economicmultipliers_148

Economic Multipliers (148)

Do you know what these are?

They help CREATE wealth in systems.

Healthy feet are an economic multiplier.

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Calluses, cracking, blisters, sores, odor, numbness, pain.

It’s amazing just how many things can go wrong with feet … and how much any single thing can alter the ability to have a good day.

I only stepped on a rusty nail once … at a junkyard. A tetanus shot and/or the round of antibiotics may have saved my life. It took a week or two to walk without limping.

Blisters can usually be avoided with proper fitting shoes and smooth socks, moleskin for sensitive areas if hiking long distances and by keeping calluses at bay. It helps to turn socks inside out before putting them on to remove any loose sock material (and then turn them back).

Cracking can be minimized with Vaseline-type lotions, oils (olive, coconut and sesame are some) and/or warmed up beeswax and by keeping dead skin / calluses at bay. Sanding areas that get callused very lightly with an emery stone routinely (imagine a light sanding on an old thick callus once a day for 30 days until it’s gone … preferably over a garbage can) is great for foot health.

Foot odor can be caused by a lot of things. Dead skin underneath the toenails and dead skin in general may be the greatest perpetuators of the problem. Soft plastic nail brushes or dulled rounded scrapers can help when cleaning the nails: Don’t gouge a hole in your toes around the nail using something too sharp or hard. A soapy washcloth removes much dead skin. A warm footbath with Epson salts or oatmeal (strain versus drain when disposing) helps remove even more.

If you get to a point where sores, numbness and/or pain are issues, it’s good to look to the medical profession.

Preventing numbness in old age might be as simple as cutting out most sugary/sweet things when you are young (unless you’re getting a LOT of exercise).

Preventing pain in old age might be as simple as keeping your weight down, exercising moderately and routinely throughout your life and wearing proper fitting and sensible shoes.

Preventing sores in old age might be as simple as paying attention to buying well fitting socks and shoes, staying ‘level’ most of the time (i.e. minimizing heels) and taking the time to prevent calluses and dry cracked skin.

If you do get a sore and are the type who would not immediately go to the doctor because you expect it to heal, it couldn’t hurt (see P.S.) to cover the sore with a bandage with a bit of honey on it OR cover the sore with a bandage with a bit of ‘garlic tea’ on it (changing it daily).

A small sore which does not get infected which heals quickly is the best sore you’ll ever have.

Lastly, dry socks are really important. If you don’t think so, wear wet socks for an hour or so and then dry your feet and put on a pair of dry socks. Unless the rest of you is wet (or cold), every part of you should feel better. It would be hard to test but I bet that the overall health of any nation would improve dramatically if everyone who ended up with wet or sweaty feet was able to change into dry socks every few hours.

I’ve never met anyone who had foot problems who wanted them. I have met several over the years who’ve ended up spending quite a bit of money on trying to get rid of problems that, with some modifications to their behavior when younger, may never have existed: Hindsight is a great teacher and people didn’t know about a lot of things years ago … like all the impacts of diabetes … that are mainstream knowledge today.

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P.S. This article is NOT a substitute for medical advice. As an example, honey is not an FDA approved/promoted drug or ointment. I personally would not have used honey as a substitute for a tetanus shot and antibiotics after stepping on a rusty nail. I have personally used it on superficial cuts, blisters and slivers.