April is National Foot Health Awareness Month

Did you know that the average person walks enough in a lifetime to go around the world over 5 times? Thats more then one hundred, twenty-five thousand miles.

Feet are a crucial part to a health, functioning life. Feet give us the ability to be mobile and to be balanced. From our first steps to our last, our feet need to be taken care of. April is Nation Foot Health Awareness Month. Podiatrists from around the world come together to promote healthy feet.

The first step to maintaining healthy feet is good hygiene. Simply making sure your feet are clean and cutting your nails will help to keep them in good condition. However, if you were to experience a foot illness you should seek medical attention from a doctor immediately.

Some symptoms that occur in feet can be a sign of a common or even more severe medical condition. Here are a few things you should keep in mind if you start seeing symptoms in your feet.

Something so simple as hair loss on your toes could mean much more. Losing hair on your toes is a sign of poor circulation. You should seek a doctor soon as the condition could get worse. Usually elevation will help the circulation. However, sometimes the condition could be worse and require a specialist.

We have all had hards days are work which can lead to tired, achy and swollen feet. But did you know that swollen feet can be a sign of heart or kidney problems. If you have swollen feet you should contact your family physician or a podiatrist as soon as possible.

Cracked heals can mean more then just dry skin. Cracked heals can be a sign of a severe thyroid problem and should be brought up to your physician. Many people over look the fact that it could be more then dry skin. Sloughing a jar of Utter Cream on your heals to soften them could merely be overlooking a serious problem.

Corns and blister can also mean a serious underlying problem. Signs and blisters can be a sign of diabetes. If you have corns and blisters along with severe thirst or other diabetic symptoms you should seek medical attention immediately. The majority of the time Corns and blisters are caused by shoes being worn too tight. Try getting a half size bigger and treating your feet with the corn and blister medications.

Take care of your feet by cleaning them daily. Use an exfoliating foot bar like the one from AVON. Moisturize your feet daily and trim your toe nails often. If you have a problem with ingrown toe nails then you should try filing them instead of cutting them. By filing them you can ensure that you aren't going to close the cuticle or the edges of the nail bed which can irritate your nails and cause ingrown toe nails.

April is National Foot Health Awareness Month and is also the best time to get those piggies in shape for your favorite, summer sandals.