whilst today is not exactly the best day to be looking at your feet, i guess i could give you some advice about a communicable foot ailment …namely Fungal infections !

Fungal infections are extremely common and can present in 2 different ways . the first is a white moist itchy area between the toes – this can sometimes split open and become very painful . keeping the area dry and using firstly a fungal foot powder then a good fungal ointment usually clears this – but it might take a week or so …its important to keep applying the cream regularly !

The other type – and probably not as well recognised , is a diffuse pattern of dry flaky skin over large areas of the foot , sometimes with small red dots . This is usually ALSO fungus ! i find it more commonly than the in between toes variety ! again use of a good fungal treatment usually works ..but beware it often comes back !

found this intresting article in the Daily Mail Online

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2090903/Ditch-multi-vitamins-Stand-Wear-better-shoes–Can-simple-habits-stop-getting-cancer.html

its New year and i see lots of people with foot related New Year Resolutions ..the main one is “ive got to get rid of my verruca” !

Verruca can be very tricky to get rid of …sometimes there almost impossible to shift

heres a few tips on getting rid of them

1 Leave them alone – dont pick them or rub them down too much – they may spread(obviously the best thing is to come and see a podiatrist !)

2. Make sure they ARE verruca ! pinching them usually hurts – pressing them is usually painless

3 If you want to try some home treatments ( i dont reccomend them normally) there are two types. If your using cream only put the cream (or paste) on the verruca , not the surrounding skin – cut a hole in a plaster to mask the surrounding skin .If your using freeze spray , make sure you dont go too mad – you can create a nasty blister ,which could become very sore or even infected if you dont look after it

4. Verruca can take a long time to clear , but dont use any of the home treatments for long prolonged periods ..give it a few weeks between treatments to let the surrounding skin recover

mainly verruca (its usually the significant partner that request the patients attendance ) , but a few ingrown toenails too !

as the month goes on i see more and more usually !

some verruca tips next time

andrew

after a few weeks of fiddling around ,i think im finally able to say ” welcome to my new website “. Chad and Dan have done a fine job of putting it together …and an even better job of putting up with all my small changes …but i think it was worth it

ill be posting some interesting foot stuff on here ,hopefully , regularly !

lets start with this i found..

Swearing can provide effective relief from pain …but not if you swear regulary !

Researchers at Keele University’s School of Psychology recruited 71 undergraduates who were asked to carry out a cold-water challenge while either repeating a swear word or a non-swear word.The students put their hand in room temperature water for three minutes to act as a control before plunging it into cold 5C water for as long as they could while repeating their word.

The authors concluded: “Swearing increased pain tolerance and heart rate compared with not swearing”

“Moreover, the higher the daily swearing frequency, the less was the benefit for pain tolerance when swearing, compared with when not swearing”

Thankfully i dont hear many patients swear when i’m treating them !

The level of perceived pain together with a change in heart rate were compared while people swore or said their non-swear word.