Can I soak my feet when my period comes?

Many people in our lives have the habit of soaking their feet for health preservation. But can I soak my feet when I have my period? Women can soak their feet during menstruation. As long as the water temperature is maintained, do not use cold water. For female friends, soaking feet in hot water during menstruation is very good for health. It can promote blood circulation, relieve menstrual pain for women, and is also very effective for women with cold body or qi stagnation and blood stasis.

1. Promote blood circulation

First of all, female friends can soak their feet during this period. Everyone knows that soaking your feet can increase blood circulation in the body. Even if you soak your feet on a normal day, you can feel comfortable, and the same is true during menstruation. If a woman suffers from qi stagnation and blood stasis, she will often have many small blood clots during her menstruation. Soaking her feet can promote blood circulation in the body and thus alleviate the phenomenon of blood clots. Therefore, foot soaking can make the blood of women during menstruation more smooth, so that the menstrual blood can flow smoothly.

2. Relieve dysmenorrhea symptoms

Most people will have a thin layer of sweat on their bodies after soaking their feet in hot water for a period of time. This is because soaking the feet increases the body temperature, thus achieving the effect of dispelling the cold. Many women experience dysmenorrhea during menstruation. In severe cases, they may be bedridden, so many people use hot water bags to relieve the symptoms. In fact, foot soaking can also effectively solve women's dysmenorrhea caused by cold. The effect will be better if Chinese herbal medicine is used for foot soaking.

8 taboos of foot bathing should be remembered

1. Don’t be indecisive when soaking your feet

Don’t read books or watch TV while soaking your feet, as this will easily achieve the effect of “guiding fire back to the origin”.

2. The amount of water should not be too little

It is best to use a deep wooden bucket or enamel basin with a large bottom area for foot soaking, which allows your feet to be placed flat and comfortably, and it is best to let the water soak all the way to your calves.

3. Do not go to bed immediately after soaking your feet

You cannot go to bed immediately after soaking your feet. While your feet are still hot, rub the soles of your feet, put on socks in time to keep warm, and it is best to go to bed after the temperature of your whole body slowly decreases.

4. Pay attention to the hygiene and cleanliness of the bath tub

If the foot soaking tub is not cleaned thoroughly or the tub wall is not treated with antibacterial agents, the bacteria on the feet will easily remain on the tub wall, causing repeated infections of the feet. Therefore, it is very important to choose a good foot soaking tub.

5. The best duration is 15 to 20 minutes

The foot soaking time should not be too long, 15 to 30 minutes is appropriate. When soaking your feet, blood will flow to the lower limbs, and the brain is prone to insufficient blood supply. Patients with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and the elderly who feel chest tightness or dizziness should temporarily stop soaking their feet and take a rest. Diabetic patients have poor peripheral sensory ability, so family members should test the water temperature first to prevent scalding.

6. It is not advisable to soak your feet within half an hour after a meal

It will affect the blood supply to the stomach and cause malnutrition in the long run. After eating, most of the blood in the body flows to the digestive tract. If you soak your feet in hot water immediately after a meal, the blood that should flow to the digestive system will flow to the lower limbs instead. Over time, this will affect digestion and absorption and lead to nutritional deficiencies. Therefore, it is best to soak your feet half an hour after a meal.

7. Women should not use Chinese medicine to soak their feet during menstruation

The problems that women encounter during their menstrual period are more complicated. If you cannot identify the cause and use Chinese medicine to soak your feet, it will not only fail to have a soothing effect, but may also aggravate symptoms such as dysmenorrhea. Therefore, if women want to use Chinese medicine foot bathing to treat menstrual health problems such as dysmenorrhea, it is best to consult a doctor and take the appropriate medication according to their own situation.

8. The best water temperature is 40℃~50℃

The water temperature cannot be too high. Many people think that as long as the water temperature is within their tolerance range, the higher the better. In fact, this is not the case. The best water temperature for foot soaking is below 50℃, which should be hot but not scalding. Do not use your hands to measure the water temperature, it is best to feel it with your feet. If the water temperature is too high, the blood vessels in the feet are prone to excessive dilation, and more blood in the body will flow to the lower limbs, which can easily cause insufficient blood supply to important organs such as the heart, brain, and kidneys, which is not good for the body.