Shoe Bites

Shoe Bites

We often suffer from shoe bites. These can occur due to wearing new or ill-fitting shoes. Whenever you buy a new pair of shoes, use these preventive measures to prevent shoe bites.

Apply a little petroleum jelly inside your shoe. Leave it on overnight. Clean it off with a cloth and then wear your shoes. Apply coconut oil inside your shoes for three consecutive nights to soften them before wearing. You could apply castor oil too. Apply some raw potato slices inside the shoe and particularly the heel area. Repeat for two nights before wearing your new shoes. In case you still get a shoe bite, try the following:

RICE

Take half cup rice. Pound it to a powder and then add enough water to make a thick paste. Apply the paste on the shoe bite. Leave it on till dry. Rinse gently with lukewarm water. Dry the feet thoroughly. You will get immense relief.

NEEM AND TURMERIC PASTE

Take a few neem leaves and add to them a tablespoon of turmeric powder. Add a little water and put it into mixer to form a thick paste. Apply this paste on the painful shoe bite. This gives tremendous relief and also dries up the bite.

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Common Ailments

Common Ailments

Swollen Feet

Sometimes, mild water retention or odema, especially during the menstrual cycle or due to hormonal changes can cause immense discomfort. Here is a simple cure.

CARROT AND PARSLEY JUICE

Take four carrots, one beetroot or apple, and a few sprigs of parsley. Wash, peel and finely chop the carrots and also the apple or beetroot. Add a few sprigs of parsley. Blend in a juicer, strain. Drink this juice twice a day to treat bloated feet.

Athletes Foot

This is one of the most common and irritating foot infections. This usually spreads through wet socks, bedding or bathrooms of swimming pools. This infection spreads due to dampness. The best thing to do is to keep your feet dry. Here is a useful home remedy:

GINGER OR GARLIC

Soak your feet in a basin of warm water containing either a few pods of crushed garlic or crushed ginger. Add to this a little alcohol. Soak feet for 10 minutes. Remove feet and dry them thoroughly. Repeat 2-3 times a day. This provides immense relief. An all-purpose foot cream can easily be prepared at home too.

COCO-ROSE FOOT CREAM

Take half cup coconut oil, one teaspoon glycerin and two tablespoons rose water. Take a mixing bowl and pour all these ingredients together. Beat till a smooth paste is formed. Store in a jar and keep it in your bathroom. Use every night to prevent drying of the feet and cracks in the feet. Its an ideal, multi-purpose foot care cream.

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Corns

Corns

These are caused by friction and pressure when the bony parts of your feet rub against your shoes. The problem needs to be treated by a doctor. Change your footwear immediately. Use exfoliates, warm footbaths and moisturizing routines to ease the pain. There are a few home cures too that can cure newly formed corns. They should be treated at once. Any delay will require the attention of doctor.

MARIGOLD

The marigold flower belongs to the same family as the arnica. It has antiseptic qualities. The juice of the leaves is an excellent cure for warts. The sap from its stem is useful in curing warts, corns and calluses of the feet. All one has to do is to slice the stem lengthwise and apply the juice of the stem on the affected areas. Leave it on. Use this treatment everyday at the first sight of the corn.

LICORICE

The dried roots of this plant and its underground stems are used as flavouring agents in food as well as the base in many cough medicines. Take a few licorice sticks; powder them and add a little mustard oil. Rub this paste onto the corns and the hardened skin. Use regularly, especially at bedtime. Leave it on. All newly formed corns will disappear.

PINEAPPLE

This is an absolutely unique way to treat corns. At night, just before bedtime, soak your feet in warm water for 20 minutes to tenderize the corns. Cut out a square piece from the pineapple peel. Rest the inside of this directly on the corn. Use tape to attach this piece directly on the corn. Cover with socks and leave on overnight. Apply for four or five nights consecutively. This would be of great help in treating the corn. Pineapple contains an enzyme called Brometain that softens and breaks down dead skin. So don't throw away that pineapple peel. Use it to cure painful corns.

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Cracked Heels

Cracked Heels

Most foot problems arise due to neglect and oversight. Cracked feet, corns and other common ailments should be attended to and nipped in the bud. A few suggestions to deal with them..

This is one of the most common and embarrassing problems. Cracked heels are the first signs of sheer neglect. A daily dose of cleansing and moisturizing will help. Before going to bed, soak your feet in warm soapy water for 15 minutes. Wash and dry. Then take one teaspoon Vaseline. Add to it the juice of one lemon. Rub this mixture into the cracked heels and other areas of the feet till it is thoroughly absorbed. This should be done daily. A mixture of glycerin and rosewater too, if applied regularly helps to soothe and cure cracked-heels.

FOOT EXFOLIANTS AND SCRUBS

You need to exfoliate your feet without being too harsh. Dead skin accumulated on the feet can cause a lot of problems. The ideal way to get rid of calluses is to exfoliate. Use a loofah at least twice a day to get rid of the dead skin. However, nourishing and exfoliating your feet should be done every week.

STRAWBERRY EXFOLIATES

Take 6-8 strawberries and two tablespoons of olive (or almond) oil, and one teaspoon of sea-salt. Mash the strawberries. Add the oil and salt. Make into a paste. Massage into the feet, rubbing harshly as you go along. Keep rubbing, especially around the hardened areas of your feet. Leave the paste on for 10-15 minutes. Rinse with warm water, then with cold water. Another good exfoliate is to use crushed almonds, instead of strawberries. Both exfoliate the tough skin of your feet and the natural juices and oils nourish your feet. Other natural exfoliating foot scrubs can be prepared by grinding corncobs and walnut shells. These are especially good for exfoliating very toughened feet, especially the heel areas.

ORANGE AND OIL SCRUB

This is an ideal cooling foot scrub. Take two oranges, one cup of oil (any vegetable oil will do), and one cup of sea salt. Mix together salt and oil. Thickly slice the oranges into rings. Dip them into this oil and salt lotion and start rubbing all over the feet. Use generously on the hardened skin areas. Keep rubbing vigorously for 10 minutes, then rinse off. This cleans your feet, cools and softens them. Calluses on the feet can also be cured by rubbing the soles of the feet with lemon sliced into half. Take a lemon, slice it into half, and rub it vigorously in circular motions over the toes, heels and other tough and hard areas.

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Natural Foot Care

Natural Foot Care

Pamper feet

Women's feet have inspired many poets to pen couplets on them. Popularly called 'lotus feet', a pair of dainty, clean, well shaped feet have indeed been many an owner's pride and a neighbours envy.

There was a time when women were covered from head to toe. In fact, they wore veils and one could not see their faces. The feet were the only visible part of their body. Women's feet have thus inspired many poets to pen couplets on them. Popularly called 'lotus feet' a pair of dainty, clean, well shaped feet have indeed been many an owner's pride.

To own a pair of soft, lovable, beautiful feet you need to pamper them by creaming and massaging them regularly. Dry rough nails, fungal infection, cracked heels, swollen feet, corns, calluses are all the result of years of neglect. How thoughtlessly we ensnare them in a pair of ill-fitting sandals or shoes that only seem to pinch, hurt and maul. This ends up disfiguring your feet, causing back problems and poor posture apart from disrupting blood ciruclation.

By following a few careful do's and don'ts you can look after your feet. First, some basic rules: Bathing, massaging and exercising your feet, and giving them a pedicure are the very basic necessities that go a long way in ensuring that your feet remain soft, shapely and supple. The first golden rule is to buy shoes of the right size. Apart from the size, you have to ensure that the length of heels that you are buying, does not destabilize you. People with bad backs should not wear pencil heels that hurt the spine. One should buy shoes in the afternoon or evening when the feet are swollen from the day's walking. This will ensure that you get the right fit and size. Next is exercising your feet. Most people believe that just because they are 'on their feet' the whole day, they have exercised their feet. This is far from true. You need to exercise to relax your tired feet and to strengthen your foot muscles. The best time to exercise is at the end of the day. Sit comfortably on an erect chair and clench your toes, then relax them do this four to six times a day. Then stretch your toes and ankles, pull them back and release them. Next draw circles in the air with your feet. Move one foot at a time, first clockwise, then anti-clockwise five to six times. This exercises your ankles, keeping them supple and lean. Besides exercise, you should specially bathe your feet daily. Normally when one has a bath, the body, face and arms get all the attention the feet remain neglected. So, make it a habit of treating your feet to a lavish footbath, especially at the end of the day. Take a basin of warm water to which a little salt has been added. Soak your feet in this. Your aching feet will get instant relief. Pat dry your feet thoroughly. Apply a lotion of glycerin and rosewater and dry your feet and apply talc later. Once a week indulge yourself in a good pedicure. You can easily do this at home. Every day, after you have cleaned and exercised your feet, put them 'up' (literally). Take a round bolster. Lie down flat without a pillow. Now place your ankles on the edge of the bolster so as to raise your feet. Keep in this position for at least 15 minutes. This gives immediate relief to tired feet. Its also helps reduce swelling due to water retention. Last, but not least, while bathing, remove dead skin with a pumice stone and loofah.

Our feet keep us balanced and carry our weight. In a lifetime they walk as much as going five times around the earth. We only pay attention to our feet when they rebel at their utter neglect; when they can bear the neglect no longer and become ill with calluses, corns, bruises and ingrown toenails and bunions. We should look after our feet before any of these problems creep in. Some of the serious foot problems may need the attention of a doctor. So, prevention is always better than cure. You can certainly prevent a lot of foot problems by knowing about them and preventing them by using the right home cures. So take a look at your feet and start caring for them right away.

Now let us discuss a few common foot problems and how we can tackle them.

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