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Friday 7 December 2012

Wash feet daily with warm water or steam with Herbs

he lifetime risk that a person with diabetes will develop a foot ulcer may be as high as 25%. To lower your chances of having this happen and to keep your feet in tiptop shape, Wrobel recommends taking these steps. Take care. Wash feet daily with warm water and soap, dry well, then soften with lotion, cream, or petroleum jelly, avoiding the areas between toes. Trim or file toenails into a shape that's almost square but with no corner points to break skin or cause in grown toenails. 
Be sure the shoe fits. Indoors or out, wear properly fitting, closed-toe shoes to protect feet from stubs and bangs. After age 40, when feet get wider, consider prescription orthopedic footwear for better balance and stability. Never go barefoot.
Wear socks. Clean, light-colored, and lightly padded socks will show blood or draining wounds so you can easily spot problems. Avoid slow-drying, 100% cotton socks in favor of synthetic blends that wick moisture away and discourage fungus.

Fight fungus. Fungus, which thrives in moisture, can lead to infection. Where can you pick up fungus? From carpet, showers, and gym floors. To help kill it, use medicated foot powders like Tinactin  orMicatin and spray Lysol inside your athletic shoes.
Inspect daily. Take a good look at your feet every day. A recent study of male veterans with diabetes found that more than half couldn't see or reach the bottom of their feet. If you aren't flexible enough to see your soles, ask someone to help or use a magnifying mirror to scout trouble spots like redness, bruises, and tiny punctures.
Shake things up. Give your shoes a good shake regularly. Seemingly harmless debris like coins and pebbles can fall unnoticed into shoes, injuring feet.
Don't go to extremes. Insensitivity to temperature means you could accidentally damage your feet, so avoid becoming too hot or too cold.
Heat can cause feet to swell and can burn skin, so don't soak your feet in hot water -- and stay away from hot-water bottles, heaters, and fireplaces, too. Wear insulated boots and socks in very cold weather to help prevent.frostbite

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