Want to make a simple, ten-second check on the state of your health? Sneak a
peek at your feet.
"You can detect everything from diabetes to nutritional deficiencies
just by examining the feet," says Jane Andersen, DPM, president of the
American Association of Women Podiatrists and a spokeswoman for the American
Podiatric Medical Association.
The lowly left and right provide plenty of insightful data: Together they
contain a quarter of the body's bones, and each foot also has 33 joints; 100
tendons, muscles, and ligaments; and countless nerves and blood vessels that
link all the way to the heart, spine, and brain.
Unresolved foot problems can have unexpected consequences. Untreated pain
often leads a person to move less and gain weight, for example, or to shift
balance in unnatural ways, increasing the chance of falling and breaking a
bone.
So when the feet send one of these 18 warning messages, they mean business.
8
Things Your Hair Says About Your Health
1. Red flag: Toenails with slightly sunken, spoon-shaped
indentations
What it means: Anemia (iron deficiency) often shows
up as an unnatural, concave or spoonlike shape to the toes' nail beds,
especially in moderate-to-severe cases. It's caused by not having enough
hemoglobin, an iron-rich protein in the blood cells that transports oxygen.
Internal bleeding (such as an ulcer) or heavy menstrual periods can trigger
anemia.
More clues: On fingers as well as toes, the skin and
nail beds both appear pale. The nails may also be brittle, and feet may feel
cold. Fatigue is the number-one sign of anemia, as are shortness of breath,
dizziness when standing, and headache.
What to do:A complete blood count is
usually used to diagnose anemia. A physical exam may pinpoint a cause.
First-step treatments include iron supplements and dietary changes to add iron
and vitamin C (which speeds iron absorption).
2. Red flag: Hairless feet or toes
What it means: Poor circulation, usually caused by
vascular disease, can make hair disappear from the feet. When the heart loses
the ability to pump enough blood to the extremities because of arteriosclerosis
(commonly known as hardening of the arteries), the body has to prioritize its
use. Hairy toes are, well, low on the totem pole.
More clues: The reduced blood supply also makes it
hard to feel a pulse in the feet. (Check the top of the foot or the inside of
the ankle.) When you stand, your feet may be bright red or dusky; when
elevated, they immediately pale. The skin is shiny. People with poor
circulation tend to already know they have a cardiovascular condition (such as
heart disease or a carotid artery) yet may not realize they have circulation
trouble.
What to do: Treating the underlying vascular issues
can improve circulation. Toe hair seldom returns, but nobody complains much.
3. Red flag: Frequent foot cramping (charley horses)
What it means: The sudden stab of a foot cramp --
basically, the hard contraction of a muscle -- can be triggered by fleeting
circumstances such as exercise or dehydration. But if it happens often, your
diet may lack sufficient calcium, potassium, or magnesium. Pregnant women in
the third trimester are especially vulnerable thanks to increased blood volume
and reduced circulation to the feet.
More clues: Charley horses tend to rear up out of
nowhere, often while you're just lying there. They can be a single sharp muscle
spasm or come in waves. Either way, soreness can linger long afterward.
What to do: Try to flex the foot and massage the
painful area. You may also be able to relax the muscle by applying a cold pack
or rubbing alcohol. To prevent cramps, stretch your feet before you go to bed.
Then drink a glass of warm milk (for the calcium).
4. Red flag: A sore that won't heal on the bottom of the foot
What it means: This is a major clue to diabetes.
Elevated blood glucose levels lead to nerve damage in the feet -- which means
that minor scrapes, cuts, or irritations caused by pressure or friction often
go unnoticed, especially by someone who's unaware he has the disease.
Untreated, these ulcers can lead to infection, even amputation.
More clues: Oozing, foul-smelling cuts are
especially suspect because they've probably been there awhile. Other symptoms
of diabetes include persistent thirst, frequent urination, increased fatigue,
blurry vision, extreme hunger, and weight loss.
What to do: Get the ulcer treated immediately and
see a doctor for a diabetes evaluation. Diabetics need to inspect their feet
daily (older people or the obese should have someone do this for them) and see
a healthcare professional every three months.
5. Red flag: Cold feet
What it means: Women, especially, report cold feet
(or more precisely, their bedmates complain about them). It may be nothing --
or it may indicate a thyroid issue. Women over 40 who have cold feet often have
an underfunctioning thyroid, the gland that regulates temperature and
metabolism. Poor circulation (in either gender) is another possible cause.
More clues: Hypothyroidism's symptoms are pretty
subtle and appear in many disorders (fatigue, depression, weight gain, dry
skin).
What to do: Insulating layers of natural materials
work best for warmth. (Think wool socks and lined boots). If you also have
other nagging health complaints, mention the cold feet to your doctor.
Unfortunately, however, aside from treatment with medication in the event of a
thyroid condition, this tends to be a symptom that's neither easily nor sexily
resolved.
6. Red flag: Thick, yellow, downright ugly toenails
What it means: A fungal infection is running rampant
below the surface of the nail.
Onychomycosis can persist painlessly
for years. By the time it's visibly unattractive, the infection is advanced and
can spread to all toenails and even fingernails.
More clues: The nails may also smell bad and turn
dark. People most vulnerable: those with diabetes, circulatory trouble, or
immune-deficiency disorders (like rheumatoid arthritis). If an older person has
trouble walking, sometimes the problem can be traced to the simple fact that as
infected nails grow thicker, they're harder to cut and simply go ignored to the
point of pain.
What to do: See a foot specialist or your regular physician
for care and treatment. In serious cases, over-the-counter antifungals are
usually not as effective as a combination of topical and oral medications and
the professional removal of diseased bits. Newer-generation oral antifungal
medications tend to have fewer side effects than older ones.
7. Red flag: A suddenly enlarged, scary-looking big toe
What it means: Probably gout. Yes, that
old-fashioned-sounding disease is still very much around -- and you don't have
to be over 65 to get it. Gout is a form of arthritis (also called "gouty
arthritis") that's usually caused by too much uric acid, a natural
substance. The built-up uric acid forms needlelike crystals, especially at low
body temperatures. And the coolest part of the body, farthest from the heart,
happens to be the big toe.
"Three-fourths of the time, you wake up with a red-hot swollen toe
joint as the first presentation of gout," says podiatrist Andersen.
More clues: Swelling and shiny red or purplish skin
-- along with a sensation of heat and pain -- can also occur in the instep, the
Achilles tendon, the knees, and the elbows. Anyone can develop gout, though men
in their 40s and 50s are especially prone. Women with gout tend to be
postmenopausal.
What to do: See a doctor about controlling the
causes of gout through diet or medication. A foot specialist can help relieve
pain and preserve function.
8. Red flag: Numbness in both feet
What it means: Being unable to "feel" your
feet or having a heavy pins-and-needles sensation is a hallmark of peripheral
neuropathy, or damage to the peripheral nervous system. That's the body's way
of transmitting information from the brain and spinal cord to the entire rest
of the body. Peripheral neuropathy has many causes, but the top two are
diabetes and alcohol abuse (current or past). Chemotherapy is another common
cause.
More clues: The tingling or burning can also appear
in hands and may gradually spread up to arms and legs. The reduced sensation
may make it feel like you're constantly wearing heavy socks or gloves.
What to do: See a physician to try to pinpoint the
cause (especially if alcohol addiction doesn't apply). There's no cure for
peripheral neuropathy, but medications from pain relievers to antidepressants
can treat symptoms.
9. Red flag: Sore toe joints
What it means: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a
degenerative joint disease, is often first felt in the smaller joints, such as
the toes and the knuckles of the hands.
More clues: Swelling and stiffness usually accompany
the aches. This pain tends to be symmetrical; for example, it happens
simultaneously in both big toes or in both index fingers. RA develops more
suddenly than degenerative arthritis, and attacks may come and go. Women are
almost four times more affected than men.
What to do: A full workup is always needed to
pinpoint the cause of any joint pain. For RA, there are many medications and
therapies that can minimize pain and preserve function, though early diagnosis
is important to avoid permanent deformity. (In the feet, the toes can drift to
the side.)
10. Red flag: Pitted toenails
What it means: In up to half of all people with
psoriasis, the skin disease also shows up in the nail as many little holes,
which can be deep or shallow. More than three-fourths of those with psoriatic
arthritis, a related disorder that affects the joints as well as the skin, also
have pocked, pitted nails.
More clues: The nails (fingers as well as toes) will
also thicken. They may be yellow-brown or have salmon-colored patches. The knuckle
nearest the nail is also likely to be dry, red, and inflamed.
What to do: A variety of medications can treat both
psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis and can restore the nail bed surface in many
cases, especially if treatment begins early.
11. Red flag: Being unable to raise the foot upward from the heel
What it means: "Foot drop" (also
"drop foot") signals nerve or muscle damage that can originate well
north of your feet -- as far as your back or even shoulder or neck. Certain
chemotherapy drugs can also cause trouble lifting the front part of the foot
while walking or standing.
More clues: There may be pain and numbness as well,
though not necessarily. Sometimes the pain is felt in the upper leg or lower
spine, where a nerve is pinched (by damage or a tumor). In some cases, the foot
drags when the person walks. It's rare for both feet to be affected.
What to do: Report this serious symptom to your
doctor. Foot drop can be completely reversible or permanent, depending on its
cause and treatment.
12. Red flag: Dry, flaky skin
What it means: Even if your face or hands tend to be
powdery-dry, don't dismiss this skin condition on your feet. You don't have to
be a jock to contract athlete's foot, a fungal infection that usually starts as
dry, itchy skin that then progresses to inflammation and blisters. When
blisters break, the infection spreads.
(The name comes from the moist places the fungus thrives -- places athletes
tend to congregate, such as locker rooms and pools.)
More clues: Athlete's foot usually shows up between
the toes first. It can spread to the soles and even to other parts of the body
(like the underarms or groin), usually due to scratching.
What to do: Mild cases can be self-treated by
bathing the feet often and drying them thoroughly. Then keep the feet dry,
including using foot powder in shoes and socks. If there's no improvement in
two weeks or the infection worsens, a doctor can prescribe topical or oral
antifungal medication.
13. Red flag: Toes that turn patriotic colors
What it means: In cold weather, Raynaud's disease
(or Raynaud's phenomenon) causes the extremities to first go white, then turn
blue, and finally appear red before returning to a natural hue. For reasons not
well understood, the blood vessels in these areas vasospasm, or overreact,
causing the tricolor show.
More clues: Other commonly affected areas include
the fingers, nose, lips, and ear lobes. They also feel cool to the touch and go
numb. Women and those who live in colder climates get Raynaud's more often. It
typically shows up before age 25 or after 40. Stress can trigger Raynaud's
attacks, too.
What to do: See a doctor about medications that can
widen blood vessels, which reduces the severity of attacks.
14. Red flag: Feet that are really painful to walk on
What it means: Undiagnosed stress fractures are a
common cause of foot pain. The discomfort can be felt along the sides of the
feet, in the soles, or "all over." These fractures -- they often
occur repeatedly -- may be caused by another underlying problem, often osteopenia
(a decrease in optimum bone density, especially in women over age 50) or some
kind of malnutrition, including a vitamin D deficiency, a problem absorbing
calcium, or anorexia.
More clues: Often you can still walk on the broken
bones; it just hurts like heck. (Some hardy people have gone undiagnosed for as
long as a year.)
What to do: See a foot doctor about any pain. If,
for example, you've been walking around Europe for three weeks in bad shoes,
your feet may simply be sore. But a 55-year-old sedentary woman with painful
feet may need a bone-density exam. An X-ray can also reveal possible
nutritional issues that warrant a referral to a primary care provider.
15. Red flag: Toes that bump upward at the tips
What it means: When the very tips of the toes swell
to the point where they lose their usual angle and appear to bump upward at the
ends, it's called "digital clubbing" or "Hippocratic
clubbing" after Hippocrates, who described the phenomenon 2,000 years ago.
It's a common sign of serious pulmonary (lung) disease, including pulmonary
fibrosis and lung cancer. Heart disease and certain gastrointestinal diseases,
such as Crohn's disease, are also associated with clubbing.
More clues: Fingers can be clubbed as well as toes.
It can happen in just some digits, or in all.
What to do: Treatment depends on the underlying
cause, so report this serious symptom to a doctor. (Physicians are also well
trained to look for clubbed digits during exams.)
16. Red flag: Shooting pain in the heel
What it means: Plantar fasciitis -- a fancy
name for inflammation of a band of connective tissue (
fascia) running
along the bottom (
plantar) of the foot -- is abnormal straining of the
tissue beyond its normal extension.
More clues: The pain starts when you take your first
steps in the morning and often intensifies as the day wears on. It's usually
concentrated in the heel (one or both) but can also be felt in the arch or in
the back of the foot. Running and jumping a lot can cause it, but so can
insufficient support. You're at risk if you go barefoot a lot or wear old shoes
or flimsy flip-flops, have gained weight, or walk a lot on hard surfaces.
What to do: If pain persists more than a few weeks
or seems to worsen, have it evaluated by a podiatrist. Stick to low shoes with
a strong supportive arch until you get further advice and treatment (which may
include anti-inflammatory drugs and shoe inserts).
17. Red flag: "Phee-uuuuw!"
What it means: Though smelly feet (
hyperhidrosis)
tend to cause more alarm than most foot symptoms, odor -- even downright
stinkiness -- is seldom a sign something's physically amiss. (Whew!) Feet
contain more sweat glands than any other body part -- half a million between
the two of them! And some people are more prone to sweat than others. Add in
the casings of shoes and socks, and the normal bacteria that thrive in the body
have a feast on the resulting moisture, creating the smell that makes wives and
mothers weep. (Both sexes can have smelly feet, but men tend to sweat more.)
More clues: In this case, the one olfactory clue is
plenty.
What to do: Wash with antibacterial soap and dry
feet well. Rub cornstarch or antiperspirant onto soles. Toss used socks in the
wash; always put on a fresh pair instead of reusing. Stick to natural materials
(cotton socks, leather shoes) -- they wick away moisture better than man-made
materials. Open up laced shoes after you remove them so they get a chance to
fully air out; don't wear them again until they're fully dry.
18. Red flag: Old shoes
What it means: Danger! You're a walking health bomb
if your everyday shoes are more than a couple of years old or if walking or
running shoes have more than 350 to 500 miles on them. Old shoes lack the
support feet need -- and footgear wears out faster than most people think, foot
specialists say.
More clues: Blisters (too tight), bunions (too narrow), heel
pain (not enough support) -- if you're having any kind of foot trouble, there's
at least a 50-50 chance your shoddy or ill-fitting footwear is to blame.
Older people are especially vulnerable because they fall into the habit of
wearing familiar old shoes that may lack support, flexibility, or good
traction.
What to do: Go shoe shopping.
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8 Things Your Hair Says About Your Health
When it comes to our hair, most of us worry most about what
to do with it: how short to cut it, how to style it, whether to color it once
it begins to go gray. But experts say that our hair says a lot more about us
than how closely we follow the latest styles. In fact, the health of our hair
and scalp can be a major tip-off to a wide variety of health conditions.
"We used to think hair was just dead protein, but now we understand
that a whole host of internal conditions affect the health of our hair,"
says dermatologist Victoria Barbosa, MD, who runs Millennium Park Dermatology
in Chicago. "Our hair responds to stress, both the physical stressors of
disease and underlying health issues, and psychological stress." Here,
eight red flags that tell you it's time to pay more attention to the health of
your hair -- and to your overall health in general.
Red flag #1: Dry, limp, thin-feeling hair
What it means: Many factors can lead to over-dry hair,
including hair dyes, hair blowers, and swimming in chlorinated water. But a
significant change in texture that leaves hair feeling finer, with less body,
can be an indicator of an underactive thyroid, known as hypothyroidism. Some
people conclude that their hair is thinning because it feels as if there's less
of it, but the thinning is due more to the texture of the hair itself becoming
finer and weaker than to individual hairs falling out (though that happens
too).
More clues: Other signs of hypothyroidism include fatigue,
weight gain, slow heart rate, and feeling cold all the time, says Raphael
Darvish, a dermatologist in Brentwood, California. In some cases, the eyebrows
also thin and fall out. A telltale sign: when the outermost third of the
eyebrow thins or disappears.
What to do: Report your concerns to your doctor and ask him
or her to check your levels of thyroid hormone. The most common blood tests
measure the levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and T4. It's also
important to keep a list of your symptoms -- all of them.
"A doctor's visit is best to work up this problem; he or she may choose
to do a thyroid ultrasound and a blood test in addition to an
examination," says Darvish.
10 Things Your Skin Says About Your
Health >>
Red flag #2: Scaly or
crusty patches on the scalp, often starting at the hairline
What it means: When a thick crust forms on the scalp, this
usually indicates psoriasis, which can be distinguished from other
dandruff-like skin conditions by the presence of a thickening, scab-like
surface, says Lawrence Greene, MD, a spokesperson for the National Psoriasis
Foundation. Psoriasis is the most common of all the autoimmune diseases and
occurs when the skin goes into overdrive, sending out faulty signals that speed
up the turnover and growth of skin cells.
More clues: Psoriasis, which affects nearly 7.5 million
Americans, often occurs in concert with other autoimmune diseases such as
Crohn's disease, lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis. If you have another
autoimmune disorder, it's that much more likely you'll develop psoriasis. In
turn, the discovery that you have psoriasis should put you on the alert for
more serious conditions. Up to 30 percent of people with psoriasis develop a
condition called psoriatic arthritis, which causes painful swelling of the
joints.
What to do: There's a long list of ingredients that help
relieve psoriasis, and treatment is often a process of trial and error. Topical
treatments include shampoos containing coal tar or salicylic acid, and creams
or ointments containing zinc and aloe vera. Hydrocortisone cream works to
relieve inflammation. Prescription creams include vitamin D, vitamin A, and
anthralin. Many patients also have great success treating the scalp with UV
light therapy, and systemic medications such as cyclosporine work better for
some people than topical medications.
It's a good idea to see a dermatologist for help sorting out the various
treatments, rather than trying to do it on your own. One thing to keep in mind:
Psoriasis puts you at increased risk of
diabetes,
heart disease,
hypertension, certain types of
cancer, metabolic syndrome, obesity, and
depression.
So if your psoriasis becomes severe, bring it to your doctor's attention as
part of a discussion of your overall health.