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Most of the people suffering with Diabetes face several health related problems like tertiary nerve damage and poor blood circulation. Feet are the lower most portions of a human body and farthest from the heart; thereby the blood circulation has to be most efficient to the feet. Thus if the blood circulation gets affected, the feet are the first organ/part to be affected. The nerves get damaged and the feet gradually start loosing sensation. Chronic nerve damage and poor blood circulation leads to dry skin, cracks in the skin and blisters which can develop infections in the feet. Since the patient has already less sensation, these infections often go unnoticed and cause great damage before it is too late. The bones also get affected by poor blood circulation resulting in the disintegration of the foot and ankle joints. Since the nerves are damaged the diabetic patients may not even realize that they have fractured their lower limbs and they may continue to walk on their fractured limbs leading to dangerous situations. Amputation of the affected limb is the only solution to save the life of such diabetic patients. Sometimes the bacterial and fungal infections are so severe that gangrene can develop in the affected part but the patient is oblivious about the same. Diabetic patients should take extra precautions to save themselves from such situations. Following are the precautions that every diabetic patient should take to save his/her feet:- 1. Hygiene: - Always be sure to keep your feet clean and dry at all times, especially between the toes where there are chances of fungal infections. 2. Check infections: -Look-out for cuts n cracks in your feet everyday. Any redness, swelling, blisters, cuts or color changes should be investigated and treated immediately. 3. Nail Care: - The Nail Care for diabetic patients is very important as these are the areas where infections prevail. Always cut nails straight across and then smooth the edges with an emery board. It is always easy to cut nails after your bath or shower. 4. Skin Care: - Diabetic patients should take extra care about the skin. One should prevent dryness and cracking by applying cream or petroleum jelly to heels and dry skin areas but avoid applying the same in between the toes as this can allow bacteria and fungus to grow and infect the skin. 5. In case you happen to get corns, calluses or ingrown toenails in your feet, do not attempt to self-treat these conditions, visit a doctor for treatment. 6. Blood Circulation to the feet: - Please ensure that the blood circulation to the feet is not restricted. Try not to cross your legs when you sit down. This can limit circulation. Also try to use socks that are loose fitting and do not have elastic bands which restrict the free blood flow to the feet. 7. Protect your feet from extremes in temperature. Keep your bathing water at Luke warm temperate which is in the 85-90 F degree range (30-32 C). In extreme cases of diabetes neuropathy, you may not be able to feel if the water is too hot, and burns could result. This could further lead to complications. 8. Diabetic patients should always avoid using heating pads or hot water bottles. Protect your feet from temperatures that are too cold, as well. Prolonged cold temperatures can reduce blood circulation even more resulting in less blood supply to the limbs. 9. Shoes & Socks: - Take precautions before buying shoes and socks. The shoes should be loosely fit, not tight it shoes and socks should be special diabetic socks. There are special diabetic shoes and socks available in the market which have been specially designed and manufactured for diabetic patients only. These shoes and socks should be anti fungal and anti bacterial. Solomon a health care company has specially designed Dia B-Care socks which have been found to be extremely beneficial for the healthy feet of Diabetic patients.
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