Before officially starting today's topic, we have to leave the conversation here: health science popularization is a rigorous, every knowledge point must be well-founded, we don't spread the news without a spectrum, everything is subject to science and facts. This is responsible for everyone, and it is also the bottom line of my science popularization.
Let me tell you a little bit about it. There is an Uncle Liu, who is in his 70s, and his body looks quite tough. He has a little hobby every day, which is to drink a few sips of liquor. As soon as he drank this wine, his whole body was hot and comfortable, and after drinking, he also had a habit of soaking his feet in hot water.
Uncle Liu's house is in an old community, the house is not big, but it is cleaned up. Every time he soaked his feet, he sat on the old sofa in the living room, with a wooden foot bath in front of him. That day, as usual, he poured himself a glass of white wine and slowly sipped it one sip at a time, with a pleasant smile on his face. When the wine was finished, he began to prepare to soak his feet.
He poured the boiling water from the kettle into the foot bath, and without testing the temperature of the water, he directly put his foot in. At first, he didn't feel anything wrong, but after a while, he felt a little tingling in his feet, but because of the drinking, his nerves were a little paralyzed, so he didn't pay much attention to it, and thought that maybe his feet were too dry.
In this way, he soaked for a while before taking his feet out. At that time, he noticed that his feet were a little red, but he didn't take it seriously. As a result, the next day, when his daughter came to see him, she found that his feet were burned, with several large blisters, and broken skin in some places, which made people feel distressed to look at. The daughter was in a hurry and hurriedly took Uncle Liu to the hospital.
When I arrived at the hospital, after a detailed examination by the doctor, I learned that Uncle Liu had been diagnosed with diabetes and hypertension as early as ten years ago. The doctor prescribed him medicine, but he sometimes took it when he remembered it, and even if he couldn't think of it, his blood sugar and blood pressure were always unstable. This time, he drank wine and soaked his feet, and the alcohol made his perception of temperature dull, and his own diabetes will affect the blood circulation and nerve function of his feet, making it difficult for the wound to heal, which has caused such serious consequences.
After careful treatment in the hospital, Uncle Liu was finally discharged from the hospital. This thing reminds everyone that soaking your feet in hot water seems simple, but there is a lot of knowledge in it! Next, let's talk about soaking our feet in hot water often, and what our bodies can gain.
In the summer, the weather is hot and humid, and when you walk down the street, there is a smell of humid heat everywhere. Many people are tormented by this dampness to lose their energy, their appetite decreases, they can't be interested in seeing anything delicious, they are always sleepy, the whole person is lazy, they have no energy to do anything, and their mood has become very irritable. At this time, if you soak your feet in hot water at night, it will feel too comfortable.
Imagine sitting on a small bench on a sweltering summer night, putting your feet in warm water, and in a short time, your body starts to sweat slightly. Sweat runs down the forehead, cheeks, and neck, taking away the heat and moisture from the body. As the sweat drained out, the slimy, unrefreshing feeling slowly disappeared. After soaking my feet, I felt a lot more relaxed, my appetite gradually recovered, and I might be able to eat an extra bowl of rice. This is the miraculous effect of soaking your feet to remove heat and dampness, so that you can find a refreshing and comfortable state in the summer.
Let's talk about winter, the cold wind blows, cutting the face like a knife, and the hands and feet are always cold and cold. Especially when I sleep at night, I get into the quilt, and my feet are not warm for half the day. At this time, soaking your feet in hot water is simply a pleasure. When the hot water covers your feet, the warm feeling slowly spreads from the soles of your feet up and spreads all over your body. The blood flow to the feet increased significantly, and the toes, which had been cold, became warm.
For those who are prone to headaches in winter, foot soaking can also relieve headache symptoms. You see, when the blood circulation in the feet improves, the blood circulation throughout the body also becomes smoother, and the brain gets an adequate blood supply, and the headache is naturally reduced. It's like giving the brain a "hot spring bath" and driving away all the discomfort.
Also, soaking your feet in hot water before going to bed is especially helpful for sleep. After a busy day, my body is tired and tired, and I can't sleep when I lie in bed and toss and turn. At this time, soak your feet and let the hot water soothe the tense nerves and muscles. You can feel the soreness in your back and bones slowly lessening, and the whole person is getting more and more relaxed. After soaking your feet, climb into bed, you can enter a sweet sleep after a while, sleep until dawn, and wake up the next day, full of energy and vitality.
However, although there are many benefits of soaking your feet in hot water, it is not suitable for everyone, and the following types of people should pay special attention.
Let's start with varicose veins. If this kind of person stands for a long time or walks too much, the blood vessels in the calf will bulge like an earthworm, and it looks strange and scary. The blood flow in their hands and feet is inherently slow, and the blood circulation is not very good. Soaking your feet in hot water is like adding an inappropriate force to the slow-flowing water. The already heavy blood vessel return becomes more difficult, like a congested road with more and more cars but not enough exits for the cars to get out, which only makes the situation worse. Not only does this not relieve symptoms, but it can also worsen the condition and make the legs more uncomfortable.
Let's talk about children. The children are lively and cute, and it is the time to grow their bodies. Their feet are still developing, like a small sapling, which has not yet grown into a towering tree and needs to be cared for. If you soak your feet in hot water frequently, the high temperature of the water will loosen the ligaments in your feet. Imagine that the ligaments of the foot are like the foundation of a house, if the foundation is not strong, can the house be built steadily? In the same way, the ligaments of the foot are relaxed, which affects the normal formation of the arch of the foot. Originally, the arches of the children's feet should be like a curved crescent, elastic, which can help them walk and run better. However, if the arch of the foot is stunted due to frequent foot soaking in hot water, flat feet may be induced, which will affect the child's future athletic ability and physical development.
People with diabetes are also a special group. The impact of diabetes on the body is not small, and many diabetic patients will develop complications of diabetic foot. The skin on their feet is fragile and they are less sensitive to temperature. Take Uncle Liu as an example, it was because of diabetes and drinking alcohol that he didn't feel that the foot soaking water was too hot, and as a result, his feet were burned. Once your foot is burned, it can be a big problem. Wounds are difficult to heal and are particularly susceptible to recurrent infections and ulcerations. In severe cases, there may even be a risk of amputation. This is not alarmist, after the wound infection of diabetic patients, bacteria can easily spread in the body, causing a series of serious problems, so diabetic patients must be extra careful when soaking their feet.
There are also skin diseases such as tinea pedis. Tinea peis is what we often call "athlete's foot", and when you get this disease, your feet are always itchy and very uncomfortable. Some patients want to soak their feet in hot water to relieve the itching sensation, thinking that hot water can kill all the germs that make people itch. Actually, this is a wrong idea. Instead of killing germs, hot water can damage the skin's barrier function. Once the skin's barrier is broken, bacteria are more likely to invade, causing secondary bacterial infections. Feet that were originally just a little itchy may become red and swollen, and the pain is unbearable, but the condition worsens.
In addition to paying attention to which people are not suitable for foot soaking, there are also some misunderstandings that must be avoided when soaking feet.
Take foot soaking time as an example, it's not about soaking for as long as possible. Some people find it comfortable to soak their feet, and a soak can take more than half an hour or more. But this is risky. When you soak your feet for too long, the blood vessels in your feet will continue to expand, and a large amount of blood will flow to the lower body. At this time, the heart and brain will receive relatively less blood, just like a factory with insufficient supply of raw materials, which will affect their normal functioning. You may feel lightheaded, or even nauseous and want to throw up. Therefore, it is best to control the foot soaking time to about 20-30 minutes, which can not only allow the body to fully enjoy the benefits of foot soaking, but also will not cause adverse effects on the body.
The temperature of the water for foot soak is also particular. Some people like to soak their feet in particularly hot water, thinking that this is the only way to enjoy it. Actually, it's very dangerous. The temperature of the water for foot soaking should not be too high, it is recommended to control it at about 40-45 degrees. If the water temperature exceeds this range, it is easy to cause low-temperature burns. This kind of scalding is not as obvious as being burned directly by boiling water, at first it may be just a little red skin, nothing to feel, but after a few days, you will find that the skin begins to blister, and in severe cases, it will also cause tissue necrosis and ulceration. It's like boiling a frog in warm water, and it hurts before you know it, so don't joke with your skin for the sake of temporary comfort.
Also, don't soak your feet immediately after eating. Just after eating, the stomach and intestines are busy digesting food and need a lot of blood to help. At this time, if you go to soak your feet immediately, the blood will flow to the lower body in large quantities, and the blood obtained by the stomach and intestines will be reduced, just like in a team, the staff who were originally responsible for an important task were suddenly transferred, and the work will definitely not be able to go smoothly. This will affect the digestion and absorption of food by the stomach and intestines, and in the long run, it may also cause gastrointestinal discomfort. Therefore, it is best to soak your feet an hour after meals to give your stomach enough time to digest the food.
If you want to make the foot soaking effect better, you can also add something to the foot soaking water. For example, add some ginger, the spicy ginger of ginger can promote blood circulation and make the body warm up faster; Add some safflower, safflower has the effect of invigorating blood and removing blood stasis, which can make the health care effect of foot soaking to a higher level; You can also choose some traditional Chinese medicine and choose the right formula according to your own physique, which can play a different conditioning role. However, when choosing to add these things, it is best to consult a doctor or professional first to avoid adverse consequences due to ignorance.
In short, the matter of soaking feet seems to be ordinary, but in fact it hides a mystery. Everyone's physical condition is different, and the suitable way to soak their feet is also different. I hope that everyone can learn more about foot soaking, and soak their feet scientifically and reasonably according to their own situation, so that foot soaking can truly become a good helper for our health care and add points to our health.