Foot soaking is not that magical! And these five types of people must not soak their feet! Otherwise...

I don’t know when foot soaking became a health-preserving activity, and there are many different ways to soak your feet. The ingredients added to the water are also varied: moxa leaves, vinegar, almond tea, various Chinese medicines…

Image source: Pixabay

As we all know, the outermost layer of the epidermis is the stratum corneum, which is the natural barrier of the skin, protecting our skin from various physical, chemical, and microbial stimuli and invasions from the outside world. This system has evolved over millions of years, which is the result of objective historical adaptability. To be able to invade the human body through the skin, it must have at least the following characteristics: it must be both fat-soluble and water-soluble and have a small molecular weight to be able to pass through the layers of skin barriers and be absorbed by the capillaries.

The ingredients used to make foot baths, whether it is wormwood, vinegar, almond tea or various Chinese medicines, are almost all soluble in water and lack fat solubility. Even if your feet become wrinkled, they have little effect. The only effect of foot baths is that hot water can stimulate blood circulation.

01 Benefits of Foot Soaking

Improve sleep. Soaking your feet regularly can also help improve sleep. Soaking your feet in 43-degree Celsius water for 30 minutes can reduce the lactic acid in the blood. In addition, the feet are rich in nerve endings and capillaries, and soaking your feet in hot water can have a mild and good stimulating effect on the nerves and capillaries. This warm stimulation is reflected to the cerebral cortex, inhibiting it, thereby improving sleep and eliminating insomnia.

Foot bathing can increase the blood flow rate and volume in the feet, thereby improving heart function, reducing heart load, promoting metabolism, and regulating meridians and qi and blood. It can also release stress and soothe the body and mind.

Modern people are generally under great pressure. Life, work, and family are often suffocating. People who are under high pressure for a long time are tense, anxious, and even depressed. Soaking your feet can help you release stress and relax your body and mind, especially when you get home from get off work in the evening. Soaking your feet can make you feel less tired all day.

02 How to soak your feet

1. The best time for foot soaking is 30 to 45 minutes, once a day or every other day.

2. The best water temperature for foot bathing. The water temperature for foot bathing is generally maintained at 38℃～43℃. The water depth for foot bathing should usually be above the ankles, and the feet should be rubbed frequently.

3. Use the index finger, middle finger and ring finger of both hands to massage the Yongquan acupoints of both feet for about 1 minute each, and then massage the gap between the toes of both feet for about half a minute. To maintain the water temperature, add appropriate amount of hot water in batches and repeat 3 to 5 times.

4. When the body heat increases, the blood vessels in the body will expand, which is beneficial to the blood circulation in the body. So it is enough to sweat slightly, but don't sweat too much.

Image source: Pixabay

03 These five types of people must not soak their feet

For people with underlying vascular diseases, such as diabetes, varicose veins or thrombosis, and skin diseases such as tinea pedis, soaking feet still has certain health risks. Soaking feet for a long time and at too high a temperature will cause local vascular dilation, resulting in insufficient effective circulating blood volume throughout the body. Therefore, soaking feet is not suitable for everyone.

These five types of people must not soak their feet:

People with diabetes should be careful when soaking their feet

Diabetic patients should pay special attention to the water temperature, because their peripheral nerves cannot perceive the external temperature normally. Even if the water temperature is very high, they cannot feel it and are easily scalded. In severe cases, amputation is the only option after limb necrosis.

Patients with vascular diseases should not soak their feet

People with vascular diseases generally have venous return obstruction. For example, patients with lower limb arteriosclerosis obliterans have hardened arteries and significantly reduced elasticity. Soaking feet in hot water cannot dilate hardened and blocked blood vessels. Instead, it aggravates ischemia and even causes necrosis. Also, when patients with varicose veins soak their feet, the increase in foot temperature will only increase local blood flow, but will not change the speed of venous return. Instead, it may increase the burden of venous return, causing further dilation of varicose veins, aggravating congestion in the lower limbs, and worsening the condition.

People with poor heart function

High water temperature will stimulate the nerves and cause the capillaries to dilate. High temperature will accelerate blood flow, increasing the burden on the heart and blood vessels in a short period of time, and there is a risk of aggravating the condition.

Pregnant women, children under 10 years old

Pregnant women soaking their feet will have an impact on the fetus. It is also best not to soak the feet of children aged 0-10 in hot water. Children are "pure yang bodies" and are prone to fever and getting angry. If they soak their feet in hot water and sweat, it will add heat to the heat. Children are still in the growth and development period, and the bones of their feet have not yet fully developed. Long-term soaking of feet can easily lead to loose plantar ligaments, which has a certain impact on the formation and maintenance of the arch of the foot. Frequent soaking of feet may lead to flat feet.

Patients with athlete's foot and foot injuries

People with athlete's foot should not soak their feet in hot water when the condition is severe enough to cause blisters, as this can easily cause wound infection. People with foot inflammation, skin diseases, trauma or skin burns should also not soak their feet.

Source: Chongqing Tianji Network Co., Ltd.

This article is compiled from: Science Popularization China, Tencent.com

Statement: Except for original content and special notes, some pictures are from the Internet. They are not for commercial purposes and are only used as popular science materials. The copyright belongs to the original authors. If there is any infringement, please contact us to delete them.