Your Feet Can Reveal More About Your Health Than You Think!
Do you know how important your feet are for your health and wellbeing? Maybe you do, maybe you don’t. The facts remain: if you don’t take care of your feet from an early age, you might just begin to suffer. Sore feet are never a nice thing to have.
So, now you know it’s important to take care of your feet, but did you know that they can also reveal a lot about your health in the present moment? By taking a look at your feet, you can learn a lot about your overall health. Here’s what they can reveal:
Flakey Feet
If you noticed that your heel is flaky, dry, and cracked, you could actually have more of a problem than dry feet. You could potentially have a thyroid condition. These conditions can affect your metabolic rate, blood pressure, tissue growth and more. See if you notice any other symptoms like vision problems and numbness in your hands. If you do, you should make sure you visit a doctor immediately!
Of course this can also be a result of a less serious condition, or even down to the weather. However, you should not ignore it.
Suddenly Bald Toes
Men have hairy toes, but even women are supposed a small amount of toe hair. However, if you notice that you are losing toe hair or they have gone bald completely, it could indicate a loss of blood flow. This could be down to something called peripheral arterial disease, or PAD for short. If this is left untreated, you could suffer from a heart attack, a stroke, or even amputation. It’s not something you want to ignore!
Numbness In Your Feet
Numbness in your feet is a sign of a lack of blood flow, and can be another sign of PAD. If this happens regularly while you are active, you should definitely see a doctor. Ignoring it could be very dangerous! This can also be related to type 2 diabetes, which is very common but dangerous if left alone.
Foot Cramping And Spasms
Foot cramping and spasms is usually a sign of a deficiency of some kind. It can indicate dehydration, and even a lack of electrolytes.
If you experience it while walking, it could be down to a circulatory problem. You might even find that it’s due to overexertion and not stretching afterwards.
This could potentially be the shoes you wear too. Make sure you pay close attention to your footwear and ensure it is practical. It should have a rubber sole for cushioning, and be flexible. Wearing heels and shoes with no support can be very bad for your feet!
Cold Feet
Most men say that their wives have cold feet. If you have abnormally cold feet, it could be down to a number of things. You could be suffering from anemia, diabetes, poor circulation, or even hypothyroidism.
If your feet changed color from red, to white, to blue, Raynaud’s disease is also a possibility. This is where a narrowing of blood vessels causes the feet to turn cold and discolored. You should avoid cold temperatures and smoking if you want to eliminate this problem. Bear in mind this is usually caused by another underlying disease, so you should always see a professional for advice before diagnosing yourself.
Swollen Feet
Swollen feet can be due to things like poor circulation and related heart failure. This could actually be life threatening, so make sure you don’t ignore it. You may be suffering from kidney or liver disease, a blood clot, or deep vein thrombosis. All of these things need to be diagnosed and treated right away for the best outcome. You should avoid tight shoes, reduce your salt intake, and raise your feet when sitting down to see if this helps the problem. Either way, you should see a professional.
Discolored Toenails
Discolored toenails can be down to thyroid gland issues, and jaundice due to liver problems. It is also related to many lung conditions. If you are experiencing both discoloration and deformities at the same time, you should seek advice immediately.
Pins And Needles
Pins and needles in your feet indicate circulatory issues, a trapped nerve, and possibly other ailments. Diabetics exposed to high blood glucose can experience this. It is also one of the early symptoms of multiple sclerosis. Pay attention to when you get pins and needles and how often. Make sure you don’t ignore it.
Aching Toe Joints
Aching toe joints can be down to arthritis in around 90% of people. This can result in things like decreased mobility if you don’t do anything about it. Anti inflammatory foods can relieve symptoms, as well as making sure you eat as healthily as possible.
Shoe inserts can minimize pressure on your toe joints, and some people also wear braces for more support. A foot doctor will be able to diagnose you properly and recommend the best course of action to take.
Small Red Lines Under Your Toe Nails
Small red lines under your toes could indicate a heart infection. These are broken blood vessels, called splinter hemorrhages. You could experience heart failure if left untreated, which is of course very dangerous. Make sure you go to the doctor ASAP!
A Sore On The Bottom Of The Foot That Won’t Heal
This is a major indicator of diabetes. Cuts and irritations can go unnoticed easily, especially on the bottom of the feet. Ulcers like this can lead to infection and amputation if ignored for too long. If your ulcer is oozing and foul smelling it has probably been there for some time. Pay attention to your other symptoms. If you experience things like weight loss, blurry vision, extreme fatigue, extreme thirst, and excessive urination, you need to get checked out ASAP.
So, what are your feet telling you about your health right now? Make sure you pay attention to all of your symptoms and get booked in with a doctor ASAP if you need to. Ignoring your symptoms for too long could be fatal.