effect. This showed the toxic effect of metal ions on living cells, indeed apart from Silver other metals such as Copper,Iron,Mercury,Gold and Aluminium,amongst others all exibit the same property, that is the ability to inactivate enzymes.
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Antiseptic dyes
17/03/2007 by admin.
A recent newspaper article told a story of Scottish explorer Dr David Livingston. Livingston was attacked by a Lion in 1843 leaving eleven deep tooth marks in his arm also splintering the bone–and he survived! The explorers theory was that the tartan jacket he was wearing saved his life wiping the lions teeth clean with the cloth, others who were attacked and not wearing a tartan jacket suffered very painful wounds. Big cats like domestic cats, dogs and rabbits carry the infective Pasturella multicoda in the respiratory tract which could have easily given him septicaemia. Typical dyes of early cloth have included Cochineal: producing Red, Madder (Rubina tinctorum): a Red/purple colour and Weld (Reseda Luteold) :Yellow, all have been found to contain Carminic Acid known to inhibit bacterial growth. So the dyes in his jacket may very well have had the anti bacterial affect on the animals teeth.
In the foot care profession dyes have also been used for their antiseptic properties for many years but have largely fallen out of favour due to the stains produced and a study that linked Gentian Violet to cancer, although it had to be used in large quantities. The main ones used are then Gentian Violet in water or spirit which has anti fungal properties, Brilliant Green used against gram positive organisims and Triple Dye controlling Staphylococcal (gram positive) infections (this made up of Gentian Violet, Brilliant Green and Proflavine Hemisulphate)
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